Through characters and stories we love, we can help heal the divide and show people that we are all human and all want similar things.

That may seem like small comfort at a time when racism, homo/transphobia, sexism, and anti-Semitism are at an all-time high. Even so, let’s celebrate characters changing the narrative and helping make a better, less prejudiced world.

FBI’s Omar Adom “O.A.” Zidan Is The First Egyptian-Born Lead Character on A Police Procedural

When I think about characters changing the narrative, O.A. is always the first one that comes to mind.

Unfortunately, many peace-loving Muslims get blamed for terrorist activity related to conflict in the Middle East, and that’s been reflected in our television shows for a very long time.

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Before O.A. was introduced on FBI Season 1 Episode 1. there were few Muslim characters on TV who were not either guilty of terrorism or being accused of it based on credible evidence.

Sure, Law & Order: SVU had a couple of episodes about Muslim women who were raped and killed because they didn’t subscribe to radical Islam, but guess who was always the culprit? Their Muslim fathers or brothers.

That changed seven seasons ago when O.A. was introduced. He is the first and so far only Middle Eastern-born Muslim character to be a leading man in any show, and he’s also an FBI agent.

His loyalty to the United States is never in doubt. Before becoming a field agent in an office that specializes in counter-terrorism, he served in the Army and did two tours in Iraq that left him with PTSD.

Like so many of our veterans, he has PTSD because of his experiences, though he has kept it under control enough to become one of the best, most trusted agents in the New York Field Office.

We won’t talk about his relationship with Clay on FBI Season 7, which is leading him in the wrong direction because it’s beside the point.

OA is one of the strongest characters who changes the narrative of the division and hatred that encompass the United States and the world.

It’s sad that even within the confines of the fictional FBI on TV, OA sometimes has to prove that he’s equally loyal to his country or equally capable of being objective when the targets of investigations are Muslim extremists.

Still, he defies stereotypes simply by continuing to exist and offers some much-needed representation.

Watch FBI Online

Heartstopper’s Elle Argent Is One Of The Characters Changing The Narrative About Transgender Women Of Color

LGBTQ+ representation on TV is in decline precisely when we need it not to be, and that’s doubly true for the transgender community.

It’s especially important to showcase Black transgender women and other transgender women of color who experience the intersections of transphobia, racism, and misogyny.

I’d like there to be more American transgender people of all races and gender identities on TV, but in the meantime, the UK series Heartstopper‘s Elle is my favorite example of how transgender characters are changing the narrative about who they are.

Elle is a transgender teenager who is mostly accepted as the woman she is.

Throughout Heartstopper’s three seasons, she has grown from a shy loner who was afraid cis girls in her new school wouldn’t accept her to an out and proud transgender artist who has friends both in and outside of the transgender community.

Sometimes, Heartstopper gets criticized for showing LGBTQ+ kids being happy and mostly free of hate-fueled drama, but we need stories like these.

We need characters like Elle who are supported by their parents and friends and who want to be seen as more than a statistic or a label.

Elle sends the message that you CAN be happy if you’re transgender despite all the hate in the world.

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Transgender kids have an unacceptably high suicide rate. They NEED hope. Elle gives it.

Yes, she was upset during Heartstopper Season 3 when a podcast host asked her for an interview about her art and then bombarded her with questions about whether trans girls should be allowed to use the women’s restroom and other transphobic nonsense.

She struggled with that a bit and needed her friends’ help to overcome the depression and keep moving on. But even that was a positive message, showing that in reality, it doesn’t HAVE to be over because of setbacks like this.

Watch Heartstopper Online

Good Trouble’s Davia Moss Explored How Fatphobia Affects Plus-Sized People (And Formerly Plus-Sized People)

Good Trouble is no longer on, but it deserves an honorable mention anyway.

This show did so much good in terms of characters changing the narrative around all sorts of identities. I could fill this list with almost everybody on it.

I chose Davia because there is not enough discussion of plus-sized women and the prejudices they face on TV.

The body-size movement began when Camryn Manheim first came onto the scene as a proudly plus-sized actress who did not intend to lose weight to get roles, but Davia is the most modern example I can think of.

Davia experienced body shaming both as a plus-size person and later when she lost weight.

When formerly plus-sized people become not-so-plus-sized, they experience a different flavor of prejudice, with people constantly telling them how good they look and commenting on their weight loss without knowing the details.

It’s annoying and, in some cases, upsetting if the person loses weight because they have a serious illness that they don’t want to broadcast to the world.

People should not be commenting on others’ body size, period, especially strangers, and Davia demonstrated why that is hurtful whether or not you’re a plus-sized person.

Additionally, she demonstrated that there is a lot more to a person than how big they are or aren’t. She was one of the most well-rounded characters on Good Trouble, with a lot of flaws but a big heart and the intention to help others.

Watch Good Trouble Online

The Irrational’s Alec Mercer Is A Black Role Model And Trauma Survivor

The Irrational is busy offering characters changing the narrative all over the place. It was a hard choice between Alec and his sister, Kylie, who is a strong representative of Black queerness.

Alec is one of my favorite characters in television history for many reasons. I find his commitment to rationality over emotion inspiring and his determination to live his life to the fullest despite the trauma he’s suffered even more so.

I’m also stoked about Alec because he is a Black college professor and consultant to the FBI.

The consultant part has been done before, but we all know that Black men are underrepresented in teaching across the board, on TV, and in reality.

Alec is a successful Black man who teaches and inspires others.

His college classroom is always full, and he uses interesting and creative experiments to make points about neuroscience, which isn’t always the easiest topic to understand.

Alec is also a trauma survivor and is changing the narrative on that, too.

Like many survivors, he is very strong in some areas of his life and not very functional in others.

It’s doubly powerful to have him as a representative of trauma survivorship because he knows the human brain inside and out and understands the ways that he sometimes fails him, yet he is powerless to do anything about it when flashbacks or other aspects of trauma hit him.

Watch The Irrational Online

Found’s Bella Dismantles Stereotypes Around Nonverbal People

Trauma can cause people to become selectively mute. That means that they are unable to speak in some or all situations.

That’s not usually what trauma looks like on TV, but Found is different.

This season contains flashbacks of Bella (who chose the name Lacey as an adult) struggling as a seven-year-old child who had recently escaped Sir’s clutches.

Among other things, Bella does not speak.

I love this story because I am passionate about confronting and eliminating the ableist belief that verbal ability has ANYTHING to do with intelligence or competence.

Bella communicates non-verbally very well.

Her facial expressions and other body language are so perfect that an autistic person like me, who struggles with interpreting body language, knows exactly what she is feeling at any given moment.

She can still read, write, draw, and think. She simply cannot speak.

Bella grows up to be a woman who has reclaimed her voice and refused to lose it again, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is one of a very small number of characters changing the narrative around nonverbal children, if not the only one.

Watch Found Online

Brilliant Minds’ Oliver Wolf Is The Best Of Several Characters Changing The Narrative Around Neurodivergence

There are many more autistic and other neurodivergent characters in TV Land than there used to be, but that doesn’t mean there’s a hell of a lot of accurate representation.

Brilliant Minds‘ Oliver Wolf is the best neurodivergent representative. He is a doctor who is respected by some and seen as a nuisance by others.

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He has face blindness, which is a neurodivergent condition in which a person cannot recognize people by looking at their faces.

This is far different from the usual neurodivergent character. There is a lot more to neurodivergence than autism and ADHD, not that those conditions are generally portrayed properly, either.

Wolf’s neurodivergent traits are carefully interwoven with his past trauma and his fear of intimacy because of that trauma.

