William Golding’s classic novel of 1954, Lord of the Flies, tells the story of middle-school British boys who get stranded on an island and devolve into savage tribalism. Amazingly, it has never before been adapted for the small screen. Jack Thorne, a co-creator of Adolescence, the acclaimed 2025 series about a 13-year-old murderer, now brings the story to television, each episode told through the perspective of a key character—Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon. Back in 1954 the term toxic masculinity didn’t exist. But in the wake of W.W. II, when Golding wrote his book, everyone knew what humanity, when in the grip of demonic leadership, was capable of. —Maggie Turner