"Heartstopper" S3

Or is there a thread I somehow overlooked? I've done that a bit (but I did look before posting).

Anyway, I'm not done watching it (but don't give a shit about spoilers), but like many I'm wondering what will happen when they finally DO IT. What will we see? Dry humping? Handjobs? Blowjobs? Fucking?? (Possibly in tasteful, PG-13 style like on "Red, Hot & Royal Blue." But I'm betting we don't see anything about the fucking, even if they do it.)

Non-spoiler question: is there some reason they didn't film S4 back-to-back? Both Kit & Joe are in the middle of other projects that are actually much larger, and won't Kit likely be doing R+J into next year?

I miss Bash. I said it! Bring Ben back and give him a redemption arc.

After watching the first two seasons with affectionate disdain, I thought the new season was actually quite good. The introduction of sex and alcohol made the teen high jinks seem much less twee. Charlie's troubles were heartbreaking and well portrayed, and the guy who played Nick served up some real quality acting. I watched episode four twice because it was so beautifully done. I do wish Charlie's father had put his cunt wife in check much sooner. Charlie came upon his control issues honestly.

Other than the two leads and Tao & Elle, most of the other characters felt shortchanged. Darcy's non-binary status just sort of happened; I wish they had shown more of the process. It's interesting, plus it's a nice way for me to learn more about these things. Making Imogen bi-curious or whatever the hell she thinks she is feels inauthentic, like they couldn't think of anything else to do with her. Nice to see more of the delightful but underused Tori, but I'd like to see her have some purpose in life other than wringing her hands over Charlie. Nick should knock his brother's teeth out of his slick mouth, and it bugs me that he gets away with speaking to Nick that way. One of many places where I missed Olivia Coleman, though Agent Carter was a welcome substitute.

Google says season four is TBD. I hope it happens. I want to see Nick go away to college and expand his horizons a bit. Don't know how it happens in the books, but I hope the story ends with them outgrowing each other but appreciating what they went through together.

The actress playing Tori was quite good this season. If Elle hadn’t had the interview scene, I’d say the girl playing Tori should have gotten the supporting Emmy nomination at the Children and Family Emmy’s next year.

The problem is support actors only submit once episode. Maybe the girl playing Tori could submit the Christmas show but she had a lot of a great moments spread throughout the season.

The gal playing Elle has the sex episode and the interview episode to choose from.

Kit should win for episode 4

R3 Agree with everything you said. Will add that I think the support characters have been ignored a lot regardless of season. Imogen should have not continued past S1, so more time could be given to the 3 couples. I also find the role of Isaac to be a bit wasted. The actor is fine, just the storyline is not as compelling.

Think if they are up for the Emmy it will be for next year as the deadline for consideration passed in August I believe. So they can be nominated for Emmys in 2025.

There's still no thread but this one? Huh. I've been skeptical of the rumors that the "Heartstopper" fangurl obsessives were in fact gone, but that appears to be the case! Hallelujah!

Considering this show had IIRC literally zero cussing (even minor shit) on S1 and only a single "bullshit" or something in S2, I was very pleasantly surprised to see lines like, "I think you're totally fucking hot." And like R3, I was definitely taken aback – in a good way – by the stark tonal shift during E4 in particular. While I admittedly wasn't excited about the thought of a "very special episode" thing about an eating disorder seemingly only written in for drama's sake, the show handled it all remarkably well. I appreciated that they depicted it realistically: it actually does often takes months to get into any sort of commonly needed treatment program, including eating disorders as well as substance abuse or any form of self-harm.

What American viewers might have missed is that the NHS failed Charlie, much like it's failing Britain in general thanks to 16 years of Tory rule and harsh budget cuts, and faced with his deteriorating mental state, his parents felt they had no choice but to pay for a private recovery facility. Since that expense would've likely been entirely out-of-pocket, it likely put a substantial dent into their savings (a big enough one to make them hesitate to do it, which is realistic) – and the writers made a point of showing that Charlie was in reality one of the lucky ones, and while this show would never go *there*, an IRL Charlie could've very well taken his own life out of desperation.

