Is there more episodes of Adolescence? Here's why it's only 4 episodes long

19 March 2025, 11:01 | Updated: 19 March 2025, 11:37

Is there more episodes of Adolescence? Why the Netflix show is only 4 episodes long. Picture: Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

Will there be more episodes of Adolescence? What happens to Jamie? Co-creators Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne explain why it ends with episode 4.

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Netflix's Adolescence is one of the most powerful TV shows you'll probably watch this year. Starring Stephen Graham alongside newcomer Owen Cooper as 13-year-old accused killer Jamie, the series is harrowing from start to finish.

The limited series which is only four episodes long features stunning performances, incredible camera work (each episode was shot in one continuous take) and a stark warning about harmful online propaganda affecting young boys.

While the show has been lauded by professional critics and casual Netflix viewers alike, some people have been left wondering if there's any more episodes to come.

Adolescence's ending doesn't tie everything up in a neat bow and leaves several unanswered questions about Jamie up in the air. Ultimately, those specific questions are not the point of the series. Here's why you shouldn't expect any more Adolescence episodes.

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Owen Cooper plays 13-year-old Jamie Miller who is accused of murdering a girl at his school. Picture: Netflix

Will there be any more episodes of Adolescence? Why is it only 4 episodes long?

Sadly, no. Adolescence is a limited series and there will be no season 2. Nor will there be any more episodes added to the show.

Explaining the very specific and purposeful ending, co-creators Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne told Tudum that they always wanted the story to end in Jamie's bedroom, where it all began, the very place he consumed all the online propaganda that poisoned his mind and led to him to kill Katie.

“We knew that we wanted to end it in that room. We wanted the journey to finish where it began,” Stephen said. “This is where the person who Jamie became was created."

The final shot shows Jamie's dad Eddie sitting in Jamie's bedroom (a literal child's bedroom), racked with guilt and grief, destroyed by what has happened.

Adolescence's Stephen Graham reveals the real life events that inspired the show

What happens to Jamie after the end of Adolescence?

Viewers don't actually find out what happens to Jamie at the end of the show. In the final episode, he tells his dad that he's going to change his plea to guilty, and that's the last we hear of him. Episode 4 focuses on Jamie's family.

Some people have expressed frustration behind the choice to not show Jamie's court case or reveal his sentencing, but ultimately, that's not the point of the show.

The aim of the show, as the co-creators have explained, is to shine a light on the absolutely devastating impact that the whole thing has had on Jamie's mum, dad and sister.

In an interview with Tudum, Stephen explained that the series was always meant to explore the “ripple effect of this heinous act," and to show how it could happen to any family – including a typical nuclear family like Jamie's.

What happens to Jamie after the end of Adolescence? Picture: Netflix

Adolescence ending explained: Why does it focus on Jamie's family? Does Jamie go to jail?

Despite all the positive influences Jamie has at home, he was still able to be led astray by harmful online rhetoric.

"I wanted to eliminate the possibility of thinking Eddie is a violent man,” Stephen explained. While he might not be "overly tender and doesn’t tell his boy he loves him constantly,” Eddie is “a hardworking father who goes to work early in the morning, comes back late at night, and puts food on the table."

"Eddie brings in as much love as he can," he added. "He does to the best of his ability. I wanted Jamie’s mum not to be an alcoholic in any way, shape, or form. She’s just a hardworking woman. His sister is most likely to succeed within her class.”

Jack Thorne added that, while none of Jamie's family members are to "blame", his parents still take accountability for their parenting choices.

"You’re understanding the final part of Jamie," he said. "You’re getting a new perspective on Eddie — the complicated vision of Eddie. You need to understand how he allowed his son to become absent, what Eddie taught his son, and what he didn’t teach his son. You need to understand that for the whole family."

Adolescence's ending was always meant to end in Jamie's bedroom. Picture: Netflix

Adolescence is a warning. Speaking to The Independent, Stephen said he would urge parents to be more "mindful of the fact that not only we parent our children, and not only the school educates our children".

"There’s influences that we have no idea of that are having profound effects on our young culture, profound effects, positive and extremely negative. So, it’s having a look at that and seeing that we’re all accountable."