That’s also an important distinction because far too many shows are interested in the question of “Will this person succeed even though they are neurodivergent?” rather than showing the character as being more than a diagnosis.

Wolf does double-duty representation-wise because he is also gay.

Neither of these identities is centered to the degree that we lose sight of him as a unique, fascinating individual who has compensated for his difficulties as best as he can to create enormous professional success.

I also appreciate how his sexual orientation and neurodivergence likely contributed to his trauma.

No one could predict his dad’s mental illness and subsequent death, but Wolf would have experienced some trauma even if those things hadn’t happened because of who he is and how he sees the world.

Watch Brilliant Minds Online

Blue Bloods’ Jamie Reagan Demonstrates That Men Can Be Empathetic and Sensitive

At first glance, it might seem strange to choose a Blue Bloods character as an example of changing the narrative.

Blue Bloods skews more conservative on the political spectrum than most shows, so an argument can be made that it changes the narrative around conservatives all being evil and selfish, which is also important in these divided times.

Jamie has always been my favorite, with Henry as a close second. He not only went into police work for the right reasons but is especially good at building rapport with witnesses and suspects.

In the early seasons, Jamie demonstrated more than once that he had a gift for helping talk down people who were having a mental health crisis.

One moment that sticks in my mind is when an autistic man began causing trouble at a store, throwing things around and generally being belligerent, and Jamie was able to peacefully subdue him by using his understanding of the man’s thought processes.

This was a man with limited verbal skills who respected Jamie and wanted to be like him, so Jamie got him to put his hands behind his head by modeling it, and the man cooperated.

He was arrested without the use of force, which would not have happened had Jamie not been there.

Jamie uses this type of sensitivity and empathy on the job all the time, though, in later seasons, he is in a higher position and doesn’t work with the public as much.

His empathy changes the narrative about what it means to be masculine and demonstrates that cops don’t HAVE to be modern-day cowboys.

Watch Blue Bloods Online

Law & Order: Organized Crime’s Jet Slootmaekers Shoots Down Stereotypes About Female Coders

Jet has been my favorite on Law & Order: Organized Crime since it began.

Jet is a computer expert, but she is far from a nerd.

She’s smart, sardonic, and seemingly fearless. She’s a cop and a computer expert, and she knows how to use a gun better than almost anybody.

In short, Jet would fit in on any modern Western… except she also knows computers.

Jet’s one weakness, if you can call it that, is that she struggles in relationships.

That’s understandable. Women who are as bright and assertive as her often have a hard time finding love, and in her case, she’s too afraid of commitment for it to work.

That’s worse in the later seasons because Jet falls hard for two men who die. That’ll screw anyone up.

Still, few female characters change the narrative of what women in traditionally masculine careers are like as much as Jet does.

Watch Law & Order: Organized Crime Online

Homicide: Life On The Street’s Tim Bayliss Is Still One of The Best Representatives of Bisexual Men 30 Years Later

Look, this might be an old show, but Homicide: Life on The Street is on Peacock, so you can still watch it.

It also has the first bisexual male character on TV. Starting with Homicide: Life On The Street Season 6, Bayliss explored his sexuality after realizing he was attracted to a male suspect.

Bayliss tried dating both men and women, struggled with the question of whether he was straight or gay, and ultimately concluded he was neither.

That was radical then and equally radical today when we still have people insisting that bi characters are really in-the-closet gay characters.

Homicide’s final season wasn’t worth watching in most respects, but Bayliss’s determination to be openly bisexual, even though the police department thought that was “unprofessional,” made up for a lot of other non-interesting stories.

Watch Homicide: Life On The Street Online

Chicago Med’s Hannah Asher Changes The Narrative On Drug Addiction

Drug addiction stories are a dime a dozen on TV.

Far too often, though, it’s treated in a stereotypical manner. Whether someone is addicted to alcohol or hard drugs, the most popular storyline for them is the relapse story, followed by the overzealous AA meeting attendee story.

Addiction is a far more complicated issue than that, but you wouldn’t know it from most TV shows.

Chicago Med‘s Hannah Asher is different.

Hannah recently went through something that could have easily triggered a relapse.

She lost a patient soon after the baby was delivered and blamed herself. Guilt, shame, and pain are powerful emotions that often drive people back toward addictive behavior.

Add in the fact that Hannah’s relationship with her new boyfriend was falling apart, and there was a chance she could lose her job because Lenox thought that it was unnecessary to employ a full-time OBGYN, and you have a recipe for spiraling out of control.

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However, Hannah didn’t relapse. There aren’t any better examples of characters changing the narrative around addiction than that!

Hannah’s addiction is part of who she is but doesn’t define her, and unlike most of the people with addiction issues on TV, she is self-aware enough to realize when she’s at risk and take action to protect herself.

That makes her a role model and dismantles the stereotype that relapses “just happen” and nobody can do anything to prevent them.

Watch Chicago Med Online

Georgie And Mandy’s First Marriage’s Georgie Cooper Dismantles Stereotypes About Country Boys In An Interesting Way

Throughout Young Sheldon, Georgie was depicted as the “stupid” (or at least ignorant) brother.

However, there is a lot more to Georgie than that, and now that he’s gotten his own show (Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage), it’s easier to see.

Georgie was never book-smart. School wasn’t his thing.

But he has a head for business and is gifted mechanically, skills that were never emphasized when he was growing up in the shadow of his younger brother.

We need characters to change the narrative of what intelligence is.

There are many kids who fall through the cracks because they would shine in trade schools or in the arts but are not academically minded.

This doesn’t mean that people don’t need to learn the basics, but not everyone needs advanced degrees, and that should be okay.

As a bonus, Georgie’s intelligence in areas other than academics also dismantles the idea that Southerners, particularly Southern men, are all idiots, which can only be a good thing in this overly divided country.

Watch Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage Online

Over to you, TV fanatics!

Who are some of your favorite characters who are changing the narrative about various groups of people?

Hit the comments with your thoughts!

The post How TV Is Breaking Stereotypes: 11 Characters Changing the Narrative appeared first on TV Fanatic.

It’s been a long wait. But the good news is that Heartstopper Season 3 is finally here!

The bad news is that if you binged all eight episodes in one or two days like I did, now you’re left with no new episodes AGAIN.

This season had its ups and downs (mostly ups), but the worst part is how quickly it goes by.

Heartstopper Season 3 Was The Most Coming-of-Age Season Yet

Many Characters Dealt With Tough Issues While Speeding Toward Adulthood

Heartstopper has always been a coming-of-age series, but that has never been clearer than this season.

The season opened three weeks before the next school term, and within eight episodes, Nick, Elle, Tara, and Darcy were considering whether they wanted to go to universities far away from home.

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Meanwhile, Charlie and Nick faced their most serious challenge when Charlie’s eating disorder and self-harming behaviors spiraled more and more out of control, and Nick was left helpless to protect him from himself.

This moving mental health story was done better than almost any I’ve ever seen, even if it did move at lightning speed.

I would have liked to have experienced more of Charlie’s treatment at the clinic, but the way his experience was depicted was so brilliant that I can excuse that.

Nick and Charlie had wildly different perspectives about Charlie’s time away, with Charlie’s depression and low self-esteem convincing him in the beginning that Nick was better off without him, while Nick was left to worry about Charlie and wish he knew what was happening with him.

Charlie: So I have anorexia and OCD.

Nick: Oh.

Charlie: Yeah, so there’s really no unawkward way to say that.

I diagnosed Charlie’s OCD before he did, which is a testament to how realistically the show depicted his mental health challenges.

