The Netflix series Adolescence has become a surprise hit, the rare streaming series that is both critically acclaimed and massively popular. Adolescence has broken records in the U.K. after its first episode became the most-streamed show in a single week. The topical themes of the series, regarding a teenager who murders a female classmate, have kept it in the cultural zeitgeist; Adolescence has remained at the top of Netflix's most-streamed shows in America since its release. It's 2025, though, so we can't have nice things, and the show is being criticized by right-wing figures who would've preferred to see a person of color play the teenage murderer. Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne has now responded.

The right-wing messaging against the series blew up when Elon Musk reposted a message from Ian Miles Cheong, a far-right figure known for the misogynist harassment campaign GamerGate. Cheong is Malaysian and a resident of that country; he's not a U.