Heartstopper Season 2 may be over, but Nick and Charlie’s story sure isn’t.
If you’ve watched Season 2, Episode 8, “Perfect,” you’re likely craving more of Netflix’s charming, deeply important YA series, adapted from Alice Oseman’s popular graphic novels. After a memorable prom night with their friends, Charlie opened up to Nick about the toll bullying took on him, and the two nearly said “I love you” to each other before the end credits rolled. Needless to say, we need more Heartstopper romances, friendships, and crucial conversations ASAP.
Wondering if there will be a Heartstopper Season 3 on Netflix? When new episodes could premiere? Or what a Season 3 would look like? Here’s what we know about the future of the beloved series.
Yes! A month after Season 1 premiered, Netflix announced that Heartstopper would be renewed for a second and third season.
Ahead of Season 2’s premiere, Oseman told Entertainment Weekly the third season is already being written, so have no fear. New episodes are on the way!
“I’ve started writing it right now. It’s very much underway. We did not expect to get a Season 3 renewal at the same time as Season 2 because that’s quite rare, to be honest. What that did do is it gave us more time to think about what’s gonna happen in Season 3,” Oseman told EW. “I could set things up safely in Season 2 knowing that we would be able to get to it in Season 3, which is not a luxury that I had in Season 1. I really wanted Season 1 to feel like it had an ending just in case we didn’t get any more. There’s truly nothing I hate more than a show that gets canceled on a cliffhanger.”
Though Netflix has yet to confirm Season 3’s episode count, judging by the first two seasons of Heartstopper, there’s a good chance we’ll get another eight episodes.
There’s no official premiere date for Heartstopper Season 3 at the moment, but past release dates can give us an idea of when we might be able to expect the next batch of new episodes. Since Heartstopper Season 1 premiered in April 2022 and Season 2 premiered in August 2023, we could see Season 3 in April 2024.
But what about the ongoing strike with WGA and SAG-AFTRA, you may ask? Heartstopper is produced over in the UK, where the actors are part of a different union called Equity. While Equity has expressed support for SAG-AFTRA (and some members belong to both SAG and Equity), they are not governed under the same contracts; meaning Heartstopper’s Season 3 production and release could continue even in the midst of a double strike in the USA.
We’ll be sure to update this piece with any additional information about Heartstopper‘s Season 3 premiere. Until then, let’s explore some storylines that Season 3 may have in store.
At Netflix’s Tudum fan festival in November 2022, Oseman explained that Season 2 would follow the third graphic novel in the series, but noted she made a number of additions: “We had a good foundation [with Heartstopper, Volume 3] but there’s not enough in the book to [make] a whole season of TV…There had to be a lot of creation of new stuff, which I was really excited about.”
Based on the Season 2 finale, we’ll likely see if Charlie and Nick finally say “I love you” in Season 3. New episodes will likely cover the fourth book in the series, diving deeper into Nick and Charlie’s relationship; further addressing Charlie’s mental health and disordered eating; and continuing to explore the other characters’ friendships, romances, and coming-of-age stories. And at some point, the two will have to face the reality of Nick going off to college, though I’m not personally ready to deal with that yet.
It’s worth noting that even those who’ve read the Heartstopper books might not know exactly what’s coming next. “I’m always very committed to preserving what is in the comics and making sure all the big, exciting moments are in the show, but honestly, there is just so much extra space around that to do whatever we want,” Oseman told EW. “Now that we’ve got Seasons 1 and 2, we’ve had so much development for the supporting cast: Tao, Elle, Tara, Isaac, even new characters like Imogen. There’s so much new stuff that gives us so much to play with in Season 3. I feel very comfortable letting the show be its own thing. In my mind, the show and the comic feel very separate, although it’s quite a faithful adaptation. I feel excited to get to expand Heartstopper for the show.”
A majority of the main cast members (including Kit Connor as Nick, Joe Locke as Charlie, Yasmin Finney as Elle, William Gao as Tao, Yasmin Finney as Elle, Corinna Brown as Tara, Kizzy Edgell as Darcy, Tobie Donovan as Isaac and Rhea Norwood as Imogen) are expected to reprise their roles in Heartstopper Season 3. But one Season 1 and Season 2 actor who won’t be returning? Sebastian Croft.
In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, Oseman confirmed, “Ben’s role in Heartstopper is now complete.”
“He took on possibly the toughest role in the show and executed it with such intelligence and determination,” Oseman said. “We were in constant debate about finding the line between Ben being unrealistically demonic and too sympathetic. I feel we found that line and I am so proud and honored that Sebastian has been a part of Heartstopper… I know that he’ll go on to do incredible things, and I will be cheering from the sidelines all the way.”
For those who watch the Netflix series and read the books, Oseman recently announced on Instagram that Volume 5 of Heartstopper is delayed, but still on its way. The new release dates are as follows:
“The book is turning out longer than I anticipated, and I’m also hard at work this summer writing the scripts for Season 3 of the Heartstopper TV show, so I realised I needed some extra time to finish drawing the book,” Oseman captioned her post. “I’m so sorry that you have to wait a little longer but I promise it’ll be worth it! Thank you for supporting the series! More information about publication dates in other countries to follow soon from the individual publishers.”
While we eagerly await more updates on Heartstopper (both the television and book series), the first two seasons are streaming on Netflix for all your rewatch needs.