Teen dramas often focus on mental health storylines, but never quite like this. Often, they fall into tired TV tropes that are less inspiring than the writers mean them to be, but not this time.

I especially appreciated how Heartstopper Season 3 gave equal time to how the label of “mental illness” affected Charlie and how loving someone with a mental health condition affected Nick.

It was especially difficult for Nick to accept that he couldn’t help Charlie.

His Aunt Diana was the perfect stand-in for his mother since Olivia Colman wasn’t available to film this season, but Aunt Diana’s advice was hard for him to take.

He didn’t know how to let go of Charlie and ended up stuck in the middle when others in their peer group wanted to know why Charlie wasn’t at school.

Meanwhile, Charlie had to deal with insensitive questions and comments when he returned from the clinic, which is a part of dealing with mental illness that is not often addressed on television.

Nick and Charlie could have easily split up for the sake of drama because of Charlie’s mental health issues, but instead they pushed forward together as best as they could.

This is the type of uplifting mental health issue that viewers who have mental health challenges of their own need to hear.

That was one of the strongest things about Heartstopper Season 3.

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The heavy issues — and Charlie’s eating disorder was not the only serious subject the teens grappled with — didn’t drag the show down into dark or depressing territory.

Instead, they were part of the show’s fabric. It was still uplifting and positive while also addressing the real stressors that LGBTQ+ teens often face.

Heartstopper has been criticized in the past for being too much of a fluffy fantasy, especially by older LGBTQ+ folk who weren’t able to be out to the world as teens without getting beaten up or worse.

This has never been a fair criticism because Heartstopper has always included some of the ways life is tough for LGBTQ+ kids.

Charlie was outed without his permission and bullied for being gay before he met Nick, and Darcy’s mother kicked them out of the house for being a lesbian.

Even though the rest of Nick’s family was accepting of his bisexuality, his brother had to be an asshole about it.

Heartstopper Season 3 dove more deeply into the painful parts of queer youth life than ever before, but maintained its core positivity.

Charlie: I feel like I’ve still got a long way to go.

Geoff: You’ve had trauma, Charlie. It’s to be expected.

Charlie: Yeah but I don’t want to feel like I’m defined by the fact that I was bullied at 14 and had one toxic ex-boyfriend.

Geoff: Trauma doesn’t define you. But it also doesn’t vanish in five minutes, so give yourself some grace.

That’s the type of LGBTQ+ representation that we rarely have on television.

Heartstopper doesn’t ignore difficult issues, but its message is that it’s possible to be happy and be queer, whether or not you’re dealing with discrimination or bullying.

That’s a powerful message, and Geoff delivered it often to Charlie.

My favorite part was when he told Charlie that Charlie had more self-confidence than he realized, pointing out that he initiated things with Nick despite not even knowing if Nick was open to a same-sex relationship.

Heartstopper Season 3 Was About More Than Mental Illness

Letting Go Was A Major Theme

Charlie and Nick had a beautiful arc this season.

They were extremely co-dependent during Episode 1, with Charlie not being able to deal with Nick being away for three weeks and Nick feeling responsible for Charlie’s mental health while visiting Aunt Diana.

It wasn’t an obsessive love story, but it was unhealthy.

Interestingly, Charlie outgrew that pattern before Nick did.

Nick was prepared to throw away his opportunity to go to his dream school because it was four hours away from where Charlie lived, and he didn’t think Charlie could handle that.

That’s why one of Heartstopper Season 3’s final scenes was so moving.

Charlie not only survived playing at the concert without Nick but also practiced leaning on others instead of making Nick his whole world.

Nick learned that, to his surprise, Charlie could function well without him, which would free him from going to Leeds if he were accepted at the university there.

Charlie’s Story Was An Interesting Parallel With Tao’s

Tao Also Struggled To Let Go Of Elle

Tao used to be annoying because he was so clingy with Charlie that he couldn’t resist criticizing Nick at every turn.

Fortunately, that was long gone by Heartstopper Season 3, but Tao merely switched his over-attention to Elle, who had to reassure him that her going to Lambert wouldn’t lead to the end of their relationship.

I’m not sure Tao learned anything since he’s been clingy since the first episode of Heartstopper, but at least he didn’t outwardly freak out when Elle said she wanted to go to school in Berlin or Paris.

He was also surprisingly supportive when Elle was struggling with depression after that horrific interview, which is the kind of allyship transgender kids need to know is possible.

These kinds of important stories are so much better than the love triangles that ruin friendships in most teen dramas!

Elle Dealt With Transphobia For The First Time

This Was An Important Story Arc That Was Different From The Past

Elle got a bigger story on Heartstopper Season 3 than she has in the past, and I was here for it.

Her radio interview didn’t go in the direction I thought it would, and that was what the problem was: she didn’t think it would go there either.

As a transgender author, I’ve done many interviews on podcasts where the interviewer lets me know ahead of time they’d like to ask about trans issues and gets my consent. I never mind doing it, but I appreciate that they ask.

Elle wasn’t given that courtesy, and I was crushed right along with her when the interview devolved into demanding that a 17-year-old trans girl correct misconceptions about transgender people when she wasn’t expecting to discuss these issues.

Katy: Last week we had a feminist speaker on who talked about the importance of same-sex spaces. I think it’s important to hear from all voices. I’d love to get your thoughts on the debate.

Elle: Trans people aren’t a debate. We’re human beings.

For Elle, it felt like transphobic tropes were being thrown in her face over and over, and she was expected to defend her right to exist.

She had been nervous but excited about being chosen to be interviewed because of her art.

Then it turned out to be a nasty bait-and-switch where she was only valued because she’s transgender and can provide a “controversial” point of view for the audience to disagree with.

I wish Elle had been able to stand up for herself and other transgender people on the air — those lies and misconceptions about transgender women and girls trying to invade female-only spaces needed to be debunked.

But it’s a lot to ask of anybody, especially a shy teenager who wasn’t expecting to talk about such things, and I totally understood why Elle left the interview rather than deal with it.

Unfortunately, fending off these kinds of obnoxious “questions” is part and parcel of being transgender, and even well-meaning people do it.

But Heartstopper Season 3 didn’t stop there. Elle was depressed and afraid her cisgender boyfriend couldn’t understand, but she worked through it, allowed him to support her, and got back to doing her art.

That victory couldn’t be sweeter.

Some Stories Needed More Time Than They Got

Tara And Darcy Deserved More Screen Time On Heartstopper Season 3

There were a lot of strong stories on Heartstopper Season 3, but some of them were too rushed.

I was especially disappointed that Tara and Darcy didn’t get more time.

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The plot twist of Darcy coming out as non-binary deserved more than a quick mention, and Tara reassured Darcy that it didn’t change anything between them.

Kizzy Edgell (Darcy) recently came out as transmasculine, which means they are non-binary but also comfortable with he/him pronouns. I was looking forward to Darcy possibly having a similar journey, but it was barely mentioned.

Tara’s storyline was even more rushed. After Tara became a prefect, we got some hints that she was overwhelmed and unhappy, but it wasn’t a full story.

Other than walking away from some younger kids who tried to bother her at a party and having a panic attack when everyone was talking about their future plans, we had no on-screen scenes featuring Tara’s struggles.

We didn’t go on the journey with her, so her decision not to go to Oxford was far less impactful.

Similarly, it was hard to care whether Tori and Michael figured out what they wanted to be to each other when we only had bits and pieces of their relationship.

Michael was an underdeveloped member of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast who was always around but had no real story.

However, it was nice that Charlie had grown up enough to be the one to give him and Tori advice instead of the other way around.

