Hearts will, at the very least, skip a beat at the news one of Netflix most popular teen dramas is about to return.
Season 3 of Heartstopper premiers this week with the love story between Nick and Charlie about to get a lot more serious.
Series creator and writer Alice Oseman said season two ended with Nick beginning to understand the extent of Charlie’s mental health issues and this will be a key part of season three.
She told Netflix: “While Heartstopper will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up.
“Mental health, sex, university ambitions, and more: Nick, Charlie, and the Heartstopper teens are getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears, and new joys as they approach adulthood.”
Based on Oseman’s graphic novel and webcomic of the same name, this coming of age series delves into the topics of young love, friendships, loyalty and mental health but with joy at the heart of it.
Who stars in Heartstopper season 3?
Many of the original cast have returned for season three along with a few new faces.
Kit Connor
Kit Connor leads the cast as secondary school student Nick Nelson, who is in love with Charlie Spring.
The school rugby player struggled with his sexuality before meeting Charlie, played by Joe Locke.
Connor, 20, is from Purley, near Croydon in south London.
He has previously appeared in Get Santa, Rocketman and His Dark Materials.
Joe Locke
Joe Locke plays Charlie Spring, boyfriend of Nick Nelson, who has suffered at the hands of bullies.
In season three, viewers will see him struggling with mental health issues, and Nick trying to intervene.
Locke, 21, is originally from the Isle of Man and has been acting since his teens.
Aside from Heartstoppers, he has appeared in the 2024 Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries Agatha All Along.
Yasmin Finney
Yasmin Finney plays Elle Argent, friend of Nick and Charlie and the girlfriend of Tao Xu (Willima Gao).
Her character in the show was bullied at school because she transitioned.
Finney, 21, was nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance as Elle.
She will be familiar to television audiences as Rose Noble in the BBC series Doctor Who.
William Gao
William Gao is Tao Xu in Heartstopper, best friend to Charlie and boyfriend of Elle.
Tao is very protective of Charlie and was initially sceptical about the relationship with rugby player Nick.
Gao, 21, also grew up in Croydon like Connor and was nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance, like Finney.
He has also appeared on stage at the Donmar Warehouse in London in The Trials.
Jonathan Bailey
Award-winning actor Jonathan Bailey appears as Jack Maddox in the latest series of Heartstopper.
Maddox is a former rock star who became an academic.
Bailey began his career at the Royal Shakespeare Company but will be best known to television audiences as Viscount Bridgerton in the Netflix series Bridgerton.
He has also appeared in Broadchurch, W1A and Fellow Travelers.
The remaining cast include:
- Corinna Brown as Tara Jones (My Murder, Even More Evermoor)
- Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson
- Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson (Paper Cut)
- Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney (Consent, Your Christmas or Mine 2)
- Hayley Atwell as Aunt Diane (Agent Carter, Black Mirror)
- Eddie Marsan as therapist Geoff (Ray Donovan, Fair Play)
When is Heartstopper season 3 out on Netflix?
Heartstopper will be released on Netflix on Thursday 3 October at 8am (BST).
All eight episodes of season three will be available to stream, so fans can binge-watch it on the day.
Seasons one and two can also still be watched on Netflix.
How has Heartstopper season 3 been received?
Season three is already causing something of a stir before it has even made it to the small screen.
Alim Kheraj reviewing it for i wrote: “Whereas before the show was chaste and tame in its representation of serious issues, now it’s taking a grittier perspective – one that doesn’t hide from depictions of sex and trauma.”
The show has not shied away from tough topics, according to Kheraj, as it “nails how isolating, insidious and all-encompassing a disease like disordered eating can be” and “isn’t afraid to highlight the ongoing bigotry that LGBTQ+ people face”.
Sex scenes are also handled with “meaningful sensitivity”.
“This once quietly radical show has taken a bold step forward in how it handles the depiction of young LGBTQ+ lives, and will leave you with a feeling of gratitude that it actually exists at all,” he concluded.
David Craig, writing for the Radio Times, described season three as “in some ways, more of the same”.
“But”, he added, “to the credit of Oseman and the cast, these latest episodes do feel like an evolution of the concept as the cutesy drama wades into deeper waters with its discussions of eating disorders and early sexual experiences.”
While NME‘s Nick Levine said the “sweetest teen drama is growing up” and “the result is a transformative season that renews Heartstopper’s sense of purpose and relevance to LGBTQ+ viewers in particular”.
