Just the beginning! One month after finding success on Netflix, Heartstopper received a two-season renewal which will continue to focus on Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson’s (Kit Connor) blossoming romance.
“We were overjoyed with the global reaction to Heartstopper and can’t wait to continue the story with two more seasons,” a statement from creator Alice Oseman read in May 2022.
The groundbreaking series, which is based on Oseman’s graphic novels of the same name, explores the growing connection between high school students Charlie and Nick. After recently being outed at school, Charlie finds himself with a crush on his new friend Nick. The popular rugby player, for his part, starts questioning his sexuality because of his bond with Charlie.
Ahead of the show’s debut, Oseman opened up about the process of finding the right actors to take on the iconic roles. “We wanted young actors, we wanted to cast authentically, [and] we obviously needed talented people. So we knew it was going to be a difficult, difficult task. But somehow, they just found their way to us,” Oseman told Netflix’s Tudum in April 2022, noting that Locke and Connor’s script read sealed the deal. “They did the scene that leads up to the first kiss.”
The writer added: “We knew already that they were both really talented actors, but we had to know if the dynamic would work, if there was chemistry, and if they could carry the romance of Nick and Charlie. And they smashed it. It was just like Nick and Charlie had come to life in front of me.”
It was also important to Oseman that Heartstopper was lighthearted when it came to the LGBTQ representation. “There’s a lot on TV now that has queer content, but it’s definitely for adults. A lot of queer stories are still very serious or focused on trauma,” she said, before addressing the show’s happy moments. “I always think a trope is a trope for a reason. Tropes can feel overused. But when it’s featuring marginalized characters, you probably haven’t seen that as much as you think you have.”
Connor, whose character comes out as bisexual, praised the series for offering young fans the ability to see themselves on screen.
“One of the biggest motivations is the lack of representation for bisexual characters, especially male bisexual characters. There really aren’t that many [on screen], though I know Sex Education has a major male bisexual character. But you know, this show is very much focused around that,” the Rocketman actor told Entertainment Weekly in May 2022. “Like, one of the biggest storylines is Nick exploring his sexuality. I suppose one of the challenges of a show like this is it’s never a ‘one size fits all’ kind of thing.”
The England native continued: “We really have tried our best to be as inclusive and representative as possible. but at the same time, everyone’s experience in life is different. We very much tried our best to portray that and create a safe space for the queer community in particular.”
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