Isaac’s asexuality was also an interesting story. I’m demisexual, and there’s not a lot of representation of people like me on TV.

That story, at least, started out well. I was irritated with everyone taking Isaac for granted, and Tao’s assumption that Isaac was upset that he didn’t have a partner, too, was beyond annoying.

But it fizzled out after the beautiful scene at the aquarium where Isaac talked about his asexuality in terms of how the fish might feel.

The most disappointing aspect of Heartstopper Season 3 was the lack of school scenes, other than the kids getting their GCSE results and a couple of throwaway scenes with Misters Ajayi and Farouk.

In a teen drama, the focus should be on the teens, not the teachers, but it seemed pointless for these two to get together and then barely have any scenes.

Additionally, Farouk seemed to have a far softer personality, perhaps as a result of his new relationship with Ajayi, but since it wasn’t explained, it was jarring.

The lack of school scenes might also have demonstrated that the teens were growing up. School was no longer as important as it was when they were younger.

Some of these stories were underdeveloped because Heartstopper Season 3 only had eight episodes to work with, each about half an hour long.

That’s why these eight episodes flew by, leaving me wanting more even though the final scenes were a fine place to end if Netflix doesn’t renew Heartstopper for Season 4.

Over to you, Heartstopper fanatics!

With so much going on, I’m bound to have said less about your favorite story than you wanted, so hit the comments with your thoughts, and let’s start a discussion.

Watch Heartstopper Online

The post Heartstopper Season 3 Handles Heavy Topics Without Sacrificing Its Uplifting Nature appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Great news: The Heartstopper Season 3 cast includes most of the characters we’ve grown to love.

There are a few exceptions, of course: Sarah (Olivia Colman) will not be back because of scheduling conflicts, and Ben’s (Sebastian Croft) storyline came to an end.

With the feel-good LGBTQ+ series’ third season getting ready to debut on Netflix on October 3, 2024, there’s no time like the present to refresh your memory about who’s who and what they’re up to.

Charlie Spring

Joe Locke

Unsurprisingly, Charlie will again be part of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast, as the series is centered around him and his relationship with Nick.

There are other characters and couples, but there would be no show without Charlie.

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Over the past two seasons, he’s grown from being so insecure about his identity as a gay teenager that he accepted a secret relationship with a guy who treated him like dirt to openly loving Nick.

Season 3 promises a moving mental health storyline for Charlie.

Throughout Season 2, he struggled with an eating disorder, failing to eat while in Paris for so long that he passed out, and if the series follows the storyline in the graphic novels, it will likely get worse.

Locke’s version of Charlie is so relatable that I often want to reach through the TV to give him a hug, yet the star never had any acting experience before landing the role in 2021.

It’s even more impressive considering he beat out 10,000 other actors to play Charlie.

Locke’s career will go far, and he’s already had some success beyond Heartstopper.

Between seasons, US fans of the British series flocked to New York City to see him in Sweeney Todd on Broadway.

Locke also was recently cast in 2024’s Wandavision spinoff, Agatha All Along, which will stream on Disney+ starting in September.

Nick Nelson

Kit Connor

Nick Nelson is the kind of guy that everyone who has ever been a high school student dreams of dating.

He’s not only a star athlete, but he’s genuinely kind, almost to a fault.

Did anyone else want to shake him when he almost got stuck in an absurd love triangle because he was afraid of breaking Imogen’s heart during Season 1?

Fortunately, that’s all behind us now.

Nick will be part of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast, and this time he will have the opportunity to demonstrate how supportive he can be while Charlie works through his mental health issues.

Kit Connor is already an accomplished actor despite being only 20 years old.

His first leading role came at the age of eight, when he played Tom in the movie Get Santa, and he’s also well known for playing a young Elton John in 2019’s Rocketman.

Nick is one of his most popular roles because it’s one of the few examples of positive LGBTQ+ representation in recent months.

Ironically, he first learned about Heartstopper when his sister introduced him to the comics.

Tao Xu

William Gao

Tao was a character who had to grow on me.

During Heartstopper Season 1, he was mostly annoying, as he kept trying to convince Charlie that Nick was straight and not worth Charlie’s time.

He seemed to check off every tired TV trope about jealous best friends, even if his bestie being gay was a unique twist.

Tao’s grown a lot since then, having admitted his fear of losing Charlie and now being willing to openly declare his love for Elle, who is trans.

Heartstopper wouldn’t be the same without him.

Fortunately, Tao is returning as part of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast.

Outside of Heartstopper, William Gao is best known for his role in the 2024 movie Sunrise, a thriller which also stars Neighbours alum and well-known actor Guy Pearce.

Gao is also a musician who is part of a band called Wasia Project, as is his sister, Olivia.

Heartstopper fans have heard his music before, as his band’s song “You’re So Pretty” was featured in an episode of the series.

Elle Argent

Yasmin Finney

Full disclosure: Elle is my favorite character, and I’m a huge fan of the actress who plays her, too, after discovering her on Doctor Who.

Elle is a friend of Charlie and Tao who attended a girls’ grammar school after transitioning shortly before the Season 1 premiere.

I’m always up for more transgender representation, especially when it involves actors who are part of the community.

She will again be part of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast, where she is now attending an arts-focused college.

This is an interesting development for Elle’s character.

She’s finally doing exactly what she has dreamed of doing, not letting anything or anyone hold her back.

However, her school situation separates her from her friend group, especially Tao, who she just started dating.

Yasmin Finney is an openly transgender actor who enjoys showing her audience that it is possible to live happily and authentically as a transgender person.

I first discovered her as Doctor Who’s Rose Noble, a transgender teenager who was fortunate enough to have the full support of her mother, the Doctor’s companion Donna, and who was eager to explore new worlds.

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Rose is a very different character from Elle, who rocks the innocent, naive schoolgirl persona, while Rose has an adventurous, bold spirit that her mother is constantly trying to reign in.

FInney’s own joy in being herself shines through in both roles.

My favorite scene in all of Heartstopper is when Elle was dancing at the art exhibition, as her happiness shined through.

Tara Jones

Corinne Brown

Elle never expected Tara to become one of her best friends when they first met.

During Season 1, Elle was too shy to talk to anyone in school and expected to be rejected because she was trans.

She soon learned that Tara was gay and was there to support the beginning of Tara’s relationship with Darcy.

Tara and Darcy almost split up because of Darcy’s homophobic mother interfering with Darcy going to prom, but that turned out to be for the sake of drama, as Darcy explained her mother’s abusive behavior, and Tara forgave her.

Tara will be part of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast, so there will probably be more to come in her and Darcy’s story, even if Tara goes it alone or finds a new girlfriend.

Outside of Heartstopper, Corrine Brown is best known for the 15-minute short Essex Girls, which focuses on Black British girlhood.

She also starred in 2023’s The Kitchen, a Netflix film about a dystopian future where social housing has been eliminated and one brave community refuses to abandon their home.

Recently, she also appeared on the British soap The Doctors.

Brown has been interested in acting since childhood and performed with the Royal Academy Dramatic Youth Company before landing her first part on BBC Three’s My Murder in 2012.

Darcy Olsson

Kizzy Edgell

Darcy, Elle’s other best friend and Tara’s girlfriend, has a complicated life.

Initially, Darcy had to be patient with Tara, who didn’t want to post about their relationship on Instagram or be out to anyone but a few close friends.

At school, Darcy was not only out and proud but stood up to homophobic bullies, but at home, she had to hide who she was because of her mother.

Although it’s not confirmed, it’s possible that Darcy will come out as non-binary when returning as part of the Heartstopper season 3 cast, adding to the series’ queer joy.