Everything written relative to Charlie's storyline was superb. The rest was often lacking. Example: Tao getting all angsty in the first couple of episodes about Yasmin going to art school. In American terms, this is roughly akin to a high schooler in Westchester thinking he'll "never see his girlfriend again" after she is accepted to a performing arts academy in Manhattan, never mind that it's less than an hour away by train. Nick is shown in one episode literally not being able to drive straight, and yet quickly becomes such a masterful driver that the 500-mile roundtrip to Leeds and back is basically nbd. (Which btw is absurd: it's Britain FFS! They have trains & coaches! Teenagers don't drive themselves to "check out distant colleges" in the US! Also, while I agree that they needed to cover the J.K. Rowling-fed transphobia, having Jasmin ambushed on a radio show about it was just weird. (OTOH so is the idea of a 16-year-old somehow gaining a huge IG following for their art during their first year of school, but still.)

Finally, I knew Charlie & Nick would finally have sex, but wasn't sure how they'd frame it on a show that didn't even introduce cuss words until this season. Like "Red, White & Royal Blue," they successfully used allusions: the "first time" they "did it" wasn't exactly, well, it, as you could tell from their chat afterwards. Nick asked if it "counted" that they "only used their bodies" (meaning the surface). I assume the subtext that they gave each other handjobs was evident here, as was the subsequent bit when the girls haul Nick into a pharmacy and buy him condoms & lube. It's *very* well-done, but in one shot near the very end, you can see Nick lying in bed behind Charlie (not facing him) gripping one of his hands, and if you look closely you can tell that that's when they're finally fucking, with Nick on top.

[quote]Google says season four is TBD. I hope it happens. I want to see Nick go away to college and expand his horizons a bit. Don't know how it happens in the books, but I hope the story ends with them outgrowing each other but appreciating what they went through together.

R3, I know they haven't said anything either way, but this sure felt like a series finale to me. My takeaway from the final episode was that Charlie's newfound confidence in his abilities (drumming) and his body (being comfortable taking his shirt off around Nick) was intended as a signal that Nick – who'd already decided by then that he preferred to go to uni in Leeds, but would stay & attend the "local uni" if him leaving would affect Charlie's mental health – will soon be leaving for it. In real life the show ended just before what would otherwise be the point where they do the "breaking up because the older one's going to school and we'll see if their job can survive long-distance" thing, and it almost never works out IRL.

As for the books, the show has now caught up with the series: the third season mostly discusses events from Volume 5 of the "Heartstopper" set. While a sixth, and final, one has been "announced," with no details other than most of it being an epilogue (and IIRC a short bit about Charlie, but only to reinforce him getting better). Again, I thought this season felt like a finale regardless, and the fact that neither Kit nor Joe could *promote* the show – Kit because of his Broadway debut (!) and Joe because he's now on a far higher profile show, coincidentally airing right now as well; they filmed all the BTS & interview stuff about it after filming – seems telling.

Cute new interview with Joe in the Guardian. Some snippets below.

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“This world is a very scary place sometimes, and it feels a bit weird that Heartstopper has almost been immune to that – a lot of queer shows get a lot of hate from rightwing groups, and Heartstopper doesn’t, and I don’t really understand why. You’ll often hear Trump supporters talking about queer people and queer shows,” Locke says. “I want to get hate-tweeted by Donald Trump!” [Ed.: Same, queen. Same.]

