Alice Oseman on setting the webcomic in motion.
When you’re in the throes of love’s first blush, the world seems to take on a new rosy hue. That’s the feeling that radiates from Heartstopper, British author Alice Oseman’s best-selling comic series turned cultural phenom. Since its debut in 2022, the TV series has injected a swoon-inducing whimsicality to its boy-meets-boy narrative, garlanding the romance of high schoolers Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) with intricate animations and a candy-colored visual palette. “From day one, it was a big priority for us to preserve the aesthetic of the comic,” says Oseman, who serves as the show’s co-executive producer. “When we were pitching it to Netflix, we were showing that visually and saying, ‘Hey, this is what the show is going to look like.’”
With the webcomic-turned-graphic novel series as a guide, Heartstopper Season 2 synthesizes warm and fuzzies with the maturing concerns of its expanded ensemble cast. As well as the budding romance between Charlie’s besties Tao (William Gao) and Elle (Yasmin Finney), bookish Isaac (Tobie Donovan) discovers his asexuality, while the lesbian couple Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) deal with homophobia at home. “I think the key to it is showing the reality, but also reminding people that there is hope and that things are going to be okay in the end,” says Oseman.
As well as being a global smash — Heartstopper’s second season reached Netflix’s Top 10 in 61 countries — the show has cultivated a loyal fan community, with TikTok’s Heartstopper hashtag amassing over 16 billion views. The storytelling has connected with Hollywood heavyweights just as powerfully: Olivia Colman stars as Nick’s supportive mom in Seasons 1 and 2, and Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey will make a cameo in the upcoming season.
All the success has brought more than a few pinch me moments for Oseman. “It started as a webcomic that was very much my own passion project,” she recalls with a smile. “I wasn’t even sure whether it would get published as a book, let alone be a TV show.”
As she gears up for the release of Season 3, Oseman opens up to Queue about the process of adapting her comic series.
ON FINDING THE RIGHT NICK AND CHARLIE
For me, it was like, this is going to make or break the show. There’s no way the show would work if we couldn’t find the right people, and there were so many factors to think about. Charlie can come across as reserved at the start of the story, but he’s actually quite a confident person, particularly in pursuing Nick. Joe found the balance of those two aspects of the character perfectly. Kit was one of the first people that we cast in the show. We’d seen a lot of actors who portrayed Nick as a very stereotypical jock, but Kit picked up on the kind, openhearted side to the character.
ON UPDATING THE STORY AS L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ CONVERSATIONS EVOLVE
I started writing the comics in 2016, eight years ago, and our knowledge of queer identities has grown a lot. That’s why I’ve really enjoyed Isaac’s asexual storyline. That’s something I didn’t really have room for in the comics but now feels like a really exciting story. When I wrote the comics, I was basing being a queer person at school on my own experience, and things have changed wildly since then, or at least that’s how it appears to me. So things that I’m remembering from my own school life may not even be relevant nowadays.
ON OLIVIA COLMAN'S ROLE AS SARAH NELSON
When we were casting Nick’s mom, someone mentioned Olivia Colman, and I was like, “That’s ridiculous. Why would she want to be in this unknown show?” But we sent her the scripts and the comic and she did want to be in the show! I was very surprised and happy. On set, she was just a really genuine, lovely person.
ON JONATHAN BAILEY'S GUEST APPEARANCE IN THE NEW SEASON
Jonathan got in touch and he really wanted to be in the show, and we were like, “Oh my God, that’s so cool.” I was in the process of plotting out Season 3, and I had this short webcomic that I’d co-written which wasn’t in the books. It’s about Charlie’s celebrity crush, who is a historian, TV presenter, and Instagram influencer. We thought it was the perfect role for Jonathan Bailey. It’s a really funny, adorable cameo, while also bringing up some new conversations for Nick and Charlie surrounding some of the other issues in the series.
ON TACKLING DARKER THEMES WHILE STAYING TRUE TO THE SHOW'S UPLIFTING FEEL
Getting that balance is precisely the challenge of [Season 3]. The key is showing the reality, but also reminding people that there is hope and that things are going to be okay in the end. Heartstopper, which is for younger viewers, has always had this optimistic, hopeful tone. When it comes to topics such as eating disorders or self-harm, which are things that will be explored, you want to portray these issues as realistically as you can, while also not making it feel gratuitous or triggering. That’s just not the sort of story Heartstopper is.
ON WHAT TO EXPECT IN SEASON 3
The main thing that we’ll be exploring is Charlie’s mental health, his recovery journey, and how that affects his relationship with Nick. Also, Nick and Charlie are starting to explore their physical relationship and taking their romance a step further, as are all the couples in Season 3, with all the emotional and social pressures and anxieties that surround that for a teenage couple. I really wanted to focus on the emotional side of it and questions like, “Am I ready to have sex?” We’ve allowed the show to grow up a bit, but not so far that it feels like it’s not Heartstopper anymore.
