'Adolescence' Is A Must-Watch For Parents Of Young Boys. But Here's What It Gets Wrong About Incel Culture.

'Adolescence' became the ninth most-watched Netflix series of all time in three weeks. Is it a teachable tool, though? Let's discuss.

Note: This article contains spoilers about the show “Adolescence.”

In just three weeks, the British crime drama “Adolescence” became the ninth most-watched Netflix series of all time. It’s not hard to see why: The show is compelling stuff, following a working-class family after they learn their 13-year-old son, Jamie, has been accused of stabbing a female classmate to death.

Along the way, we ― along with Jamie’s parents ― learn that the boy had been bullied by his peers and fallen into the “manosphere” online ― a dark rabbit hole where YouTubers and bro podcasters mask their misogyny in self-help and “pickup artist”-style dating advice.

For parents ― especially for those raising young boys ― it’s a terrifying, almost horror movie-level depiction of how incel culture, bullying and nascent misogyny can coalesce and drive an otherwise average teen into stark violence. (In Jamie’s case, he’s got intergenerational anger issues his father passed onto him to contend with, too.)

Kirk Honda, a therapist and host of “Psychology In Seattle,” a YouTube channel that explores psychology topics in pop culture, said he isn’t surprised the show has taken off.