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Adolescence is a current hot topic in the world of shows and rightly so. Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, the show is a disturbing look into the mind of a 13-year-old schoolboy, Jamie, who is accused of murdering his classmate. As the series progresses, the show casts a look at the various institutions like family, education, and social media, that have caused harm in young children’s minds and have turned boys and men into people who hate girls and women. The show is disturbing not just because it showcases the disturbing psychology of Jamie, but also because it brings fore the apathy of society. Viewers who were affected by the unsettling tone of the show, can check out nine other shows that offer the same experience.
Unbelievable, Mindhunter, and other disturbing shows like Adolescence
1. Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan and starring Evan Peters, Molly Ringwald, and others, this biographical crime drama series is a disturbing look into the mind and world of the real-life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (played by Peters). The show takes place from the time Jeffrey was a young child and had started having predispositions about murder, his difficult and neglectful family life, his days as a young adult, his crimes between the years of 1978 and 1991, and his ultimate conviction. The show has a tense feeling throughout and like Jamie, the show focusses in part, on how negative tendencies began to be harbored by Dahmer since a young age. Like Adolescence looks critically at the responsibility of the society at large, the show also looks at issues like racial bias in the police system, the apathy in apprehending him, as he was able to circumvent the law various times, and the manner in which LGBTQ+ people’s concerns were sidelined by authorities. The show is gruesome, gory, and dark, and was a smash hit with the viewers.
2. The End of the F***ing World
Based on the mini comics by Charles Forsman and created by Jonathan Entwistle, this British black comedy and drama thriller stars Alex Lawther, Jessica Barden, and others. The show is a great watch after watching Adolescence as it is deceptively humorous but at its core, it has a dark vibe and tackles sensitive themes like assault and murder. The show is about a 17-year-old boy called James (Lawther), who has dark tendencies and believes that he is a psychopath with a propensity to kill. However, when he meets an angry and grumpy classmate called Alyssa (Barden), he is unable to execute his plans and instead, the two embark on a cross-country road trip as they run away from various dangers and Alyssa’s problematic family. While Adolescence is a thorough crime drama with serious concerns and a nonstop unsettling atmosphere, this show has moments of relief and humor, but has a zany and bizarre atmosphere that viewers of the previous show would enjoy.
3. Dark
Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, this German sci-fi thriller not only has the name “Dark” in it, but it is also a dark watch. Directed by Odar himself and starring an ensemble cast of Louis Hofmann, Lisa Vicari, and others, this vast show is made of epic proportions and revolves around the fictional town of Winden in Germany, where the disappearance of a young boy, leads to the discovery of a time travelling cave and the repercussions it has on a group of people from various families, as they get involved in a time travel conspiracy that spans across generations. While its premise is different than Adolescence, it does have the same unsettling atmosphere and forces the viewers to think critically. Praised for its attention to detail and a complex plot, the show will linger in the viewers’ mind for a long time just like the British series.
4. 13 Reasons Why
Developed by Brian Yorkey and based on the novel by Jay Asher, this teen drama series has Selena Gomez as its executive producer and stars Katherine Langford, Dylan Minnette, and others. The show’s first season was famous yet controversial as it tackled the topic of suic*de. The show originally revolved around high school student Clay Jensen (Minnette), who falls for another classmate called Hannah Baker (Langford). However, she commits suic*de and leaves behind a box of cassettes that reveal the 13 reasons why she was forced to take her own life. The show majorly showcases the bitter underbelly of high school life where competition, peer pressure, and exploitation of girls is rampant. The show has a disturbing premise and the show originally had a detailed and graphic suic*de scene, which was deemed controversial and had to be removed. Like Adolescence, the show point out the faults and apathy of society and how it causes people to go into depression, until they reach the point of taking their own lives. An unsettling watch.
