Stephen Graham has been left stunned by the success of Netflix’s Adolescence and has now issued an update on whether there will be a second season of the show

Liverpudlian Stephen Graham is absolutely gobsmacked by the phenomenal reaction to Netflix’s latest sensation, Adolescence. The 51-year-old has been showered with praise for his riveting portrayal of Eddie Miller in the gripping four-part series.

Graham co-wrote the smash-hit show alongside Jack Thorne and the too-real series has taken the globe by storm, smashing Netflix records with a staggering 24.3 million viewers tuning in worldwide within the first four days of its release. The numbers then soared to an impressive 66.3 million after a fortnight, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Following the show’s monumental success, Graham spilled the beans on the potential for a sequel to Adolescence. In an interview with Variety, the Boardwalk Empire actor teased: “Possibly, let’s see how the figures are. But yeah, there’s the possibility of developing another story.”

Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller in Adolescence. ( 

Image:

Courtesy of Netflix)

The Gangs of New York star confessed that the series’ profound societal impact caught him off guard, adding: “I suppose what I’m trying to say is that we had no idea that it would impact socially the way it has, but it seems to have cut through all the race, creed and hierarchical structures of society with the message that it’s carrying about our youth.”

Graham’s other half, Hannah Walters, who not only appears on screen as an actor but also serves as an executive producer on the show, echoed her husband’s sentiments and expressed her astonishment at the overwhelming response the show has received.

Walters shared: “It’s been overwhelming. Somebody sent us an email saying that he’d been in the business for 38 years and had never known anything to have had an impact like that.

“We’re number one in 80 countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, Australia… it’s just incredible. I didn’t think the subject matter would resonate with the world, but it really has.”

Graham and Walters dropped their season two update following co-writer Thorne’s hint on This Morning that a second season of Adolescence is unlikely. The screenwriter explained: “The first is, I don’t think we’re the right people to tell Katie’s story. So, I think there are other makers out there that could tell beautiful dramas about Katie or girls like Katie, those shows should be made.

“Our aim was to try and tell Jamie’s story as fully as we possibly could, and maybe trying to tell her story would dilute that in some way, or maybe we would be inadequate to that task.”

He added: “The second thing, in terms of the second series is, I think Jamie’s story is finished. I don’t think there’s anywhere more we can take Jamie, so I don’t think there is a series two.”

The writer also mentioned his appreciation for the unique filming style of the show, stating: “We’d love to explore the one-shot format in another way. We’d love to tell other stories with it, but I don’t think a series two of Adolescence is quite right for us.

“I hope what this show does is it doesn’t provide easy answers. It doesn’t say, ‘This is the way to solve this, this is the way to do that.’ I hope what it provokes is conversations on the sofa, conversations in classrooms, and, hopefully, conversations in government.”

All four episodes of Adolescence are available to stream on Netflix.