Like Joe Locke, Kizzy Edgell made their debut on Heartstopper.

Edgell is non-binary, and in 2023 he came out as transmasculine.

This means that while Edgell is clear that they are not female, but don’t fully identify as male.

Thus, Edgell uses both he and they pronouns.

However, during the first two seasons, Darcy identified as female, and though there are rumors, there has been no confirmation yet about whether Darcy will also come out as non-binary.

Edgell has not appeared in any other roles yet.

They studied psychology before getting the role on Heartstopper.

Isaac Henderson

Tobie Donovan

Isaac is often on the edge of the friend group.

Charlie, Tao, and Tara all are partnered up, while he is not.

Part of the reason for that is that Isaac is asexual, something that I hope the series explores since he is a member of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast.

There is not nearly enough asexual representation on TV, and it’s especially hard for boys who do not experience sexual attraction because of societal expectations that teenage boys and men should be hypersexual.

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It isn’t clear yet whether Isaac is aromantic (uninterested in any romance at all) or interested in romance without sex.

It would be great representation for him to develop a platonic relationship that is as emotionally close as his friends’ romantic partnerships.

Tobie Donovan originally intended to be a theatre actor, but took advantage of the opportunity when Heartstopper came along.

He is also well-known as a vlogger, and during the first season of Heartstopper, he created a behind-the-scenes vlog to show his fans how the show was filmed.

Kit Connor gave him a camera so he could continue his vlog, and he reached 100k subscribers in 2022, which earned him a Silver Play Youtube Creator Award.

Imogen Heaney

Rhea Norwood

I was surprised that Imogen was part of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast because there didn’t seem to be much further for her story to go.

During Season 1, Imogen crushed hard on Nick, and was devastated when he broke up with her so that he could explore his feelings for Charlie.

In Season 2, she began dating Ben, who had abused Charlie, and was angry that Nick tried to warn her away from Ben, fueling plenty of teen drama until she eventually learned what Ben was all about.

Ben is no longer part of the series, so Imogen will have to deal with any further fallout from his nonsense on her own, but at least we won’t have to deal with an obsessive love story!

She is a valued member of the friend group, so hopefully, she’ll find some real happiness now and have a worthwhile story.

Norwood was another actress who landed her first major role on Heartstopper.

She originally auditioned as Darcy before landing the role as Imogen.

However, her role as Imogen has already led her to several other roles, most notably as Alice in the BBC drama Consent in 2022.

She also starred in a theatre production of Cabaret as Sally Bowles, which she has said was a lifelong dream of hers.

Norwood is open about the fact that she has Type 1 diabetes, hoping to educate and empower others who have the condition.

Who Else May Be Part of the Heartstopper Season 3 Cast?

There Are Several Guest Stars Or Recurring Characters Coming Up

There are several other characters expected to be part of the Heartstopper Season 3 cast:

• Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid, another classmate of Elle, Darcy, and Tara
• Jenny Walser as Tori Spring, Charlie’s older sister
• Darragh Hand as Michael Holden, a new character who will have scenes with Tori
• Bridgerton‘s Jonathan Bailey as Jack Maddox, an Internet celebrity Charlie has a crush on
• Hayley Atwell as Nick’s aunt
• Eddie Marsan as Charlie’s therapist

Although not confirmed, it’s also possible that Jack Barton will be back as Nick’s annoying brother David, Thibault de Montalembert will reprise his role as Nick’s dad, Bel Priestley

It’s also likely that Ash Self will return as Elle’s new friends Naomi and Felix, Bradley Riches will be back as James (a student who had a crush on Isaac), and Nima Taleghani will return as Mr. Farouk.

Which of these characters do you hope come back? Who are you most looking forward to seeing?

Hit the comments and let us know!

Heartstopper Season 3 will drop on Netflix on October 3, 2024.

The post Heartstopper Season 3 Cast and Character Guide appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Most of us agree that watching others’ high school experiences on the small screen provides a unique form of nostalgia and often even catharsis.

That’s why we at TV Fanatic want to share our favorite shows that help us revisit our high school years.

Beverly Hills, 90210 (Paramount+)

If “Donna Martin Graduates!” and chowing down on pies and burgers at the Peach Pit mean anything to you, you already know there was something incredibly special about Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000).

The show about twin teens relocating from Minnesota to Beverly Hills and dealing with culture shock was so popular that it launched multiple spinoffs and reboots, including BH 90210 (2019), and inspired all the teen dramas that have come since.

Early on, it was obvious that this FOX show was setting out to give us a real look at teenage life and thus let us relive high school in a new and more in-depth way than any shows that came before it.

Related: The 10 Best Reboots We’ve Ever Seen

We went through it all with the gang from Beverly Hills, 90210, from Dylan (Luke Perry) as an alcoholic with abandonment issues to Steve (Ian Ziering) and his infamous legacy key shenanigans.

The core group of friends changed slightly over the years, but the concept remained unchanged. Their lives were often complicated, dramatic, and frequently unbelievable, but their friendships held them together through it all.

They buried a time capsule in one episode, but they also became a time capsule themselves, and rewatching their decade-long adventures is like stepping through a mirror back into our younger selves for those of us who grew up in the ’90s.

Dawson’s Creek (Hulu)

Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003), at its core, was a tale of two loves. Well, more loves than that, but two central loves.

There was the love between Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) and childhood buddy Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek), and then there was the love between Joey and Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson), which came later.

The high school love triangle made us all hold our breath. For five years, we wondered whether Joey would choose Pacey, Dawson, or neither.

Meanwhile, the show also gave us one of the most monumental moments in TV history when Jack and Ethan, as a gay couple, shared a romantic kiss and many other great moments.

It may have been more than a bit whitewashed, and it has taken flack for this over the years. However, it still did a great job in other areas, such as candidly covering subjects like inappropriate student-teacher relations, religious disagreements, and parental affairs.

The original Paula Cole theme song for the show was right. We didn’t want to wait for our lives to be over. We wanted to relive high school right then and watch Joey, Pacey, and the rest of the gangs’ lives unfold.

Saved By the Bell (Roku)

Strictly speaking, we first got to know Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) on Disney when he appeared on the series Good Morning Miss Bliss in 1988. The show was moved to NBC, rebranded Saved By the Bell the next year, and finished its original run in 1992.

Regardless of what it was called, Zack and his friends were unforgettable from day one, with their totally ’80s/’90s fashions, quirky personalities, and weekly zany antics.

But Zack’s constant attempts to outwit Principal Belding (Dennis Haskins) often made for the most laughs.

Related: 17 TV Characters That Make Us LOL

From subliminal advertising techniques to stealing spaghetti sauce recipes, Zack was always out to avoid school work while preferably making easy money.

The show was just funny, and it gave us a break from our own high school lives.

After the original came The College Years and The New Class, Saved By the Bell movies, and eventually the Peacock reboot (2020-2021), but the first series was really the best.

Boy Meets World (Disney+)

The ’90s brought us many funny sitcoms, and Boy Meets World (1993-2000) was one of them.

The show about a high school kid making his way into adulthood with his friends and family backing him up was downright cheesy at times.

Yet, it perfectly captured the relationship between students and “that one teacher” many of us have in life who is more of a life guide.

Mr. Feeney (William Daniels) was clearly not in it for the paycheck. He almost became an extra dad to the Boy Meets World crew, especially Corey and Shawn (Ben Savage and Rider Strong).

If you had your own Feeney, Boy Meets World is one of those shows about high school that will definitely tug at your heart and bring fond memories flooding back.

That’s why fans of the show were so excited to see Corey back again and taking on a semi-Feeney-like role on Girl Meets World (2014-2017).

