Heartstopper (2022)
Heartstopper is a 2022 drama series created by Alice Oseman. It stars Joe Locke, Kit Connor and William Gao.
A gentle story about the good version of falling for someone. Charlie, an openly gay teenager who has had a rough go of it, gets seated next to Nick, a kind rugby player, and a shy friendship starts to feel like something bigger. Adapted by Alice Oseman from her own webcomic, the series follows the two boys and their friends through the small, enormous moments of school and first love: hand-holding, coming out, working out who you are. It keeps a soft, generous tone throughout, more interested in tenderness than in drama for its own sake.
Quick answers
What is Heartstopper about?
A gentle story about the good version of falling for someone. Charlie, an openly gay teenager who has had a rough go of it, gets seated next to Nick, a kind rugby player, and a shy friendship starts to feel like something bigger. Adapted by Alice Oseman from her own webcomic, the series follows the two boys and their friends through the small, enormous moments of school and first love: hand-holding, coming out, working out who you are. It keeps a soft, generous tone throughout, more interested in tenderness than in drama for its own sake.
When was Heartstopper released?
Heartstopper was released on 22 April 2022.
How many episodes does Heartstopper have?
Heartstopper has 24 episodes across 3 seasons.
Who made Heartstopper?
Heartstopper was created by Alice Oseman.
Where can I watch Heartstopper?
Heartstopper is available on Netflix and Netflix Standard with Ads.
Where to watch Heartstopper
Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Cast
- Joe Locke as Charlie Spring
- Kit Connor as Nick Nelson
- William Gao as Tao Xu
- Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent
- Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson
- Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney
- Corinna Brown as Tara Jones
- Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson
- Jenny Walser as Tori Spring
- Cormac Hyde-Corrin as Harry Greene
- Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid
- Ashwin Vishwanath as Sai Verma
Similar series
Explore Heartstopper guides
Heartstopper in our writing
- Books / Finale: Heartstopper earns an ending most franchises never get
- Companion guide: Coming of Age
A few thoughts on Heartstopper
For a quieter, slow-burn queer romance on screen, Eternal Summer follows two schoolmates across years of unspoken feeling. On the page, Let's talk about love brings the same warmth and self-discovery to a sweet college-set romance.
Gentle queer first love that stays kind
Heartstopper follows Charlie and Nick through hand-holding, coming out, and the quiet nerves of a first crush, and keeps its tone soft the whole way. These pick up the same register: young queer romances more interested in tenderness and support than in heartbreak, where the leads get to be happy and even the harder moments still land gently.
Queer teen coming-of-age and figuring out who you are
Before Charlie and Nick reach their happy beats, Heartstopper spends real time on naming your feelings and deciding when to come out. These lean further into that self-discovery: teenagers testing who they are, who they want, and how much to tell, carrying more friction than the show does but the same honest heart underneath.
YA novels about school crushes and first romance
If you want the reading-in-your-room version of Heartstopper's small enormous moments, these YA novels live in the same world of lockers, passed notes, and nervous first feelings. They trade the webcomic panels for prose but keep the focus on friendship turning into something more, and on teenagers working out their hearts one honest conversation at a time.
Coming-of-age stories that don't punish their characters
Heartstopper is unusually generous with its cast, letting them stumble without turning cruel. These share that low-cruelty warmth: coming-of-age stories about school, friendship, and growing up where the drama comes from real feeling rather than punishment, and the characters are treated with the same care Alice Oseman gives Charlie and Nick.