Locke has sometimes been vexed by the recurring question: “Do you have to be a gay teen to play a gay teen?” It has that feeling of a bear trap laid to turn diversity inside out. “I wouldn’t want to not be able to play a straight character, so I don’t think it’s fair to stop someone straight – who can do all the research – from playing a gay character,” Locke says carefully. “I get a lot of auditions for more gay teenage characters, very similar parts, and, while they’re great, I’ve played two gay characters now” – Teen is also gay. “Not that I would not want to play another gay character, but I want to be a versatile actor, not get stamped.” [Ed.: Doesn't being versatile mean getting stamped? 😂]

Sweeney Todd, on the other hand, came as a surprise to everyone. His agent didn’t even know he could sing (he describes his voice, modestly, with the words: “Well, I can hold a note.”) Locke was cast as Tobias Ragg, the unlikely 14-year-old cockney hero of the musical. He went to New York thinking it would be like a maxi-break with a bit of performing. “It’s three hours a day, five days a week. I thought I was going to have so much fun, get drunk every night, go to all the clubs. I did not do any of that. I was more exhausted than I’d be after a 16-hour filming day.” It is a physically punishing business, but also pretty nerve-racking – the sheer scale of Broadway, the fact that “people are paying a lot of money to see it, you have to look after yourself to make sure you’re doing the best possible job. It was the most terrifying thing I’ve done. I loved it.”

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I'm sorry, but I find it FUCKING ADORABLE – and entirely understandable as a sheltered teen who grew up on an English island – that Joe thought Broadway would be a "15-hour-a-week holiday." OTOH I can only assume he didn't say anything of the sort in proximity to La LuPone, considering he'd no longer be among the living.

R4 Agree about Kit. Joe was good, but Kit has been the main strength of the show all 3 seasons.

R5 Yes, you’re right about the Emmys. We’ll see how this year goes and if the large gap between season and the Emmy ceremony ends up affecting how it does; They will be getting around to the ceremony that season 2 (which came out in August 2023) is eligible for in January 2025.

R7 Interview and BTS stuff was filmed throughout the year, which is pretty standard. Productions always have to work around actor schedules for that. They did some in December and some closer to release, in the last handful of months. Finale seemed pretty standard for a show awaiting a renewal, not completely wrapped up, but happy enough that it’s not the end of the world if that’s where it ends.

[quote]...while this show would never go *there*, an IRL Charlie could've very well taken his own life out of desperation.

One article I read about this season said that the scene where Charlie tells Nick on the phone that "it was an accident" was more explicitly described in the books as a trip to the ER, which I assumed meant a suicide attempt. The same article stated that it is a documented fact that teen suicides rise when they are portrayed in popular media, so the creators felt it best to make it more vague. Book readers can correct me if I'm off-base.

R10 Yes it t was a suicide attempt.

chances high for s4

Given the fan base and how popular it is on Netflix, chances are very high.

I don’t see this series getting any Emmy nominations. GLAAD nominations, etc., sure, but it won’t get official recognition from American awards shows, because despite how well intentioned and well done and detailed it is, it still comes across as an adaptation of YA fiction.

Also the strenuous way this (and all British series) cram every race, ethnity, minority and diasability into every episode is very inclusive and laudable, but strains credibility and strikes many Americans as trying too hard. If this series was just being put together right now, I doubt that Nick and Charlie would both be caucasian, that’s not the way Brit TV rolls these days.

As for renewal for season 4 — seems doubtful to me without published material to use as a guide. Not to mention that Netflix has a penchant for canceling series after three seasons. Where would they go with it? The relationship would inevitably change with separation, and both would move on, perhaps remaining as friends, but none of that is very dramatic.

R14 This show goes into the Children and Family’s Emmys, not Primetime. It’ll be nominated and probably rack up some wins again. Kit already won one for the first season. Regarding published material, Alice was writing season 3 at the same time as she was writing the storyline for the comic book and she’s already mapped out the last book, so they have something to look at (if that factors into their decision at all to begin with). And not to spoil it for you, but they don’t break up.

Thanks for the intel, R15, I had no idea there was a special Emmy category for family TV.

But I still think that chronicling their relationship beyond where season 3 ends would play out as anti-climax.