Switched at Birth (Hulu)

Few high school shows have weirder twists than Switched at Birth (2011-2017).

What happens when you find out you were switched at birth, move in with your biological family, have to find a way to get along with the girl who took your place for years, and, oh yeah, you’re deaf?

That’s the question it asked, as it fed our appetites for romantic kisses and teen drama while imparting lessons about deaf culture to help us learn what deaf teens have to deal with daily.

Related: 23 Best First Kisses of All Time

We were even treated to two high schools full of drama for the price of one.

Daphne (Katie Leclerc) attended Carlton School for the Deaf, but Bay (Vanessa Marano) went to Buckner Hall, at least until Daphne’s birth parents decided to try enrolling her in classes at Buckner, too.

Later, the tables were turned when both girls wound up at Carlton.

For us hearing fans of the show, we still related because we knew exactly what it was like to be teens and have curveballs thrown at you all the time, just not those exact curveballs.

Riverdale (Netflix)

Almost 30 years after the premiere of Beverly Hills, 90210 came Riverdale (2017-2023), which coincidentally also starred Luke Perry until his untimely death in 2019.

For original 90210 fans, his presence on Riverdale definitely brought back the high school nostalgia, but that’s far from all the show has going for it.

Riverdale is fun to watch for all ages because it has touches of style from different decades, combining past and present.

Pops’ Chock’lit Shoppe, for example, has a ’50s diner vibe and feels like a direct nod to 90210’s Peach Pit diner.

Watching Riverdale makes it feel like viewers are actually walking the high school halls with its teen characters.

If the high school nostalgia factor isn’t enough, Riverdale also brings the spook with its intriguing and often creepy mysteries.

The O.C. (Hulu)

It’s time to listen to some great live tunes at The Crab Shack because we’re moving on to The O.C (2003-2007).

Dawson’s Creek was ending just as this little gem about the teens of Newport Beach was kicking off, but there were some parallels between the two.

The O.C. is yet another show from before smart technology was all the rage, which gives it a nostalgia factor of about 5,000 for many of us who grew up in the good old analog days.

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Occasional out-of-control storylines, like Luke (Chris Carmack) sleeping with Marissa’s (Mischa Barton) mom, aside, the teens on the show could be a little pretentious, but they were always relatable.

They got each other through classism, academic stress, bullying, and a whole lot more.

The O.C. also did a great job of portraying parents on the show, making it enjoyable for both teens and adults to watch at the time and allowing many of us to rewatch it fondly with both perspectives in mind.

School Spirits (Paramount+)

School Spirits (2023-present) is a thrilling supernatural drama that combines high school angst with ghostly mysteries. 

The show follows Maddie, a teenager who becomes a ghost after a tragic accident at school, and now she must unravel the secrets surrounding her death.

As she navigates the afterlife, she discovers that her school is teeming with spirits, each with their own unfinished business.

The series cleverly intertwines typical high school drama with eerie, otherworldly twists, making School Spirits captivating to watch.

The Summer I Turned Pretty (Prime Video)

Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022-present) is a coming-of-age romance that beautifully encapsulates the bittersweetness of teenage summers.

Based on Jenny Han’s beloved novel, the series follows Belly, a young girl who finds herself caught in a love triangle with two brothers during her annual summer vacation.

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The show explores themes of first love, friendship, and the emotional complexities of growing up.

With its sun-soaked setting and heartfelt storytelling, it perfectly evokes the fleeting, transformative magic of high school summers.

Derry Girls (Netflix)

Derry Girls (2018-2022) is a hilarious and heartwarming UK series set in the 1990s amidst political unrest in Northern Ireland.

The show centers around a group of teenage girls (and one boy) navigating the trials and tribulations of adolescence in the city of Derry. 

With its sharp wit and nostalgic charm, Derry Girls brilliantly captures the essence of high school life while also shedding light on a unique historical context. 

The characters’ relatable struggles and antics make it a delightful and poignant trip down memory lane.

Heartstopper (Netflix)

Heartstopper (2022-present) on Netflix is a tender and uplifting series that follows the blossoming romance between two British teenagers, Charlie and Nick. 

Adapted from Alice Oseman’s graphic novels, the show deftly portrays the nuances of teenage love and identity. 

Related: LGBTQ+ Relationships That Still Give Us Butterflies

Through its sincere and authentic storytelling, Heartstopper captures the joys and challenges of coming out and finding acceptance among friends and family.

The series’ endearing characters and heartfelt moments make it a heartwarming celebration of young love.

Gossip Girl (Tubi)

While it depicted the Upper East Side and rich snobs, Gossip Girl (2007-2012) excelled at tackling many teen issues, including eating disorders, drug addiction, LGBTQ+ and coming out, and dysfunctional families.

There were many couples to root for, but at the heart of Gossip Gil was the non-judging Breakfast Club.

It didn’t matter what Blair, Serena, Nate, and Chuck went through.

They always came through for each other in the end.

The fan wars of Dan and Serena vs. Dan and Blair vs. Chuck and Blair also kept social media and YouTube entertaining for years.

Elite (Netflix)

Netflix’s Elite (2018-2024) is a thrilling Spanish series that takes high school drama to a whole new level of intrigue and suspense. 

Set in an exclusive private school, the show follows the lives of students from different social backgrounds whose worlds collide in unexpected and often dangerous ways.

Related: We Didn’t Ship These Couples the Second Time Around

With its mix of mystery, scandal, and teen romance, Elite delves into issues of class, privilege, and the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface of teenage life. 

The series keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with its captivating plot twists and complex characters.

Never Have I Ever (Netflix)

Never Have I Ever (2020-2023) on Netflix is a refreshing and funny coming-of-age series created by Mindy Kaling.

The show centers around Devi, a first-generation Indian-American teenager, as she navigates the ups and downs of high school while dealing with the recent loss of her father. 

Through Devi’s hilarious and often cringe-worthy attempts to improve her social standing, the series explores themes of identity, grief, and the immigrant experience.

With its sharp humor and heartfelt moments, Never Have I Ever offers a relatable and entertaining glimpse into the trials of teenage life.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (Hulu)

This Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008-2013) was one of the first shows to focus heavily on teen pregnancy, with not one but two couples in very different storylines.

Amy and Ricky became parents very young and originally co-parented before falling in love.

Related: 23 Epic TV Couples Who Define True Love

Ben and Adrian became pregnant from a one-night stand, almost got an abortion, and fell in love during her pregnancy.

When Adrian had a miscarriage, it almost destroyed them.

Still, Pregnancy wasn’t the only important aspect of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

A lot of it was about wanting to be a normal teenager and the many obstacles that often get in the way.

Pretty Little Liars (Hulu)

Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017) is a gripping mystery thriller that captivated audiences with its twists and turns.

The show revolves around a group of high school friends whose lives are turned upside down when their leader, Alison, goes missing.

Then, they start receiving ominous messages from a mysterious figure called “A.”

As they dig deeper into Alison’s disappearance and the secrets they each harbor, the girls must navigate the complexities of adolescence while trying to unmask their tormentor.

With its blend of suspense, drama, and high-stakes intrigue, Pretty Little Liars became a cultural phenomenon.

Veronica Mars (Hulu)

Veronica Mars (2004-2007) is a smart and snappy series that blends high school drama with noir detective intrigue.

Kristen Bell stars as Veronica Mars, a sharp-witted teen private investigator who balances solving mysteries with the everyday challenges of high school life in the fictional town of Neptune.

Related: Nine Mysteries We Should Have Been Able to Solve

The series tackles issues of class, corruption, and justice, all while maintaining a clever and engaging tone.

