Heartstopper is a British coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama television series created and written by Alice Oseman for Netflix, based on her webcomic and graphic novel series of the same name. Starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke as Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, it follows two teenagers whose friendship at Truham Grammar School develops into a romantic relationship. Its ensemble cast includes William Gao, Yasmin Finney, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Tobie Donovan, Jenny Walser, Rhea Norwood, Leila Khan, Sebastian Croft, Cormac Hyde-Corrin and Olivia Colman. As the characters grow older, the series expands to explore sexuality, gender identity, mental health, intimacy and early adulthood.
Produced by See-Saw Films, Heartstopper was adapted for television after the company acquired the screen rights in 2019. Oseman wrote every episode. Euros Lyn directed the first two series, with Andy Newbery directing the third. Three series of eight episodes each were released between 2022 and 2024; the first premiered on 22 April 2022, followed by the second on 3 August 2023 and the third on 3 October 2024. In April 2025, Netflix announced that the screen adaptation would conclude with a feature-length finale film, Heartstopper Forever, which was released on 17 July 2026.
The series has received critical acclaim, particularly for Oseman's writing, the performances of Connor and Locke, faithfulness to the source material and its warm and affirming portrayal of LGBTQ+ youth. It won the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Young Teen Series, while Connor, Locke and Oseman also won Children's and Family Emmy Awards for their work on the programme. Heartstopper also received GLAAD Media Awards for outstanding kids and family programming, as well as honours from BAFTA Cymru, the Royal Television Society, the Dorian Awards, the Kidscreen Awards and the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Heartstopper entered Netflix's Global Top 10 shortly after release, helped boost sales of Oseman's books, and increased streams and chart activity for songs featured on its soundtrack. Commentators identified the series as part of a broader shift towards more joyful and hopeful LGBTQ+ television, while Nick's bisexual storyline was widely highlighted as an important example of bisexual representation on screen.
