Heartstopper, one of our favorite shows of last year, is finally making its long-awaited (well, fortunately not that long) return. The show, based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series of the same name, came out last Spring and was almost instantly renewed by Netflix for a second season. Now, a little over a year later, season two is upon us and it looks like we’re in for another adorable story.
A big part of Heartstopper‘s appeal is the wholesomeness of the LGBTQ love story; as Oseman, who also writes the show, put it in a conversation with Netflix, while there’s a lot of “adult” queer content, “a lot of queer stories are still very serious or focused on trauma.” They ended up creating the graphic novel as a way to tell a queer romance story geared toward younger readers, hoping Heartstopper could be a happy coming-of-age tale like the many rom-coms with straight couples throughout the years.
After season one, it looks like Oseman got their wish. The love story between Nick and Charlie is as comforting as it is cute, and the friendships between characters resonate strongly with a young, queer audience. As the release of one of Netflix’s best LGBTQ shows draws nearer, here’s what we know so far.
When does Heartstopper season two premiere?
The wait is almost over: Heartstopper season two will premiere on Netflix on Aug. 3. Netflix first announced that production had started back in September and now, all eight new episodes will drop simultaneously in less than two weeks.
Is there a trailer for Heartstopper season two?
Yes! The trailer for season two came out (you see what we did there) mere hours ago, and if we weren’t looking forward to the new season before, we definitely are now. The new trailer shows that Charlie and Nick have officially become a couple after the events of season one, complete with joint Mario Kart sessions and a ton of holding hands (if your relationship doesn’t feature Mario Kart, I highly recommend you get on that). There wouldn’t be much of a story if there wasn’t any conflict, and the trailer shows Nick struggling with finding the right time to publicly come out. Charlie is nothing but supportive and urges Nick to take his time; but they’re embarking on a class trip to Paris soon, which might offer the perfect opportunity for the two to take their relationship public.
Nick and Charlie aren’t the only couple highlighted in the trailer; we also see some potential drama between Tara and Darcy over that polarizing four-letter word (love). Elle and Tao are also shown agonizing over whether to figure out their feelings for each other and risk losing their friendship. A school trip to one of the world’s most romantic cities might just be what everyone needs in order to let go of their inhibitions; as Nick says in the trailer, “You don’t have to always have figured everything out. You can just feel.”
Who’s in cast of Heartstopper season two?
Netflix has confirmed the entire main cast will be returning for season two. That means we can expect to see Kit Connor (Nick), Joe Locke (Charlie), William Gao (Tao), Yasmin Finney (Elle), Corrina Brown (Tara), Kizzy Edgell (Darcy), Tobie Donovan (Isaac), Jenny Walser (Tori), Sebastian Croft (Ben), Cormac Hyde-Corrin (Harry), Rhea Norwood (Imogen), Fisayo Akinade (Mr. Ajayi), Chetna Pandya (Coach Singh), and Olivia Colman (Sarah, Nick’s mom) reprise their roles.
Additionally, the show has seven new faces joining the cast this season. Jack Barton will join as Nick’s older brother David, Thibault de Montalembert will play Nick’s father Stephane, Nima Taleghani will play Truham teacher Mr. Farouk, and Bradley Richies, who appeared as an unnamed Truham student in season one, will play James McEwan. Bel Priestly will play Naomi, and Ash Self will play Felix, two of Elle’s “new friends.” Lastly, after an open casting call, Leila Khan will play Sahar Zahid in her first professional acting role.
What is season two of Heartstopper about?
Oseman told Netflix season two will be based on Volume 3 of the graphic novels, but “there’s not enough in the book to take a whole season of TV, so there had to be a lot of creation of new stuff.” We know from the trailer, we’ll be seeing everyone head on a trip to Paris, as well as plenty of romance; Netflix also helpfully released an official synopsis:
“Nick and Charlie navigate their new relationship; Tara and Darcy face unforeseen challenges and Tao and Elle work out if they can ever be more than just friends. With exams on the horizon, a school trip to Paris and a prom to plan, the gang has a lot to juggle as they journey through the next stages of life, love and friendship.”
You can catch all of season two on Aug. 3, but if you can’t wait, you can watch the first scene here. August can’t come soon enough!
