Heartstopper TV Show Review: A Wholesome Show You Don’t Want to Miss 🥹

Heartstopper is a British Netflix TV show about coming-of-age love and friendship in one of the most wholesome and heartwarming packages I’ve ever seen. The two main characters are Charlie and Nick. We first meet Charlie, a nerdy and shy boy in Year 10 who is openly gay (though did not come out by choice) in his all-boys high school. Charlie meets Nick, a really nice guy in a grade higher than him who hangs out in the “popular” circles and is a star player on the rugby team. From there, the show explores how an innocent crush starts to develop into something more. Also, did I mention Olivia Coleman makes several cameos??

I think what’s really awesome about this show is how it captures the essence of falling in love for the first time in a way that feels all-too-familiar, but also different, at the same time. I loved the romance that blossomed between Charlie and Nick. The giddiness of having a crush on someone is well-captured and relatable. But an added layer in this story is obviously the fact that Charlie is gay and has to navigate the additional question of figuring out whether or not Nick might be interested in him. The struggle to breach the topic, but the eagerness to find the answer, felt really genuine. To have to find out if your crush likes you and ALSO find out their sexuality seems like two unsurmountable hurdles to deal with. Ultimately, I loved the representation of LGBT love in this show.

Everything about this show is colorful and lively. Every now and then, the show inserts little graphics and 2D animations to bring more of a playful pop to the scene. It feels really natural and I absolutely loved it! All of the main characters in the show are also immensely likable. I thought Tao was hilarious and he’s definitely shaping up to be one of my favorite characters. Elle, Tara, Darcy, and Isaac were also so fun to watch on the screen. There was not really a moment where I felt like I wanted to see one character’s storyline over another’s because everyone was fun to watch. In terms of side stories, I am 100% rooting for Tao and Elle, and that is something I absolutely need a Season 2 for.

I feel like LGBT stories about kids in high school are often heavily focused on the characters dealing with being ostracized and other-ed, which is totally realistic. But Heartstopper feels like much more than that. It normalizes the experience of falling in love as a queer teenager and having a positive support system of friends and family. While bullying is present, it’s less of the main point. The more we see the normalization of queer love and happiness, the better off the world is for it. I think any fans of romance would absolutely love this show!