Normal girl meets celebrity guy, they instantly fall madly in love, get married, and live happily ever after? Definitely not. Starstruck follows the story of New Zealander every-girl, Jessie (Rose Matafeo), who is muddling her way through her 20s, living in London trying to make sense of her life when she accidentally entangles herself with movie star Tom (Nikesh Patel).
Created and written by Rose Matafeo with the help of Alice Snedden and directed by Karen Maine (Obvious Child), Season 1 of Starstruck premiered in 2021. Quickly becoming BBC Three’s highest-rated new comedy, the show was happily greenlit for a second season, which premiered on February 7, 2022.
Viewers in the US can watch Season 1 of Starstruck on HBO Max. Season 2 is yet to be added to the streaming service but it should be arriving sometime in 2022. The second season has been critically acclaimed and very popular in the UK so it should be quite the treat once it's released on HBO Max. And just in case you forgot a few of the details from Season 1, here’s a recap of the six-episode season that made us think that dating a celebrity could actually work.
The Meet-Cute
Making the most of their carefree lives, a reticent Jessie and her excitable roommate and best friend, Kate (Emma Sidi), go out clubbing to celebrate New Year’s Eve. While Kate quickly finds a guy-friend she’s interested in talking to, Jessie is left to her own devices and entertainment. As the night progresses, the audience empathizes with Jessie as she waits in a painful queue for the female bathroom, meanwhile noticing the empty male bathroom.
Unable to resist the allure of no wait time, she walks into the men’s room and promptly distracts herself with incredibly awkward “James, James Bond” impressions to herself in the mirror. Unexpectedly, a man walks out of a cubicle and corrects her on her Bond impression. The second-hand embarrassment felt by the audience goes completely unnoticed by Jessie as she begins to lay into Tom about why he was in a cubicle. From the very beginning, they have banter and chemistry that is funny enough to feel genuine.
Becoming the Other Woman
Waking up in Tom’s fancy apartment the next morning after spending the night together, still unaware of Tom’s celebrity, it is a half-covered poster that Jessie sees on her way out that makes her realize Tom’s profession and identity. After confronting him about this and bickering about whether it was ever mentioned the previous night, she discovers that he also has a girlfriend that he never mentioned. Disappointed by this discovery, Jessie leaves Tom’s apartment without saying anything only to be confronted by the paparazzi who assume that she is his cleaner, instead of his new love interest.
Moving On
After setting aside the connection between them on New Year’s Eve, both Tom and Jessie continue on with their lackluster lives, without making any real bonds or relationships with anyone else. Looking for more depth in his roles and arguably, his life. After months of not speaking, Tom reaches out to Jessie to ask for her help to prepare for an upcoming Australian audition. They quickly settle into their usual pattern of easy conversation and banter that has now become familiar and comfortable between them, and part of the fun for audiences. Kate extends an invitation to Tom to stay for dinner, which he gratefully accepts, despite there not being too much room or food for him. Evident to the audience is the way that, although Tom is famous and surrounded by ‘civilians’, he blends in easily with Jessie and her friends. While both Tom and Jessie are hopeful for the future of their relationship after this dinner, the evening ends with a misunderstanding and sabotage that causes them to part ways – yet again – as friends.
The Film Screening
Another couple of months go by and an invitation to the premiere screening of Tom’s latest film arrives for Kate in the mail. Added as a plus-one, Jessie and Kate both attend. While Kate is engrossed by the film, Jessie thinks it’s terrible, as does Tom, who is embarrassed to be associated with it. Avoiding watching the film, Tom and Jessie bump into each other hiding in the bathroom. Ending up in Tom’s hotel room, Jessie provides Tom with support for his work in the bad film, and again, their spark and genuine care is rekindled, at least until Tom’s ex-girlfriend, who he is also dating again, appears in their hotel room, and Jessie is hurriedly stuffed into the bathroom to hide for the evening. Betrayed again, the two have a volatile argument about the differences between them, ending with them parting ways.
The Pre-Christmas Dinner
Bringing the season to a close, Christmas-time has arrived. Sparked by her existential crisis following her argument with Tom and losing her job, Jessie decides that her time in England wasn’t successful and her best option is to go home to New Zealand. Similarly down and struggling to find meaning and motivation in his life, Tom breaks up with his girlfriend – again. Shopping for a pre-Christmas and going-away dinner for Jessie, Kate bumps into Tom and invites him to join them.
After an initially strange but welcome greeting, Jessie mentions that she’s planning on permanently leaving the next day. Both apologize for the harsh words exchanged in their argument months before and ultimately they admit to wanting to stay in each other's lives. Jessie is still planning on going home though. Having spent all night talking and reticent to leave one another, Tom offers to walk Jessie to the bus stop. The bus arrives, they hop on together and ride it to Jessie’s stop. The bus driver stops and waits for them to hop off. Neither move, and the bus keeps driving.
Season 2 of Starstruck premiered on February 7, 2022, with new episodes airing weekly on BBC Three.