Stream It Or Skip It?

Teen-oriented shows, with only a few exceptions, seem to all show pretty teens pretty much doing the same thing: Sex, drugs, sex, partying, sex, smoking, sex, and drinking. Oh, and sex. It feels like most of the characters, whether it’s the “bad kid” who had a terrible childhood or the “good kid” who is going on to achieve in life all have the world-weary disposition of someone who is twice their age. There’s usually a big party somewhere in the middle of the first episode where someone gets too drunk or stoned or has sex with someone they shouldn’t. It’s so formulaic it’s almost silly. Why do we mention this? Because that’s what we were thinking when we saw Netflix’s new Italian teen drama.

ADORATION: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A teen girl meets someone late at night, then we see her running from someone.

The Gist: Twelve hours earlier, Elena (Alice Lupparelli) and Vanessa (Noemi Magagnini) admire some jewelry during a visit to a local mall. Elena tells her friend to distract the clerk while she pockets them; after the two of them run out and board the bus, Elena gives Vane one of the earrings.

When they get to school, Elena becomes upset when she finds out that she flunked the year and will have to repeat it. Vanessa did well, and the two have them get into a bit of a disagreement, but Elena tells her she will be at Vanessa’s birthday party the next night.

At work at a local restaurant, Elena tries to give food to an unhoused regular, but her boss tells her to stop. She’s also texting a mystery person named “G”, trying to meet the person after work, but her boyfriend shows up to pick her up.

That night, he goes out of town to study, and Elena tells Vane that she’s going with him, but she’s going to meet “G”, but the meeting devolves into her running away from someone.

The next day, no one can find Elena. She doesn’t respond to texts or calls, and doesn’t show up to work. As her birthday party approaches, Vanessa gets worried, and even goes past Elena’s house to see if she’s there, eventually finding her friend’s phone in her room. Elena’s parents are worried enough that they want to file a missing person’s report, though she does have a history of disappearing in the past.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Adoration is more or less an Italian version of Euphoria.

Our Take: One of the biggest problems we had while watching Adoration was trying to figure out who is who in the group and just how they’re related to each other. It feels like the first episode is an endless procession of attractive young actors, all of whom look similar to each other.

In essence, the only person who really stands out is Elena, and she ends up going missing by the end of the episode. She’s essentially the only character who is given any sort of depth, as she’s shown being impetuous but loyal, kind but rebellious. Vanessa is a bit flatter of a personality, being mostly a “good kid,” but at least she’s defined somewhat beyond being just Elena’s friend.

The rest of the group, like Elena’s cousins Vera (Beatrice Puccilli) and Giorgio (Giulio Brizzi) and Vera’s friend Diana (Penelope Raggi), are all pretty standard-grade TV teenagers in 2024, who drink and smoke and have a lot of sex.

What we hope to see is more flashbacks examining Elena’s life as well as her friendship with Vanessa. Perhaps in the process, some of the other characters will distinguish themselves, but we doubt it.

Sex and Skin: Some brief glimpses of both after Elena’s boyfriend picks her up from work.

Parting Shot: Vanessa wonders why her boyfriend Gianmarco (Luigi Bruno) has one of Elena’s earrings in his car.

Sleeper Star: We’ll give this to Penelope Raggi as Diana, mainly because we have to snicker at the moments when she thinks she’s frumpy and unattractive, because she’s neither of those things.

Most Pilot-y Line: “Ladies and gentlemen, here it comes, the loser’s catwalk,” says Diana as she tries on some of Vanessa’s old dresses that she gave to Vera. Of course, the first one she puts on is a stunner.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Despite the missing-teen plot of Adoration, it feels like the show has a featherweight story populated by interchangeable characters and actors. And we have to say, we’re a little tired of seeing teens act like jaded, world-weary 30-year-olds all the time.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.