Heartstopper season 2: Release date, cast, plot and latest news
The official release date for the hit Netflix show has been confirmed.
Heartstopper season 2 is heading to Netflix this summer.
The teen drama was a huge success when it first aired on the streamer back in April 2022, with viewers hailing the series for its positive representation of the LGBTQ+ community, leading to a multi-season renewal in May – just a month after season 1's premiere date.
Alongside the returning Kit Connor and Joe Locke, the entire main cast of Heartstopper will be back for the second season, and they'll be joined by a plethora of new faces, with Bel Priestley, Ash Self and Thibault De Montalembert all joining the original movers and shakers.
Naomi (Priestley) and Felix (Self) are "new friends" of Elle, while Stephane (Montalembert) is Nick's (Connor) father.
Meanwhile, Chetna Pandya will return as Coach Singh, Fisayo Akinade as Mr Ajayi, Alan Turkington as Mr Lange and Olivia Colman as Sarah Nelson, meaning we can expect some drama between her and her ex, Stephane.
Speaking to Jane Garvey and TV critic Rhianna Dhillon during a live recording of the Radio Times Podcast at the BFI & Radio Times TV Festival last year, Connor spoke about his hopes for season 2: "I suppose what I'd like to see for Nick, I think just strengthening Nick and Charlie's relationship.
"In season 1, we very much see the young love and the beginnings of their relationship, and I think that it would be lovely... to see their relationship get stronger and blossom."
Read on for everything you need to know about the second season of the Netflix series, including when we can expect it to land and what's in store for the characters.
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Heartstopper season 2 release date: When is it coming out on Netflix?
It's official: Heartstopper season 2 will land on Netflix on Thursday 3rd August 2023.
The streamer announced the premiere date with an exciting behind-the-scenes clip, which features various cast members talking about what fans can expect from the hotly-anticipated second season of the LGBTQ+ drama.
"There's so many things with Elle this season that you're not ready for," Finney says of her character in the footage, before adding, "I would say it is different in the sense she's more confident. She surrounds herself with people that elevate her."
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Connor adds: "Alice has got some amazing scripts for us. It also feels cool and fresh. Just a different vibe to season 1," while Locke says of his character: "Charlie goes on more of a journey. His story's a bit more mature."
And in exciting news, we have some brand new images to enjoy from the sophomore season.
The streamer confirmed that Heartstopper will return for a second and third season on the platform back in May 2022.
The streamer penned at the time: "To those who have fallen in love with Nick & Charlie, cried watching Alice Oseman's magical story brought to life, or felt represented for the first time on-screen, I am elated to announce... Heartstopper has been renewed for TWO MORE SEASONS!"
And there could be more on the horizon! When speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, writer and creator Alice Oseman revealed that they have a rough idea of how many episodes they would need to deliver a complete live-action adaptation of their comic books.
"It would probably be four seasons to cover the full story," they said. "I haven't done any in-detail planning or anything, but it's quite easy to divide up the books into seasons, so four I think would do it."
Heartstopper season 2 cast: New and returning characters
The following cast members are returning for Hearstopper season 2:
- Joe Locke as Charlie Spring
- Kit Connor as Nick Nelson
- Olivia Colman as Sarah Nelson
- William Gao as Tao Xu
- Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent
- Corinna Brown as Tara Jones
- Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson
- Sebastian Croft as Ben Hope
- Cormac Hyde-Corrin as Harry Greene
- Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney
- Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson
- Jenny Walser as Tori Spring
- Fisayo Akinade as Mr Ajayi
- Chetna Pandya as Coach Singh
- Alan Turkington as Mr Lange
New cast members include:
- Sahar Zahid a Higgs student
- Jack Barton as David Nelson (Nick’s older brother)
- Bradley Riches as James McEwan (a Truham student)
- Nima Taleghani as Mr Farouk (a Truham teacher)
- Bel Priestley as Naomi (a new friend of Elle)
- Ash Self as Felix (a new friend of Elle)
- Thibault De Montalembert as Stephane (Sarah's ex)
Heartstopper season 2 plot: What will happen?
A second season of Heartstopper will explore all the nuances and heartwarming moments of Charlie and Nick's romance as they navigate exams, a school trip to Paris and a prom!
The official plot for season 2 also teases "unforeseen challenges for Tara and Darcy", while "Tao and Elle work out if they can ever be more than just friends".
As discussed previously, there is also ample material from the Heartstopper source works to continue on from in the second run.
Writer Alice Oseman revealed: "The challenges of adapting something that's a comic for TV is that some things that are in a comic just don't work for TV. Like Heartstopper, the comics, is a very low-stakes story.
"Problems are resolved pretty much immediately, which isn't normally how TV works, so we had to add a bit more drama – a bit more angst – into the show.
"And also, we expanded the world of Heartstopper as well. We got to explore the side characters of Heartstopper in a lot more depth when there's not really much room for that in the comics. But that was all part of the fun of it."
So expect the world of Heartstopper to continue to be explored.
- Heartstopper volumes 1-4 are available to buy on Amazon
Heartstopper season 2 trailer: When can I watch it?
Not yet. However, as detailed above, there is an official behind-the-scenes clip to enjoy, in which the cast discuss what fans can expect from their characters in the second season.
We'll update this article as soon as the trailer arrives.
Heartstopper season 1 is available to stream on Netflix now. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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