What To Expect From the Upcoming Season of “Heartstopper”
A screengrab from the "Heartstopper" season three trailer, featuring a copy of Alice Oseman's "Nick and Charlie," a novel based on the "Heartstopper" characters. Credit: Hanna Zabski '25
After a year-long wait, Netflix’s original series “Heartstopper” is finally returning. The series’ third season will be released on Oct. 3, featuring eight new episodes. “Heartstopper” is based on the comic book series written by Alice Oseman. The series follows the lives of teenagers Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) and showcases how the teens navigate their first love. After the show’s original release in 2022, “Heartstopper” was praised globally for highlighting queer teens in a positive light. The series is also applauded for its exemplary LGBTQIA+ and mental health representation.
When asked what viewers could expect from the upcoming season of “Heartstopper,” series creator Oseman told Netflix, “Season 2 ended with Nick beginning to understand the extent of Charlie’s mental health issues, and it’s this that will drive the story through Season 3… While “Heartstopper” will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up.”
As the “Heartstopper” characters begin to grow up and tackle life’s more challenging aspects, viewers will grow up alongside them. In the current era of television, it is becoming rare for TV shows to get renewed past a first season, making it hard for audiences to see their favorite characters mature and develop as a show progresses. It is a rarity that “Heartstopper” fans can watch these characters grow throughout multiple seasons.
With most of the series regulars — such as Connor, Locke, Yasmin Finney and Will Gao — are all slated to return for season three, the upcoming season will also feature some new characters. Hayley Atwell will be joining the cast as Nick’s Aunt Diane, and Jonathan Bailey will cameo as Charlie’s celebrity crush, Jack Maddox. Fans of the “Heartstopper” comics will also be pleased to hear that season three will finally introduce the beloved character Michael Holden, who will be played by Darragh Hand.
Fans were initially disappointed to hear that Olivia Colman, who played Nick’s mom, would not be returning for season three due to scheduling conflicts. Colman and Connor’s characters were projected to have an important and emotional conversation regarding Nick and Charlie’s relationship, and ever since it was announced that the comic series was being adapted on screen, fans had been excited to see this conversation take place on the big screen. It is likely that Atwell’s character will take over Colman’s role as Nick’s parental figure, and that she will be the one bringing that scene to life.
In the era of Netflix’s two-part releases, it comes as a shock to “Heartstopper” fans that the entire season will be released on the same day. Even though the two previous seasons were all released at once, fans speculated that Netflix would apply their new release model to the show. With similar genre shows, such as “That 90’s Show,” having a two-part release, it is interesting to speculate why Netflix decided to stick to its classic bingeable release model with “Heartstopper.” Nonetheless, fans are thrilled about the return of “Heartstopper” and cannot wait to see what this new season has in store.