TV shows we love: Heartstopper

We all do things just because everyone else is. But what happens when peer pressure directs important life decisions like who we fall in love with?

Year 11 rugby player Nick Nelson won’t have that. He is falling for the cute-as-hell boy he sits with at Truham Grammar School and lucky for him. Charlie is gay.

Heartstopper brings forward an important 21^st century question. Why do some people still feel the need to hide their love for their partner, when others express their feelings publicly without hesitation?

It shouldn’t be such a big deal, and yet, just like in all high schools, everything queer is. After all, it was bullying that led a friend of Charlie, Elle, to transfer schools as viewers learn on the first episode.

Released in April, Heartstopper soon became a hit in the UK and abroad, being included in the Top 10 English series on Netflix only days after its premiere.

It is slower paced than your regular teen coms, with the focus being on the developing love story as it unravelled in Alice Oseman’s graphic novels the show is based on. Even though the lines of some characters can be vulgar at times, the relationship between the two boys appears pure and sweet – a typical first love and a refreshing escape from modern teenage movies.

The colour palette of the show is also warm and inviting, while the creators carefully planned every tiny detail. So, try not to blink or you will miss a very important glimpse of light or a blooming tree for example.

Another highlight of the series is that it mainly features lesser-known artists and of-course queer icon Girl in Red.

Luckily for the queer viewers, Netflix recently confirmed it has renewed the quirky show for two more seasons. Alice Oseman will also return as writer and creator.