The British mini-series crime drama, ‘Adolescence’ has been over the small screen like wildfire. The Netflix show created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne has transgressed domestic boundaries and emerged as a global hit. Boasting a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%, the series follows the story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for murder.

Despite the majority of viewers lauding the show, a section is also slamming the creators. Some viewers claim that the show is based on a real incident involving a black child. They are accusing the makers of race-swapping and labelling them anti-white. Moreover, a section also stated that the makers ‘should have chosen a black protagonist.’ Recently, Elon Musk amplified the race-swapping allegations through his X comment. Following this, creator Jack Thorne has slammed the allegations. Notably, both he and Graham have iterated that the series is not based on a real crime. Their inspiration comes from the rapidly escalating juvenile crimes in the world, and they sought to open a discussion about the same.

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Taking to X, a user wrote, “Netflix has a show called Adolescence that’s about a British knife killer who stabbed a girl to death on a bus and it’s based on real life cases such as the Southport murderer. So guess what. They race swapped the actual killer from a black man/migrant to a white boy and the story has it so he was radicalized online by the red pill movement. Just the absolute state of anti-white propaganda.” Subsequently, Musk commented on the post writing, “WOW.”

Netflix has a show called Adolescence that’s about a British knife killer who stabbed a girl to death on a bus and it’s based on real life cases such as the Southport murderer.

So guess what. They race swapped the actual killer from a black man/migrant to a white boy and the… pic.twitter.com/6EdPFdcLT0

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 20, 2025

Now, co-creator Jack Throne has opened up on the allegations. Speaking with The News Agent podcast, he said that it is absurd that people believe that only black boys commit knife crimes. “They have claimed that Stephen and I based it on a story, and another story, so we race-swapped because we were basing it on her and it ended up there, and everything else. Nothing is further from the truth.” He iterated, “There is no part of this that’s based on a true story, not one single part.”

Throne also called out people claiming that they should have cast a black protagonist. “History shows a lot of cases of kids from all races committing these crimes. We are not making a point about race with this but about masculinity. We are trying to get inside a problem.” He added, “We are not saying this is one thing or another, we are saying that this is about boys.”

Meanwhile, previously, creator Stephen Graham also noted that the story is not based on a real-life incident. He revealed how the real stories of juvenile crime bothered him, pushing him to create ‘Adolescence.’ He talked about coming across multiple news stories about teenage boys involved in violent crimes. This made him wonder about what was happening in their minds and lives. “These aren’t men committing these crimes. They’re boys.”

Graham also revealed, “I wanted to make one of those social dramas for right now. Because we have a real crisis going on with young men today, and we’ve got to start talking about it right now. It affects all of us. I just wanted to start a conversation about this, a real conversation. I didn’t know if people would be ready to talk about it. But I think they are. And hopefully, this is just the beginning of the conversation.”

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The four-part mini-series delves into the life of a 13-year-old Jammie Miller who is accused of murder. It focuses on how the facets of the world around him topple as the harrowing details come forward. The show opens a discourse on pressing issues like- juvenile crime, online bullying, and the incel subculture. Despite being rooted and based in the UK, ‘Adolescence’ struck a nerve with viewers across the globe for the real issues it deals with. Additionally, the single-shot filming process makes the viewers feel a part of the show, elevating its impact.