(Credits: Netflix)

Netflix pulls off many unexplainable phenomena with the kind of content it rolls out. But the buzz surrounding Adolescence is not rooted in mystery; it’s camped in pure genius. When the show was released in March this year, it achieved monstrous success, and for good reason.

Although it was unsettling and uncomfortable, Adolescence had an incredible hold over the audience. The Netflix series follows the story of 13-year-old Jamie, who’s accused of killing a girl in his class. While the show may come across as a whodunit, it’s so much more.

The Emmy-nominated story examines the horrors of the crime and its impact with a sequential focus on the arrest, investigation, psychological report, and the family as they grapple with a situation no textbook prepares you for. Adolescence, in part, is a parent’s worst nightmare, and, in part, serves as a reality check.

While there are many Netflix projects that rise through the ranks over time, Jack Thorne recently recalled the moment Adolescence became the talk of the town. In a recent interview with Deadline, Thorne recounted the moment he realised his show was moving up the ladder and making its place in popular culture. For him, there were two indicators of its growing fame.

First, he considers himself a “ratings and TV nerd”, so he constantly keeps his eye out for FlixPatrol reports. But that’s not the only source he relies on. Thorne has a knack for checking all those websites he likes to label “weird” to get a sense of the streaming landscape, including what’s trending, what’s number one, and what’s not.

“I was checking that right from the start, which is really sad of me, and I’m pathetic for doing so, but I was,” he sheepishly admitted. However, there was also a second tell-tale sign of Adolescence’s popularity; it was the letters and emails that were sent to him. Thorne recounted receiving words of appreciation from those in the industry and those who have no business with the world of entertainment, such as his school friends from years past.

He remembered receiving a text on the third day of the show’s release that said, “I’ve just had a conversation with my 14-year-old that I never expected to have”. That was just one of the several personal messages he had received back then, and those alone were the signs that made him realise that Adolescence was building a strong following, doing things he originally didn’t expect the show to do. As a showrunner, what bigger compliment can it be when the story you tell ends up taking on a life of its own.