The new Netflix romcom is a beautiful coming-of-age portrait of young, queer love.
Let me just get this out of the way: We binged the entire series in two nights. Netflix’s new gay romantic comedy TV series Heartstopper is so, so good, and I would compare it to if Euphoria and Love, Victor had a baby, and maybe that baby was friends with Elite and Sex Education, but wasn’t influenced by either of their naughty behavior. It’s a pure, happy little series that deals with very real, serious topics like coming out, being trans, figuring out who you are and bullying.
It’s based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alice Osemen (have you read it?) who also created and wrote the series. The show has received critical acclaim, and has earned a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Adam Miller from Metro calling it “A life-changing moment for the LGBTQ+ people of today and all the ones who will follow.” I couldn’t agree more.
Here’s the basic plot:
“Heartstopper tells the story of Charlie Spring, a gay schoolboy who falls in love with someone he sits next to in his new form, Nick Nelson, while also exploring the lives of Charlie and Nick's friends, Tao, Elle and Isaac.
I had actually never heard of it before seeing the trailer for the show last month, and then got a gentle reminder from some of our subscribers this past weekend that it was out and that we must watch it immediately. The episodes are named things like “Meet”, “Crush”, and “Secret”, and they’re listed at the start of each new episode, so they get your attention immediately as you watch to see what will happen next.
The thing that separates this show from some of its modern contemporaries is that it doesn’t really fall into some of the teen romcom cliches and tropes. Just when you think a character will do one thing, because that’s just what happens in shows like this, they surprise you and do the exact thing you want them to do instead (aka, the right thing). It’s rewarding and fresh and fun and, at 27 minutes an episode, completely digestible.
Another thing that makes Heartstopper so relatable and just plain good, is the notion that just maybe, all your dreams really can come true. Right? It’s everyone’s dream that the person they like will like them back, or better yet, love them back. Nick and Charlie represent that very real human feeling of wanting to be loved by the person you love, no matter if you’re a teenager or much older. And when it comes true, when the person you love chooses to love you back, it’s the best feeling in the entire world (speaking from experience here).
I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to have shows like this and “Love, Victor” around when I was in high school. I haven’t been a teenager in a long time, and high school feels like a entirely other lifetime, but I was deeply closeted during those years, always fearful someone would find out I was gay. I couldn’t imagine a world where I would ever come out to anyone. And then, a year and a half after graduating high school, I met PJ and because of him, I had the courage to slowly come out to the ones I love, and after that, I didn’t really care who knew and who didn't. I feel like things would have been a lot easier for me to come out back then had I had a show like Heartstopper. Still, I believe I came out exactly when (and with who) I was supposed to.
I truly hope LGBTQIA+ youth who watch these shows find comfort and acceptance, and that they help them to not feel so alone. The effect that representation has on a young mind, hell, even an older one, cannot be overstated. Seeing someone who you can relate to on the big screen is invaluable, and we can all only hope that more and more stories like this continue to be shared to a wider audience.
So what are you waiting for? Go watch Heartstopper right now and then immediately download the entire soundtrack because every song is AMAZING.
Hoping for a season two ASAP!!
(photos via Joe Locke’s Instagram)