With its compelling characters and intricate plotlines, Veronica Mars has earned a devoted fanbase and critical acclaim. It even earned a 2019 reboot on Hulu.

Friday Night Lights (Hulu)

When the Taylors move to Dillon, Texas, Coah Eric Taylor and his wife, Tami, become fixtures in his players’ lives on Friday Night Lights (2006-2011).

Right after head quarterback Jason Street becomes injured in the series premiere, everyone’s lives change forever.

Coach Taylor has to train a new quarterback, a rookie, Matt Saracen, who has a crush on his daughter, Julie.

Jason soon learns his girlfriend, Lyla Garrity, stays with him out of pity and is in love with his best friend, Tim Riggins.

That only scratched the surface of the drama as relationships are tested through teenage angst and family estrangement.

The Fosters (Hulu)

The Fosters (2013-2018) is a heartfelt and socially conscious drama about the diverse Foster family, led by same-sex couple Stef and Lena.

The series explores the complexities of foster care and adoption as Stef and Lena raise their biological, adopted, and foster children in a loving but often tumultuous household.

Related: 27 Shows That Will Warm Your Cold, Dead Heart!

Through its nuanced storytelling, The Fosters addresses important themes such as identity, belonging, and the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ families.

The show’s powerful performances and genuine emotional depth make it a poignant and impactful portrayal of modern family life.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Hulu)

Buffy Summers battles vampires by night, but by day, she’s just like us: navigating the hellish halls of high school.

Between slaying demons and dodging pop quizzes, her struggle to fit in and find her tribe captures the ultimate high school experience.

Plus, who hasn’t felt like their principal might secretly be an evil overlord?

Freaks and Geeks (Pluto)

Set in the ’80s, this cult classic dives into the turbulent world of high school cliques.

Whether you’re a freak or a geek, the show’s honest portrayal of teen awkwardness, rebellion, and the quest for identity is painfully, hilariously relatable.

Related: 57 TV Schools That Made the Grade

From dealing with bullies to awkward dances, it’s a nostalgic trip to our own adolescent dramas.

Everything Sucks (Netflix)

This ’90s throwback series hits us right in the feels with its spot-on depiction of teenage life in the age of VHS tapes and grunge music.

Everything Sucks is all about awkward crushes, misfit friends, and the universal struggle of trying to be cool when you’re anything but.

Remember the days when everything felt like the end of the world?

Yeah, it’s like that.

My So-Called Life (Hulu)

Angela Chase’s introspective journey through high school is a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the teenage soul.

The show tackles first loves, identity crises, and the complex dynamics of friendships and family.

Related: 17 Teens from the ’90s Who STILL Rule the School

It’s the perfect reflection of how every emotion felt monumental, and every moment was a defining one during those formative years.

Teen Wolf (Prime Video)

High school is already a jungle, but add werewolf transformations and supernatural threats, and you’ve got Scott McCall’s life.

Balancing lacrosse practice, teenage romance, and full moons, Teen Wolf is a metaphor for the wild, unpredictable ride of adolescence where every day feels like a battle to survive.

While it’s a supernatural show at its core, without the stress of teen life and walking the hallowed halls of high school, the series would have been an entirely different entity.

Euphoria (Max)

A gritty, modern take on high school life, Euphoria delves deep into the dark, unspoken realities of teenage existence.

It’s a whirlwind of intense emotions, risky decisions, and the constant search for identity and belonging.

Related: 13 Romances Ruined By Age

With its raw portrayal of high school struggles, it reminds us how every experience, good or bad, shapes who we are.

We all have our own favorite shows that take us back to our teenage years. Maybe yours is on this list, and maybe it isn’t.

We’d love to know, so be sure to tell us in the comments.

Perhaps we’ve even introduced you to some shows you aren’t familiar with that might bring the teenage nostalgia flooding back for you.

If so, you can watch them and enjoy a brand-new way to take a mental trip back to high school.

The post The Best Shows to Revisit Your High School Years appeared first on TV Fanatic.

More network shows started to embrace not just token gay characters, but well-written storylines centered around LGBTQ+ leads.

Even for relatively progressive shows, it took a long time to get there.

Grey's Anatomy, for example, showcased gay and transgender characters in its earliest seasons by weaving them into the series' medical cases.

But it wasn't until Season 4, when Callie Torres realized she was bisexual, that a main character on the show was recognized as LGBTQ+.

Don't get me wrong, we rarely saw perfect gay relationships on the screen. Glee gave us Kurt, Blaine, Santana, and Brittany.

Modern Family had Cam and Mitchell. Grey's Anatomy's Callie and Arizona made history on network television.

Most of these shows ended as the years went on.

Grey's Anatomy has persisted, but it didn't have a significant gay male couple until Season 15, when Levi was introduced to Nico in an elevator.

In many shows, gay and trans characters are tokenized if they're allowed to exist at all.

If we're lucky, a character's queerness isn't treated like a commodity.

Still, even when it's done with minimal problems (like 9-1-1 has demonstrated with Henrietta and Karen), the LGBTQ+ of it all often hides in the shadows until it's convenient to the show's ratings.

That's not to say that there aren't currently any excellent gay characters on TV.

In fact, the opposite is true. Take Doctor Who, for instance: Ncuti Gatwa (previously of Sex Education fame) is playing the show's first queer version of the titular character.

But generally, where there's queer representation, tragedy, and disappointment are sure to follow.

The "bury your gays" trope has managed to persevere despite causing veritable outrage every time it's employed.

The tokenization of LGBTQ+ characters remains a barrier to meaningful representation, as does the lack of racial diversity among the queer characters that do make it to the small screen.

So, where does that leave members of the community who yearn to be represented on their favorite TV shows?

Often, the only option is to try to find ways to relate to poorly written characters.

Do real-life gay men actually feel seen when watching Cam and Mitchell on Modern Family?

We're talking about a couple that was so generically written that they never even shared a kiss until Season 2.

Probably not, but how many other family-friendly sitcoms between 2009 and 2020 even bothered including a married gay couple in their ranks?

Representation isn't just important for the gay community to see themselves in their favorite shows.

Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ representation on television has a real-world impact.

As more gay and trans characters get quality screen time, acceptance for the community goes up.

After news broke of the cancellation of yet another show widely praised for its quality representation of women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people, fans have mobilized in an attempt to save their favorite shows from meeting early ends.

Both NCIS: Hawaii and Station 19 have amassed loyal followings over the years.

The shows share quite a few details in common: they're led by women characters, have racially diverse casts, and each has a popular queer female power couple.

Sadly (and unsurprisingly), both shows are slated for a series finale this month.

Petitions to save both shows have gained considerable online traction, primarily driven by fans clinging to the representation the series offers.

However, there's been no indication that either will be saved.

It's unfortunate for everyone, but especially the LGBTQ+ fans who struggle to see themselves.

It's rare that a gay or trans television character gets to have a happy life, free from trauma related to their identity, which makes it hard for queer people to imagine a happy life for themselves.

There's some good news: streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix have created original series that positively depict LGBTQ+ characters living normal lives.

These shows, like Heartstopper, Ginny & Georgia, and Love, Victor, generally depict LGBTQ+ teens, though, which isn't always thrilling for queer adults.

Plus, is it fair that people in this community can only find representation behind a paywall?

The industry is failing viewers from all sorts of communities, from people of color to women to gay and trans people.

The answer isn't as simple as just writing new LGBTQ+ characters and shows, though.

Accurate representation in the industry starts at the top and on the inside.

