But it’s also just one of the many queer coming-of-age stories out there these days. Like I said, Heartstopper is exactly the kind of show so many queer now-adults needed - even if they didn’t know it at the time. There’s also Olivia Colman as Nick’s mom, and, as we know from The Favourite (2018), Colman is nothing if not an ally. But it also has a delightful ensemble of characters, many of whom are part of the LGBTQ+ community - from the “school lesbians,” girlfriends Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), to one of Charlie’s best friends, Elle (Yasmin Finney), who’s trans. Relatable and incredibly sweet without being saccharine, Heartstopper would be worth it for Nick and Charlie alone. From left: Yasmin Finney as Elle and William Gao as Tao in Heartstopper. Let’s just say, Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom make Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) both immensely enjoyable and confusing for him. Substituting Ask Jeeves and Quizilla for Google and Buzzfeed quizzes, Nick tries to search the internet for answers to what he’s feeling for Charlie. An entire camera roll’s worth of photos of him, Charlie and the family dog frolicking in the snow are quite the giveaway.
While some of Charlie’s friends tell him not to get his hopes up - that Nick is straight and he should stop crushing on the straight boy - it’s clear to the audience that a few things are dawning on Nick. Sparks fly immediately - and literally, thanks to the show’s cute bits of animation that swirl around the characters’ heads and add a bit of first-love dreaminess to select scenes. But Charlie finds the strength to put himself first and break things off.Īn incredibly fast runner, Charlie is recruited for the school’s rugby team by his new home room seatmate, Nick. Ben, digging deep into his well of internalized homophobia, puts Charlie down and hurts him. At the show’s onset, Charlie meets up with Ben (Sebastian Croft) several times in secret, but it’s clear they’re in different places. It wasn’t necessarily by choice - bullies made his life hell the year previous - and his love life isn’t yet what he deserves. Here, Charlie (Joe Locke), the other half of our favorite couple, has been out for a bit.
From left: Kit Connor as Nick and Joe Locke as Charlie in Heartstopper. And while the rugby-playing Nick (Kit Connor) is figuring out his sexuality in real time, Heartstopper doesn’t revolve around coming out, nor does it frame sharing your identity as a one-time, tear-filled moment. Heartstopper’s eight-episode first season really taps into some of our favorite romance tropes, including the unlikely friendship between a self-identified nerd and lauded jock that blossoms, a little nervously but always sweetly, into something more. Heartstopper (2022–): Why Should You Make Time for Heartstopper ? Here, we’re delving into why Heartstopper is so important to queer audiences - of all ages - and spotlighting some other must-watch shows and movies you should queue up next. Of course, Heartstopper isn’t the only coming-of-age show (or movie) that centers LGBTQ+ characters and allows them the novelty of happiness. Sure, the primary audience of these stories is teens, but, for queer adults who didn’t have these touchstones growing up, there’s something so joyful - and almost healing - about knowing these stories exist in books and on screen now.
If you’re anything like me, recently published queer YA romances, like You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, got you through some of the last few years’ bleakest moments.