But maybe it ultimately depends on the ratings. It’s been at #10 im the U.S. for the last couple of days, which is good but not great.

R13, Netflix hasn't released anything about S3's ratings yet, so we don't know for certain whether the fan base is still energized. (Considering how nearly every other "Heartstopper" thread maxed out at 600 posts within a matter of days, the lack of commentary on DL about it is concerning.) There's also literally no story for it yet, and Alice has completed a mere 50 pages of the planned final book. (Note that the entire set comprises 1,400 pages, since it's a graphic novel.) Further, the material's already too mature for the youngest audiences (12 and under) that were some of the show's biggest original fans. We also don't know if it weathered their loss by appealing more broadly to adult audiences. AND we already know it's little more than an epilogue.

I still remember when "John Wick" fans were insisting there'd be a fifth installment, even after he LITERALLY DIED on camera. Obviously no one's dying here, but the writing's on the wall. (Plus a sequel likely wouldn't come out until 2026 at the earliest, considering Kit's tied up on Broadway for the time being & also has other projects in the works, as does Joe.)

R14, the show already cleaned up at prior Children and Family Emmy ceremonies. While I assume it'd have a lock on it once again, what'd *really* help is for it to garner Emmy nods that aren't specific to kids shows. Also, not sure why you're dissing YA as somehow not "award-worthy," but this show has already disproven critics' comments before – including its entire initial success, which absolutely no one saw coming. It was "impossible" to make a show about queer teens, *starring* queer teens (and not 30-year-olds playing 16), and featuring material suitable for every preteen kids to watch – all on a zero-budget show with zero known stars at the time of filming. (Olivia Colman's lovely cameo notwithstanding.) Also, most YA doesn't win awards because most of it is somewhat silly fantasy (e.g. "The Hunger Games" and "Twilight").

the cast is slowly outgrowing the show. also i am a bit confused about how a show with a sex scene will get nominated for a Children’s Emmy ? (genuine question)

R17 Just a small point, Alice already wrote out the last book, she just hasn’t finished drawing it out.

R18 Children’s Emmys also include YA stuff and they allow sex scenes, they just cannot be “excessive.” Not sure how exactly they determine that, but the Heartstopper ones are really tame.

Olvia Colman has left the show.

Did they replace her or simply avoid scenes of the mother?

I wish the show hadn’t waxed him.

It’s true that I’m snobbish about YA stuff, but then so is the Television Academy. There was a thing years ago in the U.S. called the Afternoon Special, which consisted of films geared to young people which helped them deal with adult problems and responsibilities.

“Heartstopper” has more than a whiff of that about it, dealing with gender issues, sex issues, eating disorders, etc. in a way that tries to further understanding and help everyone to feel good about themselves. This is a nice thing, and this series does it very well, but the whole self-improvement-while-bolstering-self-esteem thing is never far below the surface and reads very YA, very self-conscious. Again, not a bad thing, but too pointed to be mistaken for really adult TV.

R22 Agree that it will not be considered for Primetime Emmy noms as the characters are still underage. Also, while it is a great show for the Children's Emmys, it is not 'adult' enough for it to be considered for Primetime.

Season 2 did not earn any Emmy noms, so I am skeptical about it being considered for next year. Too much time will have passed, and many new teen shows will have released later and still be fresh in the voters' minds.

Kit was the standout again for me this season. Joe did well but not what I would call Emmy award winning.

R23 Season 2 came out after the deadline last year and is eligible this year, we find out if they got any nominations in November.

R17 Very few fantasy/sci fi is ever nominated for awards. Think the last one to win an award was the Oscar for EEAAO. But it is pretty rare for them to win either Oscars or Emmys for best shows.

R24 Ok, thanks.

What did happen to all the weirdos who used to comment about every social media post that these children made? It was creepy!

