‘Adolescence’ Wins 2026 Golden Globe for Best Limited Series

“Adolescence,” Netflix’s meticulous, four-part crime drama from creators Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, has won the Golden Globe for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television. Directed by Philip Barantini, the brilliant slow-burn investigative procedural — about the violent death of a 13-year-old girl in an English suburb — gained a global reputation for its moving acting performances and extraordinary approach to one-shot cinematography.

“This is extraordinary,” said Thorne, before thanking more than a dozen people and groups associated with the project. “Phil Barantini and [cinematographer] Matt Lewis, you reinvented the vocabulary of television to make this show. You are both geniuses. Stephen, you are the Larry to my Barry. You fill a hole in my soul and I love you. Lastly, some think our show is about how we should be frightened of young people. It’s not. It’s about the filth and the debris we have laid in their path.”

Shouting out his young cast, Thorne continued, “You are proof the world can be better. Removing hate is our generation’s responsibility. It requires thought from the top down. The possibility seems remote right now. But hope is a beautiful thing. Thank you for this. We will treasure it.”

The win caps off a dominant awards-season run for the Netflix series, which received five total nominations and won four categories at the Golden Globe Awards this year. Alongside its top honor, co-creator/star Graham won Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television. Owen Cooper won Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television, while Ashley Walters earned a nod in the same category. Erin Doherty rounded out the show’s nominations, winning Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television.

“Adolescence” was already an awards heavyweight thanks to the Primetime Emmy Awards last September, when it won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and led the night with thirteen nominations and eight wins. The show earned acting Emmys for Graham, Cooper, and Doherty, alongside Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series for Barantini and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series for Thorne and Graham.

The Golden Globe victory also continues a strong streak for Netflix in the category, following last year’s win with “Baby Reindeer,” another crime drama that swept the awards conversation. “Adolescence” triumphed over a competitive field of fellow nominees, including Peacock’s missing persons thriller “All Her Fault,” Netflix’s dark grief mystery “The Beast in Me,” and the latest season of the streamer’s sci-fi anthology juggernaut “Black Mirror.” Also in contention were FX and Hulu’s tragicomic relationship drama “Dying for Sex,” and Prime Video’s juicy love-triangle thriller “The Girlfriend” — underscoring the stylistic breadth of the limited-series format.

Last June, Cooper was recognized at the 2025 IndieWire Honors, where he received the Breakthrough Award for his harrowing performance as a young boy arrested on suspicion of murder. His role helped define “Adolescence” as one of the most acclaimed and daring projects of the year. Cooper will soon appear as a younger Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of “Wuthering Heights.”

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