Stephen Graham's must-watch crime drama Adolescence, which stands out as one of the best shows of 2025, is back in Netflix's trending chart this week following multiple wins at the Emmy awards. The four-part hit series, which is now the second most-watched Netflix series (English language) of all time, was awarded a total of six trophies at the 2025 ceremony on Sunday night (14 September).
Graham, who starred in the drama as well as co-writing it with Jack Thorne, won three Emmys, which included the accolade for Outstanding Lead Actor. Adolescence was also awarded the prize for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, while breakout star and newcomer Owen Cooper made history when honoured in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category.
This renewed acclaim and attention seems to have inspired more people to sit down and experience Adolescence for themselves, as it is now back in Netflix's top 10 in the UK, currently in the number nine spot.
At the time of its release back in March, Digital Spy's five-star review confidently named Adolescence "the best new show of the year so far", also declaring it a "triumph" and "British drama at its finest".
"Stephen Graham is absolutely at the top of his game in this drama, proving he is one of the finest talents that UK drama has to offer," our review said.
Episode three, which takes place pretty much within the confines of one room and keeps the camera (through its impressive one-shot style) firmly on a conversation that plays out between Cooper's lead character Jamie and Erin Doherty's therapist Briony Ariston, was also highlighted as an "exceptional standalone piece of television" in its own right, and "something you won't be able to tear yourself from".
What to Read Next
If you've not yet had a chance to watch Adolescence for yourself, we'd highly recommend that you do – particularly now that it's trending again, and is likely to further ignite some of the important conversations that it sparked in the weeks following its debut on the streaming platform.
And if you have already watched it, but you're looking to immerse yourself in some of Stephen Graham's other phenomenal performances after his Emmy wins, we'll point you in the direction of some of his other captivating small screen roles.
Stephen Graham's best TV dramas, and where you can watch them right now
As both Accused, a BBC drama that has just been added to Netflix, and Adolescence trend for streaming audiences, we've hand-picked the best of Stephen Graham's dramas that you shouldn't miss out on if you're a fan.
This Is England
Spun out of the 2006 British drama film from Shane Meadows, the TV series caught up with the characters across three different time periods – with the first, in 1986, picking up three years after the events of the movie.
Joining Graham as part of the ensemble cast were Joe Gilgun (Brassic), Vicky McClure (Line of Duty) and Michael Socha (Showtrial), and the story followed a group of young skinheads. There's a reason we named This Is England as one of the best British movies of the past 25 years, and you can watch the mini-series on Channel 4 now.
Help
Another one written by Jack Thorne, and once again seeing him collaborate with Stephen Graham, Help was a feature-length Channel 4 drama set in a care home during the pandemic.
Jodie Comer also starred as a care worker who built a particular rapport with a resident named Tony, played by Graham, who had early onset Alzheimer's and nobody to visit him. Help became what we described as "one of the most affecting pieces of television ever to grace the small screen."
Time
Another drama that's hard to watch, but that will also stay with you, is the BBC's prison drama Time. Written by Jimmy McGovern, the first season was set in a men's prison in Liverpool and starred Sean Bean and Stephen Graham on opposing sides of the law; Bean played first-time offender Mark Cobden, while Graham was the experienced prison officer Eric McNally.
Digital Spy's four-star review said: "Time is worth watching for their performances alone, but you'll find it impossible not to also have some moral and ethical takeaways too. All in all, it's a frustrating watch – but that seems to be entirely the point."
Time is available on BBC iPlayer.
The Virtues
A Jack Thorne drama makes the list again (yes, they are just that good). The Virtues was also co-written by This Is England's Shane Meadows, which the pair also worked together on.
Here, Stephen Graham played a man called Joseph, who is haunted by his own past. Searching for answers, he travels to Ireland to find his estranged sister – and through an emotional journey, he starts to piece his own childhood together. The four-part drama is available to stream on Channel 4.
Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
