The First TV Adaptation of Lord of the Flies Is Here. It’s Gripping, Heartbreaking—and Unexpected.

Television The co-creator of Adolescence does something unexpected with one of literature’s darkest novels. By Rebecca Onion Enter your email to receive alerts for this author. Sign in or create an account to better manage your email preferences. Unsubscribe from email alerts Are you sure you want to unsubscribe from email alerts for Rebecca Onion? May 04, 20265:45 AM Netflix This article contains spoilers for Lord of the Flies. You might expect Jack Thorne, best known in the United States for co-creating the hit limited series Adolescence, about a schoolboy who is arrested on suspicion of killing a female classmate, to deliver a Lord of the Flies adaptation full of despair. William Golding’s 1954 novel and Thorne’s 2025 Emmys juggernaut share some grim themes: Apparently upstanding tween boys can break bad out of nowhere, and with disastrous consequences. Possibly, there is something in British culture or modern life that enables boys’ worst instincts, but fixing that thing will be incredibly difficult. But, unexpectedly and happily, Thorne’s gripping new series—on Netflix as of Monday after debuting on the BBC earlier this year—does something else with this seven-decade-old story: It pulls out the sense of humanity and heartbreak at its core. Would