It's not in Netflix top 10 less than a week after release, so that may not bode well for another season.

r28 the actors in it themselves have signaled they want to move on to mature stuff so maybe for the best. but a s4 would surely wrap up the story

R27, I don't think the actors are posting that much nowadays. I admittedly only follow Kit & Joe, but Kit's obviously been working basically nonstop, and both of them have mainly only reposted stuff about "Heartstopper" or, in Joe's case, the Agatha show. (Joe posted more when he was doing "Sweeney Todd," but as that Guardian interview pointed out, he was in WAY over his head and probably needed distractions from work.)

R28, where'd you see the ratings? That's definitely concerning, particularly since there's not all that much on Netflix at present. Even worse, one of its biggest hits ("Outer Banks" - no, I do NOT get why it's THAT fucking popular) returns tomorrow and will likely dominate Netflix's ratings through the end of the month.

I'd hoped they would have full on go with the books with Charlie locked in the kitchen and Tori not knowing if he's alive or dead and trying to shield Oliver who is their younger brother in the books (rather than their cousin). The books are much darker and more sexual. I just felt that they really toned it down. I realise it would have ended up with an 18 rating if they'd followed the books but I wish they'd given the actors the chance to full on go for it. Then it could be Emmy's but this is a sanitised version.

I just finished the last two episodes of this season. I enjoyed them but thought too much of the dialog sounded like therapy-speak. It was like being in a 12-step meeting sometimes.

But I was surprised that it ended the abrupt way that it did. Since Netflix has a habit of breaking up their seasons these days, I wondered if another (and likely the last ever) one or two episodes will be dropping in another month or two.

As has been noted by others, this has barely charted in the Top Ten in the U.S. this time around. Not a good sign.

s4 to wrap up

R31, even aside from the Emmy angle, almost the entire *reason* "Heartstopper" became a success in the first place is because it was the first regular gay romance-themed series that managed to be as wholesome as apple pie, and entirely fine even for preteens and the like to watch. Yes, the final book volumes are obviously more adult – as is true for most long-running YA series, e.g. Harry Potter – but its readership is a tiny fraction of the show's overall audience. Going from PG to a hard R would've been an even bigger stretch than the already large one they made.

It's definitely a challenge to depict mental illness in entertainment in a way that doesn't trigger viewers, and I think depicting the kitchen scene as written would've definitely done that, at least for younger viewers. Visual mediums are, very simply, much different in that context, and had I been the one deciding it, I would've also toned down any literal indications that Charlie attempted suicide, even if unsuccessfully. The show did a superb job – in part due to Joe's acting skills – illustrating that Charlie was in no way okay, and that his family took such dire steps to protect him from what could readily prove to be a suicide attempt out of desperation. I truly don't think the kitchen scene was in any way necessary to establish the severity of his mental state.

R32, I think someone mentioned it upthread, but just to clarify: yes, Netflix has started breaking up SOME shows into multiple parts, but when they do that they very specifically announce it beforehand. (The final season of "Cobra Kai" might be the oddest to date: they wrapped filming on the entire show last spring, but aired the first five episodes in July; will air the second set in November; and the finale is coming "sometime" in 2025.) They didn't do so here: there definitely aren't any more "Heartstopper" episodes filmed, and we don't yet know whether the show will be renewed.

That said, Netflix just posted an update earlier today (see link). I wouldn't read *that* much into it (e.g. the fact that Netflix posted it on its Tudum blog - it's separate from their renewal/cancellation process), and if anything I'd note what's missing: any sort of direct comment from Netflix. (Alice can try to "manifest" whatever they want, but it won't guarantee a renewal.) I'm unclear why Alice is claiming this season "was inspired by" the fourth & fifth volumes, considering it covers all or nearly all of the major events (aside from ones deemed unsuitable for the audience). I'm also not seeing why they didn't do FAR more work on the final volume – BEFORE S3 premiered – if they were serious about making a fourth season. Kit & Joe will likely get more busy as time passes, not less, and the smart move would've been to film S4 back-to-back with S3.

