Heartstopper is back. The boy-meets-boy romance that stole the hearts of viewers and rapidly became one of Netflix’s most watched, and beloved, shows.
The first season of the LGBTQ+ coming-of-age love story documented the tender and tentative blossoming of love between two teenage boys. Wholesome and uplifting, it was heralded as an honest and moving portrayal of the uncertainties, fumbling and quiet joy of budding teenage romance.
Set in a British secondary school, charismatic rugby captain Nick Nelson, played by Kit Connor, and sensitive, socially awkward Charlie Spring, played by Joe Locke, navigate friendships, bullying, coming out – and falling in love.
Based on the popular graphic novels and web comic of the same name penned by Alice Oseman, who also wrote the script, Heartstopper fast became a hit with fans and critics alike. Oseman’s long-running and much-loved story has had a cult following for years – and the series has only seen that grow.
In season two, we witness the characters growing into their romances and identities. Complexities and conflict are thrown at them in various guises, including a fraught relationship with Nick’s homophobic brother and struggles with mental health.
Picking up where the first season left off, Nick and Charlie navigate the contours of their new relationship, while their friends – including Elle, Tao and Isaac – simultaneously traverse the trials and tribulations of teenage life. Between all of the heartstopping romance, there are exams, a school trip to Paris, and a prom.
“At the heart of it, it’s still about Nick and Charlie,” says Connor, 19, also known for playing young Elton John in Rocketman. “He’s learned how to express his feelings towards Charlie and accept himself. Now he’s learning to be a good, supportive boyfriend.”
Nick and Charlie are “super, super optimistic and hopeful about their relationship,” as the second season kicks off, Connor adds. But as it evolves, he continues, they realise “it’s maybe not as easy as they thought it would be, to suddenly be as out and proud as they want to be”.
“I’m excited for people to see a more mature Nick and Charlie,” shares 19-year-old Locke. “I’m excited for people to see that teenage relationships can be mature and open and communicative… All the characters are maturing this season. It’s fun to see and it’s fun to grow with them.”
Paris was a deliberate choice for the setting: the young teens’ first real step outside the boundaries, and safety, of their hometown – a foray into the adult world and all that entails.
“In Heartstopper, I try to explore realistic contemporary issues with a hopeful and optimistic lens,” explains Oseman, 28.
“I think that is what people like about Heartstopper more than anything. It feels like it could be real, but with the comfort and knowledge that everything is going to be okay in the end, and no matter what someone might be going through, there are always pockets of joy to be had.”
“I think this is particularly comforting to the queer community,” she continues. “We want to see our struggles represented accurately in the media, but we also often want media that makes us feel hopeful, comforted, and happy, and I like to think Heartstopper does both those things.”
While joyful and uplifting at its core, the series does not shy away from addressing the difficulty and homophobia faced by the boys during their journey of self-discovery.
“Working on Heartstopper constantly brings me back to my own teenage years, which were not exactly full of queer joy,” says Oseman. “Seeing how Heartstopper has helped so many queer teens is so special and magical but has also helped me see that I’ve got some healing of my own to do.”
One momentous moment in season one was the scene where Nick comes out to his mother, played by Olivia Colman. It is warm and tender, poignant on and off screen. Connor says that when he first read the script, he circled that scene: “If I get everything else wrong, this is what I have to get right.”
“It’s a moment that everyone really dreams of having, that wonderful moment of acceptance and love,” he says.
“It really is the blueprint.”
The off-screen impact of the series has been huge. Locke remembers a moment when he and Connor were in DC and a 56-year-old man approached them to say that he’d come out after watching Heartstopper. “And now has a boyfriend and is the happiest he’s ever been,” says Locke. “Reactions like that make you realise this is a show that really matters to people.”
“It’s just mental, isn’t it?” says Yasmin Finney, 19, who plays young trans teen Elle Argent.
“I always pinch myself when I get DMs and I always respond to as many as I can. The main ones are ‘I came out today.’ They mark the date, they say that I’ve inspired them in some sort of way… It’s like ‘I came out today thankfully to you.’ Some even go to the extent to say, ‘You saved my life,’ which is just mental to think because I was that girl as well.”
She continues: “It’s forever just a pinch me moment, this life, this wild moment, but I’m forever grateful. And I’m so grateful that I get to be that beacon of hope for people because it is possible. You can do whatever you want in this life.”
“Representation is a powerful thing,” adds Finney, a TikTok star who made her debut with Heartstopper and will play Rose in the new Doctor Who.
“This should have happened so long ago. I remember before Heartstopper came out, I was searching for that representation… I couldn’t really find somebody on screen who looks like me, who was my age… I knew this role would change the world in that respect.”
One of the best things about having the space of a series, Locke says, is that the focus is not just on Nick and Charlie: “Alice has been able to open up the stories of the other characters here, which is really great, because queerness isn’t just one binary. You don’t have to just be one thing.”
“One of the really powerful things about Heartstopper is that it’s a voice for a lot of people,” says Connor.
“We do try and teach people that no matter what, it’s okay. It’s okay not to know, and it’s okay to explore and it’s okay to work things out. You’ll get there. It’s going to be the best thing ever when you do.”
Heartstopper will be available on Netflix from Thursday, August 3.
