When is Heartstopper season 2 coming out? Everything we know so far

Following the success of season 1, fans are wondering when Heartstopper season 2 is coming out.

Heartstopper is an adaptation of a graphic novel following the high school romance of same-sex couple Charlie and Nick. Season one was a highly anticipated offering from streaming service Netflix, which has also seen recent success with The Witcher and Sweet Magnolias. Based on Alice Oseman's series of comics about love, friendship, loyalty, life, time, and mental illness, Heartstopper has gained a loyal fanbase since its release.

Now that the new trailer has been released, fans want to know when Heartstopper season 2 is coming out and what to expect from the next batch of episodes - with some already keen to have the Heartstopper season two ending explained. Here's everything we know so far about the upcoming season...

When is Heartstopper season two coming out? 

Heartstopper season two will be released on Thursday 3 August 2023. The release date announcement came alongside a behind-the-scenes video of the cast teasing what fans can expect, with Charlie and Nick back in Truham Grammar School - but headed on a trip to Paris.

Previously, Netflix announced that the popular show will return for not one but two more seasons, with graphic novel author and illustrator Alice Oseman returning as writer and creator.

Volumes one and two of Oseman's books were covered in season one of Heartstopper, so season two will likely pick up around volume 3, when Nick and Charlie settle into their relationship and head on a school trip. 

Alice recently told Radio Times, "While season one followed a typical romance story structure, season two takes a deeper look into teen relationships of various stages and sees the characters begin to explore more complex emotional truths about themselves and each other.

"I hope viewers will be pleasantly surprised by some of the paths that these relationships take as the characters get to know each other and themselves on a much deeper level."

Meanwhile, the Netflix synopsis for the new season reads: "Nick and Charlie navigate their new relationship; Tara and Darcy face unforeseen challenges and Tao and Elle work out if they can ever be more than just friends. With exams on the horizon, a school trip to Paris and a prom to plan, the gang has a lot to juggle as they journey through the next stages of life, love and friendship."

The first season was so popular it reached the Netflix Top Ten list in 54 countries, so it's no surprise that fans were thrilled by the recent release of the trailer. One fan commented on Instagram, "I’ve never been so happy," and another said, "Omg it’s here."

What happened in Heartstopper season one?

Heartstopper season one sees Charlie and Nick first meet at school, and their unlikely friendship blossom into an unexpected romance. 

The pair and their circle of friends navigated the ever-relatable journey of self-discovery and acceptance, supporting each other as they learn to find their most authentic selves.

Author Alice previously said, "Heartstopper tells the story of Charlie, an openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a soft-hearted rugby player. The two boys meet at an all-boys grammar school (a type of selective single-sex high school we have here in the south-east of England!) and quickly become friends, despite their many differences. When Charlie starts falling for Nick, he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and Nick’s a little more interested in Charlie than Charlie thinks…"

Kit Connor, who plays Nick, teased ahead of season two, "Alice has got some amazing scripts for us," and it "feels cool and fresh." He added that it's "just a different vibe to season one."

How many Heartstopper books are there?

There are four volumes in the Heartstopper graphic book collection and the first two volumes are covered in the first season of the popular Netflix show. A fifth volume is scheduled for release in December 2023, and Alice Oseman recently revealed she plans to release a sixth book too. 

Heartstopper began as a webcomic on Tumblr and Tapas, and then crowdfunded for a limited print run edition in 2018. Hodder Children’s Group then published Heartstopper Volume 1 in spring 2019, and as well as the other three volumes there is an official colouring book and The Heartstopper Yearbook.

Speaking in a video posted on Instagram, Alice revealed what fans could expect from the forthcoming fifth volume, explaining that Nick will be heading off to university and must decide decide whether to choose somewhere far away, or stay closer to Charlie.

It's expected that season two of Heartstopper on Netflix will follow the narrative of volume three, and this is something Alice confirmed to Netflix's Tudum. She said: "Season two is based on volume three. So we had a good foundation. But there’s not enough in the book to take a whole season of TV, so there had to be a lot of creation of new stuff."

Speaking about adapting her work for the screen, Alice said, "The main thing being that the comics are quite short, like the story is quite short, so to fill up a whole season of TV we had to expand the story and add in lots of small subplots, and more about other characters that aren’t in the comics."

You can purchase all volumes of Heartstopper via Amazon, Waterstones and World of Books.

Heartstopper cast

The cast of Heartstopper season 2 sees the return of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). The full list of returning cast includes:

• 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

Meanwhile, new cast members include:

• Sahar Zahid as 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)

If you're looking for more high school dramas, the Sex Education season 4 release date has been announced, and we've explained the ending of Never Have I Ever season 4 too.