An article snippet is below, but finally, I don't think its ending is "abrupt." Losing your virginity is a big deal regardless of sexual orientation, but – again – where else *could* they have gone with the series? I have no idea what Alice has in mind for her "epilogue," but if this was the real world they'd sensibly break up after Nick leaves for uni. Or we'd get to see a season of Charlie doing little but moping around – unless, of course, he finds love again with another guy, which would of course result in a TOTAL FUCKING MELTDOWN of the show's fandom.

Finally, I didn't think the ending was abrupt in part because it's how a very different teen show on Netflix – one focused on young, mostly straight women of South Asian heritage at an L.A.-area high school – ended, namely "Never Have I Ever." It was a comedy and ran half-hour episodes for a full four seasons – plus each season represented a different year in HS; "Heartstopper" takes place over around 18 months – and its series-long plot thread was a "Pretty in Pink"-style "will she chose the jock or the geek?" one. Since it's the 21st century, she picked the geek. The final scene shows them together in bed post-coitus.

tl/dr

R34 It’s missing any direct comment from Netflix, true, but I would argue that Netflix publishing that is a comment in itself.

I’m so glad the SM-stalking freaks moved on to reddit or discord or wherever and that people are actually discussing the *show* (and the books) here!

r37 yeah its refreshing

Now you just have to contend with the PR folks. They can be just as bad.

r39 no one is doing PR on DL you turd

How naive. Of course there are PR folks on DL. There are PR folks on all gossip sites. This is a BUSINESS, not a private Reddit.

PR has been posting on DL since DL started. And Heartstopper/Kit Connor/Joe Locke PR teams are just like all of the others. Minimize damaging gossip or unwanted exposure.

r41 take your meds

sane Joe fans living on telegram

I liked it a lot, but I loved S1 and S2. There was.........something about S3 that was missing, and I still cannot put my finger on it. But overall it was enjoyable, and left open enough after the last episode that I think it definitely warrants a S4. One thing - Kit sems to have bulked up quite a but. Given Joe's character's issues with body image, I think this only helped the season.

You’d have to be an idiot to think that their PR teams are on here given all of the harmful shit that gets posted and stays up.

r44 barely anyone outside gay men & twitter fraus know DL

[quote]How naive. Of course there are PR folks on DL. There are PR folks on all gossip sites. This is a BUSINESS, not a private Reddit. PR has been posting on DL since DL started.

No, you cunts have been ASSUMING – without a shred of evidence – that anything vaguely positive about a celebrity you don't like MUST be a PR plant, since of course no homosexual with taste would DARE disagree with your entertainment sources! While this site isn't a private Reddit, it's far too low traffic for any PR efforts.

Also, it's 2024, and the celeb PR game has changed considerably. PR flacks are far more likely to send in "tips" or "stories" about celebs to the likes of Deuxmoi, which has two million followers. (I don't think we've heard any DL site traffic stats lately, but it's likely low five figures, not seven.)

R30, no ratings, just the homepage of Metflix where they show the top 10 movies and tv shows at that time.

When I posted at r28, Heartstopper was only 4 or 5.

The Adam Brody, Kristin Bell show is still #1 since it was released.

r47 hopefully it makes up for that awards-wise

so many hateful comments about Joe on twt

Why is r42 posting a photo of Clamps - that triangular faced robot from Futurama?

r50 insane cope from an orc

r51 You looking in a mirror hon?

Kit looks way too mature to be playing a 16 year old. Joe looks like a hybrid of a goblin and a gargoyle.

[QUOTE] How naive. Of course there are PR folks on DL. There are PR folks on all gossip sites. This is a BUSINESS, not a private Reddit.

This lunatic is the Gay & Bearding Troll. She thinks all attractive male actors are closeted and being forced to beard, and if you dare challenge her she squawks that you're on the actor's PR team.

Been here a decade at least.