Recently concluded, The Emmys 2025 were nothing short of iconic. Medical drama The Pitt snagged Best Drama, Seth Rogen’s The Studio swept in comedy, and Netflix’s critically acclaimed Adolescence owned the Limited Series category. Big names like Britt Lower, Jean Smart, Seth Rogen, and Noah Wyle also stood tall, but the star of the show was the newcomer, Owen Cooper.
Owen Cooper for Adolescence
Owen Cooper’s win for Adolescence just hit different. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the age of 15, making him the youngest male actor in history to do so. With his first act as Jamie Miller, a juvenile boy accused of murder, he left a lasting impression on everyone. His gripping portrayal made the audience sit up and take notice, and it’d be safe to say that it was instrumental in making the conversation mainstream.
Netflix's Adolescence
Adolescence, apart from Cooper’s Jamie Miller, also had supporting actors who made it the conversation starter it eventually became. The haunting, compelling limited series on Netflix, co-created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, dives into identity, trauma, and the dark underbelly of online radicalisation. The series also caught the eye of lawmakers, with Anneliese Midgley, a UK MP, calling for the series to be screened in Parliament and in schools, claiming it could help counter misogyny and violence against women and girls. UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer backed the idea, and the show was then made free for viewing in UK secondary schools.
From a filmmaking PoV as well, it is a treat. The way that the 6 episodes of Adolescence were shot, ie in single takes, breathes urgency into the story. The plot doesn’t play safe, and makes you sit back and take notice of the effect that ‘manosphere’ has had on the internet and society. For the uninitiated, Adolescence follows the story of Jamie Miller, 13, who is caught in a town in northern England after killing his classmate Katie Leonard. The audience learns eventually that Katie had ridiculed and rejected Jamie on the internet, which prompted him to kill her. Jamie risks detention while police and psychologists look into his connections to the manosphere, as his family deals with the backlash from the community.
While Adolescence got Owen Cooper his Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, the show’s prowess is limited to acting. With its tight screenplay, excellent production, and a very dedicated direction, it pushed conversations about online toxicity, adolescent isolation, and radical ideologies out in the open. Social media was buzzing, think-pieces were everywhere, and Adolescence went way beyond entertainment.
Adolescence at Primetime Emmy Awards 2025
So how many Emmys did Adolescence win? Eight! A beautiful sweep! The Netflix series won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Owen Cooper made history with being the youngest male winner for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. His co-star Stephen Graham, who played Jamie’s father, took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Erin Doherty, who played the forensic psychologist, won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Apart from the actors, Adolescence director Philip Barantini won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. And the celebrated writer Jack Thorne shared the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie with Stephen Graham.
Adolescence at Creative Arts Emmy Awards 2025
While the Primetime Emmy Awards are all about marquee categories that you seen on the main telecast, no production is complete without its craftspeople and technicians who are featured on the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Held a week prior, they celebrate the technical brilliance that goes into making the films and series that we so admire. Adolescence also managed to bag big categories in this section.
The Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie was awarded to Matthew Lewis. As pointed out before, the netflix series was shot in a single take. While it meant so much creatively because of the tension it added on the screen, it is indeed a massive technical feat to pull off. Another big Emmy was for Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, that went to Shaheen Baig. With a role this nuanced, the casting could make or break the series. Shaheen’s find, first timer on the screen, Owen Cooper made all the difference.
In an interview to Netflix that she did with Cooper, Baig explained why he stood out. “Owen sent us an improv tape, and I remember first watching that, and thinking, ‘OK. He looks great on camera, but also his improv was really smart.’ It felt very natural. We obviously knew we had to make up a family, and we knew we had to find somebody who could play Stephen’s son, but apart from that, it was completely wide open…It was really [about] trying to find somebody with the emotional register to be able to play Jamie.” Safe to say, Baig and Netflix both struck gold!