Adolescence might be new on Netflix, but it’s already blowing up. In just three weeks, it pulled in nearly 97 million views and shot up to become one of the platform’s biggest hits.
It’s a gripping crime drama that doesn’t hold back, diving deep into tough topics like incel culture and the darker sides of teenage life. What really sets it apart is its wild one-shot episode style—critics and fans are loving it.
If this show got under your skin and left you wanting more of that real, emotional punch, there are a few others out there that deliver just as hard. Let’s dive into those 10 Must-Watch shows.
10 Must-Watch Shows Recommendations
Netflix’s Adolescence really hooked viewers with its cool one-shot scenes and raw take on stuff like teen crime, toxic masculinity, and how social media messes with lives.
If that kind of gritty, emotional story is your thing, these 10 Must-Watch shows bring the same kind of deep vibes and powerful storytelling.
They dig into big issues and keep you thinking even after the episode ends.
1. Defending Jacob (2020)
Defending Jacob” is a super intense show from 2020 on Apple TV+. It’s about a regular family whose life turns upside down when their 14-year-old son, Jacob, gets accused of killing one of his classmates.
Chris Evans plays the dad, Andy, who works as a district attorney, and Michelle Dockery plays his wife, Laurie. As they try to protect their son, things get messy. Secrets from their past start to show up. They begin to wonder if they really know Jacob at all.
People really liked the acting and the deep emotions in the story. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a 70% approval rating from critics and an 87% audience score, indicating generally favorable reviews.
2. The Wire (2002-2008)
The Wire is one of those shows that always makes it onto “best of” lists from the 2000s. Rolling Stone even called it the fourth-best TV show ever.
BBC asked over 200 TV experts from around the world, and they picked The Wire as the top show of the 21st century. It aired on HBO for five seasons and is a crime drama that helped launch stars like Idris Elba and Michael B. Jordan.
What made The Wire stand out was how real it felt. It talked about big issues like the justice system and police work. It showed Baltimore in a way that felt true and gave depth to people usually seen as just criminals.
Even with all this praise, The Wire only got two Emmy nods and didn’t win either. If you liked the way Adolescence looked at society but want something with more layers and time to explore, this show is a solid pick.
3. Baby Reindeer (2024)
Baby Reindeer is a deep and emotional show that tells a tough story about trauma and obsession. It’s based on Richard Gadd’s real-life experiences and follows Donny Dunn, a comedian who tries to help a woman named Martha.
At first, it seems like a kind act. But things quickly get out of hand when Martha starts stalking him. Her actions grow scary, and Donny ends up facing a lot of pain from his past.
The show isn’t just about being scared. It shows how hard life can be when you’re carrying emotional wounds. It also makes you think about who’s really the victim and how people can hurt others without meaning to.
Just like Adolescence, this story digs into how pressure and pain can change people, and how trauma doesn’t always look the same for everyone.
4. Mindhunter (2017-2019)
Mindhunter is a powerful crime drama that explores how the FBI first began to study the minds of criminals. Set in the late 1970s, it follows agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they speak with serial killers behind bars.
Their goal is to learn what causes people to commit such crimes, so they can help stop them in the future. The show spends a lot of time showing how personal pain and life experiences can shape dangerous behavior.
This idea connects well with Adolescence, which also looks closely at what causes young people to act out in harmful ways. In the third episode of Adolescence, a psychologist interviews a 13-year-old killer. It’s a quiet but scary moment that feels very much like the interviews in Mindhunter.
Fans of Adolescence will likely find Mindhunter just as gripping.
5. Criminal: UK (2019-2020)
If you liked Adolescence for its intense talks and serious look at growing up and society, then Criminal: UK is worth checking out.
Both shows take place in one main setting—Adolescence sticks to long, single-shot scenes, while Criminal: UK stays inside an interrogation room the whole time.
This setup makes the stories feel tense and personal. Criminal: UK is all about the back-and-forth between cops and suspects. It shows how tricky it can be to figure out what’s true and what’s not. The simple setup lets the actors shine and really brings out the emotions.
If you like shows that make you think about right, wrong, and everything in between, this one won’t disappoint.
6. The Night Of (2016)
The Night Of is about a guy named Nasir Khan (played by Riz Ahmed). One night, he hangs out with a girl, and the next morning, he finds her dead. He gets arrested, and the story follows what happens to him in jail. His lawyer, John Stone (John Turturro), tries to prove that Nasir didn’t do it.
The show keeps you guessing. You’re never really sure if Nasir is innocent or not. Just like in Adolescence, it makes you wonder what the truth really is.
There are police scenes too, where they try to push people into saying things. That kind of pressure feels very real.
The tension never lets go, from the first episode to the last. The show got 14 Emmy nominations and won five, including one for Riz Ahmed’s acting.
7. Broadchurch (2013-2017)
Broadchurch (2013–2017) is a British crime show set in a quiet coastal town called Broadchurch in Dorset. Everything changes when 11-year-old Danny Latimer is found dead, and the whole town is shaken.
Two detectives, Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), work together to find out what happened. As they look for the truth, they discover that many people in town are hiding something. The show looks closely at how the town deals with pain, loss, and broken trust. It’s known for its strong acting, deep story, and beautiful but sad setting.
If you liked Adolescence, Broadchurch might interest you too. Both shows deal with how one event can affect many lives. They focus on feelings, relationships, and the search for justice. Adolescence uses one long camera shot to feel real and close, while Broadchurch uses the quiet, moody town to show emotions.
Both are powerful stories about people trying to hold on when everything is falling apart.
8. Mare of Easttown (2021)
Mare of Easttown is an intense crime drama starring Kate Winslet as Detective Mare Sheehan. She’s trying to solve the murder of a teenage mom in a small town in Pennsylvania.
The show dives into heavy topics like trauma, grief, and how messy relationships can be in close-knit communities. It’s a lot like Adolescence in how it shows people dealing with their personal struggles.
People loved the show, and it got a ton of praise, picking up 16 nominations at the 73rd Primetime Emmys.
Winslet won for Outstanding Lead Actress, Evan Peters took home Outstanding Supporting Actor, and Julianne Nicholson won Outstanding Supporting Actress.
9. A Thousand Blows (2025)
A Thousand Blows is set in the rough streets of 1880s East London. It follows two Jamaican immigrants, Hezekiah Moscow and Alec Munroe, as they dive into the dangerous world of bare-knuckle boxing and cross paths with the all-female gang, the Forty Elephants.
Created by Steven Knight (the mind behind Peaky Blinders), the show tackles survival, power struggles, and the tough lives of people in an industrializing world. Stephen Graham plays Sugar Goodson, a veteran boxer who feels threatened by Hezekiah’s rise.
The series weaves together personal goals and the brutal reality of Victorian London’s crime scene.
Both Adolescence and A Thousand Blows dive into the journey of young characters getting caught up in violent worlds. They show how society and personal decisions shape the paths they take.
10. Unbelievable (2019)
Unbelievable is a crime drama on Netflix based on a true story. It tells the story of two detectives working to catch a serial rapist who terrorized Washington and Colorado between 2008 and 2011.
The show is inspired by a 2015 news article, An Unbelievable Story of Rape. Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, and Kaitlyn Dever all give amazing performances that really grab your attention.
Watching Unbelievable is like going on an emotional ride, much like going through adolescence. The show dives deep into the painful side of these cases, showing the trauma the victims went through.
While Adolescence explores how social media, family, and society shaped Jamie, Unbelievable digs into the flaws of the justice system. Collette, Wever, and Dever were all nominated for Critics’ Choice Awards, and Collette even won one.