Things We Saw Today: Netflix’s Adorable Queer YA Series ‘Heartstopper’ Will Win a Billion Fans

Netflix’s new series Heartstopper is already set to be a new jewel in the streamer’s crown and quite possibly the next social media sensation. The show, which dropped on March 22nd, 2022, is described as an “uplifting LGBTQ+ drama about teen friendship and young romance […] based on the graphic novel by Alice Oseman,” and it already has a ready-made built-in audience. Oseman’s story began on Tumblr and as a webcomic; now, the Heartstopper novels have sold millions of copies. According to Oseman’s website, there have been over 52 million views of Heartstopper content online alone.

As you can see in the official trailer, Netflix’s adaptation of Heartstopper looks incredibly sweet and moving. Positive, complex, and upbeat depictions of queer sexuality and identity are at last on the rise in media, and Heartstopper looks set to do for a younger crowd what Our Flag Means Death just did for middle-aged pirates.

The Guardian raves that the series is “possibly the loveliest on TV,” and explains the central premise along with how happy Heartstopper will leave you feeling: “It follows 14-year-old Charlie as he develops a crush on popular rugby player Nick, after they bond over whether it is appropriate or not to do your homework on the way to maths. It is unutterably sweet and wholesome, and by the end of its zippy eight episodes, it leaves the sensation of being on the receiving end of a solid hug.”

Dedicated Heartstopper fans have been anticipating the show for a while, and now that it exists on Netflix, Heartstopper content is flooding social media and already trending on Twitter. Fans especially love the direct parallels between panels and parts they appreciated in Oseman’s work. Here are just a few of the tweets that we saw.

Getting to see yourself represented onscreen is vital at every age, but it is especially important when you’re young and trying to find a way forward in a vastly confusing world. When I think about how when I was growing up, queer characters were relegated to “very special episodes,” almost always revolving around tragedy and heartbreak if they were there at all, it makes me so happy that the kids today have warm and wonderful stories like Heartstopper.

What did you see out there on this fine Saturday?

(image: Netflix)

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Kaila Hale-Stern

Kaila Hale-Stern (she/her) is a content director, editor, and writer who has been working in digital media for more than fifteen years. She started at TMS in 2016. She loves to write about TV—especially science fiction, fantasy, and mystery shows—and movies, with an emphasis on Marvel. Talk to her about fandom, queer representation, and Captain Kirk. Kaila has written for io9, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, The Awl, Wired, Cosmopolitan, and once published a Harlequin novel you'll never find.

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