Since its debut back in April, Netflix's Heartstopper brought an abundance of joy across audiences, from those who were already familiar with its source material and people just finding out about the story centered on queer joy. Based on Alice Oseman's graphic novels, Heartstopper follows Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke), two teenagers whose blooming friendship begins to grow into something more. As it does, Nick goes on his own journey of discovering his sexuality. The series was a quick hit amongst viewers, shooting up Netflix charts and scoring quick renewals for Seasons 2 and 3.

Following the footsteps of the graphic novel, the adaptation brought a sweet and fresh take to the romantic comedy genre, bringing a much-needed piece of media for queer viewers searching for wholesome content. Locke and Connor recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the impact of the series. Locke noted how unexpected the show's demographic was, saying,

"I think we all expected it to have this quite young Gen Z audience. What we weren’t expecting was the millennial-age people who watched the show and saw what they didn’t have when they were growing up. I think we’d especially overlooked that sort of person who would watch it. Mainly because 'Heartstopper' is so rare and so new. I don’t think 'Heartstopper' would have been made even five years ago, let alone 15 or 20 years ago."

Charlie and Nick from Heartstopper sitting together
Image via Netflix

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Connor echoed the sentiment, noting how a lot of queer media "is overwhelmingly negative. And sort of dark and gritty. There’s something extremely powerful about just being able to watch queer people — whether they be queer teens or queer adults — being happy. Being able to express themselves. Being able to be in love and not be judged for it. That’s beautiful." He likens Heartstopper to a "classic Hollywood romance," something oft reserved for straight-centered media. He thinks that the show follows those familiar tropes, citing it as an underrated aspect of the show.

"We have so many little references and allusions to those. And, you know, the queer community never really got a classic Hollywood romance. So, it’s nice to have that kind of thing where it’s a kiss and then one person is up on their heels. Like, there’s that moment in episode eight where we kiss in the corridor after the sports day. Our main direction was that it was gonna be like a proper Hollywood romance kiss with, like, slow motion. Very romanticized."

Heartstopper was adapted by Oseman with Euros Lyn as the Season 1 director. Additional cast includes Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Olivia Colman, Tobie Donovan, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Sebastian Croft, Jenny Walser, and Rhea Norwood. Season 2 welcomes Jack Barton, Nima Taleghani, Bradley Riches, Leila Khan, Thibault De Montalembert, Bel Priestley, and Ash Self.

Heartstopper Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix, with filming for Season 2 currently underway. It does not yet have a release date. Check out the Season 1 blooper reel below: