New LGBTQ+ inclusive show released on Netflix

Juniper Donis

Crimson Chronicle Reporter

The Webtoon comic “HeartStopper” by Alice Oseman will be released on Netflix. Heartstopper is a comic based in the southeast of England, the two main characters being Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring. Nick is a 16-year-old, kind-hearted, rugby player and Charlie is a 15-year-old openly gay student. The two meet at an all-boys school in class which is the start of their relationship. The Netflix series is an eight-episode single series that covers the first couple of chapters of the graphic novel.

The two main characters are played by Kit Connor (Nick Nelson) and Joe Locke (Charlie Spring). Charlie’s friends include Tao Xu (William Gao), Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney), Isaac Henderson who doesn’t appear in the novel (Tobie Donovan), and his older sister Tori Spring (Jenny Walser). Nick’s friend group who is usually the antagonist of the novel/show consists of Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft) and Harry Greene (Cormac Hyde-Corrin). Some additional characters who play an important role in HeartStopper are Tara Jones (Corinna Brown) and Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell) who attend Higgs Girls School along with Elle. Tara and Darcy are dating in the series and they help Nick become more open with his sexuality. Another character who doesn’t appear in the novel is Imogen Heaney (Rhea Norwood) who is Nick’s childhood friend who also has a crush on him. 

Even though the series seems short, it has the ability to be renewed for a second season. Many fans of the novel have expressed how they believe that the season is too short, but the first season was left to be short for a reason. To keep us hooked and wanting more, the season only showcased a bit of the series. Yet many fans (including myself) have found that the casting choices were a perfect fit. Conner and Locke have become fan favorites along with the rest of the cast. What I enjoyed most was that they cast a Trans-person to play a trans character. There’s not a lot of representation of queer/trans people in the media in good light most of the time. Let alone have an actual trans-person play a trans character, so to see Finney being cast as  Elle Argent was nice to see. 

HeartStopper is out now on Netflix and viewers can follow the show on Instagram @heartstoppertv you can find the cast profiles there as well. Viewers could also follow the creator on both Twitter and Instagram @AliceOseman. Those who were left wanting more can continue to read Heartstopper on webtoon or get a physical copy at any bookstore. 

Link for the show:https://www.netflix.com/title/81059939

Link for more info for heartstopper: https://aliceoseman.com/heartstopper/

1 thought on “New LGBTQ+ inclusive show released on Netflix

  1. I watched heartstopper last week and I loved it. The casting was perfect! It’s exactly like the comic and it makes me excited for the second season.

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