5. Mindhunter
Based on the true crime book by John E Douglas and Mark Olshaker, this psychological crime thriller is created by Joe Penhall and its executive producers include Charlize Theron and David Fincher. Starring Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, and others, this gritty and gory show is a difficult to watch show. It therefore makes it self a worthy contender like Adolescence. The series is about how the behavioral Scient Unit was formed in the FBI during the 1970s and how terms like serial killers and investigations into the psychology of the most complex criminals began. The show is meticulous and created with great attention to detail and not only is it gruesome for realistically showcasing the backstories of some of the most dreaded criminals in America like Jeffrey Dahmer and the like, but it is also a thorough look into bureaucratic politics and how criminal profiling was initially sidelined. The show was a huge hit with viewers and critics and like Adolescence, the show is deeply interested in knowing why criminals commit heinous crimes. Intense, disturbing, and fast-paced, the show is a well-made crime drama.
6. Unbelievable
Created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman, and Michael Chabon, this crime drama miniseries stars Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, and Kaitlyn Dever. Based on a news article written in 2015 by T Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong, which was about a series of rape cases in Washington and Colorado, the show also takes inspiration from a 2018 book that was based on the same research. Like Adolescence, the show’s central protagonist is a young teenager, Marie Adler (Dever), who reports that she has been se*ually assaulted, but later withdraws her statement. The subsequent charges that are put on her for supposedly reporting a fake crime and the two female detectives that investigate similar cases, forms the crux of the story. Like Adolescence, the show looks at the condition of society towards women and how quickly people judge them and don’t hold their word seriously. Like Jamie, Marie is also caught in a whirlwind of police and law procedurals at a young age. The show was a critical and commercial success and is an important watch as it looks at how society lets the perpetrators of assault roam free, while women’s stories have to be silenced.
7. Baby Reindeer
Based on the autobiographical one-man show by Richard Gadd, this black comedy and thriller series is a great watch for all those who were gob smacked by the realism and tense moments in Adolescence. Created by Gadd himself and also starring in the show, the series is about an aspiring comedian called Donny Dunn (Gadd), who works as a bartender in a London pub. However, his life changes when he entertains a lonely woman called Martha and shows some empathy towards her, even though he is suspicious of her lies and her erratic behavior. Directed by Weronika Tofilska and Josephine Bornebusch, the show quickly progresses from something quirky to something eerie to something dangerous. Just like Adolescence, the show has standout raw performances by the lead actors and is extremely tense. Both shows are riveting and focus on the effects of childhood conditioning and trauma. Visceral, empathetic, and shocking, the series is the perfect companion to Adolescence and was a critical and commercial hit.
8. Broadchurch
Starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman, and others, this British crime drama series is created by Chris Chibnall and is a popular show with the viewers and the critics. The show’s first season revolves around the titular town, which is a fictional town along the coast of Dorset. The show focusses on two detectives, Alec Hardy (Tennant) and Ellie Miller (Colman), who investigate the murder of an 11-year-old boy called Danny Latimer, and the effect the crime has on the small community of the town, the unwarranted media attention, and themes of grief and suspicion. The show is dark not because it has gory or gruesome scenes, but because it tackles the murder of an innocent child and is a piercing look at the secrets that are hidden among people in small towns. The chemistry between Tennant and Colman’s characters adds some humorous relief and a strong dynamic, but the show focusses on Danny’s family and the loss that they have to go through, in the same manner that Jamie’s family grieves for him. Insightful, piercing, and emotional, this is a must-watch complimentary piece to Adolescence.
9. Chernobyl
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Created by Craig Mazin and based on the real life Chernobyl disaster of 1986, this historical drama series is directed by Johan Renck and stars Paul Ritter, Emily Watson, and others. The show was a critical and commercial hit and was praised for its accuracy, atmosphere, tone, cinematography, and direction. Based on one of the most tragic nuclear disasters in history, the show is a difficult watch. Meticulously done, the series pays great attention to detail and covers how mismanagement and bureaucratic policies led to the disaster. The show is immensely impactful because it is a heartening look at how lives and families of normal people were destroyed forever and those in the higher-ups were busy in covering up the whole ordeal. The show has an engulfing presence that enraptures the viewers with the plight of the tragedy that happened all those years ago. While its premise is different than Adolescence, the show does include similar social commentary and is a dark and disturbing watch.
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