Specifically, without queer voices in the writer's room, there is very little chance you're going to write a gay character that resonates with audiences successfully.

For far too long, gay and trans stereotypes have persisted because characters have been written by people who think they're qualified to speak for marginalized groups.

If shows want to improve their representation efforts, they must hire LGBTQ+ showrunners, directors, and writers.

Networks need to hear and buy pitches by queer creators.

It's not hard to figure out that the only way to include the LGBTQ+ community is to actually include them.

As the old saying goes, "Nothing about us without us."

The post With Representation Declining Industry-Wide, Is TV Failing Its LGBTQ+ Viewers? appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 8 left us with one of the sweetest cliffhangers we have ever seen, and if you weren't kicking your feet in the air as Charlie typed those words on his phone, were you watching the same show and, more importantly, are you okay?

We were almost guaranteed to get a third season of the show. Now, the most challenging part is the waiting period.

We have compiled all the information you need about the season as we await the release to tide you over.

Once it comes out, we will update this post with new information, so you might want to bookmark it.

Will There Be a Third Season of Heartstopper?

We could have answered this question in the affirmative one year ago because a show rarely gets renewed for multiple seasons after the freshman has premiered.

On May 20, 2022, Netflix renewed the show for seasons 2 and 3.

Heartstopper Season 2 premiered on August 3, 2023.

What is the Plot for Heartstopper Season 3?

Officially, Netflix has not released the plot for the season, but readers of the comics and viewers alike have a rough idea of what it might entail.

The Heartstopper Season 2 finale episode tied up the plot for the season, but towards the end, it teased the third.

Throughout Season 2, Nick Nelson (who's bisexual) noticed something off about Charlie's eating habits and carefully broached the subject with him.

It led to an open and honest conversation about Charlie's bullying and eating disorder.

Caught up in the moment, Nick's feelings about Charlie bubbled to the surface, and he caught himself in the nick of time (yes, that was a pun) before he could confess his love for Charlie.

But was he the only one feeling that? As Charlie walked home, he also realized the feelings he harbored for Nick. So, he typed a love confession message.

The season concluded at that point, leaving us blown away by the magic between Kit Connor and Joe Locke while smiling ear to ear about Charlie and Nick's next stage of their love story.

Heartstopper Season 3 is expected to dive into mental health, eating disorders, first-time sexual experience, pursuing one's dreams, and growth. All this will be set against Charlie and Nick's growing romance.

Alice Oseman teased that fans can expect love to be the central theme in Season 3, and true to her word, she shared the name of the first episode, aptly titled Love.

"People who have read the comics will know what's going to happen, but I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't been reading the comics. I think [Season 2's ending] just sets up that conversation for next season.

"We know that Charlie loves Nick, and I think we know that Nick loves Charlie as well. It's just about when and how they're going to say that to each other," said Alice.

Who Is In the Third Season of Heartstopper?

Everyone in the main cast is expected to return.

• Kit Connor as Nick Nelson, a bisexual rugby player and Charlie Spring's boyfriend.

• Joe Locke as Charlie Spring as Nick's boyfriend, who occasionally subjects himself to the tortures of rugby to be close to his boyfriend.

• Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent, an aspiring artist who is part of Charlie’s friend group.

• Will Gao as Tao Xu, Charlie's best friend who is very protective of Charlie.

• Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson, an avid reader struggling with his sexuality.

• Corinna Brown as Tara Jones, a girl Nick kissed once who is half of a lesbian power couple with Darcy.

• Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson, a confident lesbian girl who is the life of the party.

In November 2023, it was revealed that the series had found its Michael Holden.

Holden is, of course, a pivotal character in the franchise, and creator Alice Oseman knew she needed to get the casting right.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alice Oseman (@aliceoseman)

“So I was very nervous and excited to begin the search for our Michael,” Oseman shared on Instagram, adding that Michael is a “quirky, eccentric optimist with a sunshine disposition.”

Will Sebastian Croft's Ben Hope be Heartstopper Season 3?

No.

Ben Hope's journey ended on Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 7. He showed up outside a queer event Charlie and Nick had attended and revealed that his parents would transfer him from Truham.

He also apologized for the pain he'd caused Charlie when they were "together," but his actions had far-reaching consequences, so it wasn't easy for Charlie to just forgive him.

Speaking about the character's arc in Season 2, Alice said, "As Season 2 begins to unpack the trauma that Charlie carries with him due to his toxic relationship with Ben and the bullying he has faced in the past, I felt Ben's presence was necessary to properly address those topics."

Sebastian Croft had a complicated relationship with the character who had done some horrible things but was also going through something.

"I really wanted Ben to have a Heartstopper moment in some way. I see this beautiful world of Heartstopper and then Ben who can't be welcomed in… I feel like lots of people would connect with that feeling of being scared to become part of the community and where you fit in," said Croft.

How Many Episodes Will Heartstopper Season 3 Have?

The season is expected to be eight episodes long.

When will Heartstopper Season 3 Premiere?

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While sharing the news about the first episode's name, Alice revealed that production for Season 3 of Heartstopper is set to begin on October 2023. On October 2, production began.

Heartstopper is one of the few shows not affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes since it is a British production. If everything proceeds without hindrance, Season 3 will hit our screens in the summer of 2024.

Where to Watch Heartstopper Online

Seasons 1 and 2 of Heartstopper are available to watch online on Netflix via a subscription.

The post Heartstopper Season 3: Everything We Know Before the Premiere appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 returned to the top spot with the debut of the second half of its season.

After premiering Thursday, the David E. Kelley series managed 6.7 million views, bringing the total views for the sophomore season to 23.3 million.

The series was once in the works at CBS but was canceled ahead of a formal series order.

Thankfully, Netflix understood the project was worthwhile, and it has thrived.

The Lincoln Lawyer beat the previous week's #1 show, The Witcher Season 3.

The Henry Cavill-led Witcher has performed well, but not as well as prior seasons, fueling concerns about the imminent cast change.

As previously reported, Liam Hemsworth will replace Cavill for The Witcher Season 4.

The fantasy drama slipped to #3 for the week, coming in behind Heartstopper Season 2.

The young adult show secured 6.1 million views in the streaming service's weekly streaming chart, proving that the buzz is translating to views.

Netflix picked up Heartstopper Season 3 a year ago, so there's a good chance we'll get it sooner rather than later.

It's unclear how the show will be affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but the episodes may have already been written.

Sweet Magnolias placed fourth on the list with 2.9 million viewers.

The small-town drama has yet to be renewed or canceled, but there's a high chance it will secure a pickup.

Elsewhere, Happiness for Beginners, a rom-com starring Luke Grimes and Ellie Kemper, enthralled 13.1 million viewers during its second week of release.

Netflix has Painkiller coming up this week and Marry My Dead Body, so it will be fun to see how the list changes this week.

What are your thoughts on the numbers?

Are you surprised by the movers and shakers on the TV list?

Hit the comments.

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The post The Lincoln Lawyer Dethrones The Witcher on Netflix TV List; Heartstopper Returns Strong appeared first on TV Fanatic.

What sets Heartstopper apart in the queer media niche is its focus on queer joy. In creating a Heartstopper, spreading a message of queer optimism was at the forefront of Alice Oseman's mind.

Before Heartstopper Season 2 premieres, Joe Locke, Kit Connor, Yasmin Finney, Will Gao, and Alice Oseman answered some questions about Heartstopper's young legacy of showcasing queerness in a different light.

The wholesome focus on queer joy Heartstopper offers is fantastic. When asked why it was essential to have this story out there, Alice Oseman talked about how important it is to balance the nature of the stories being told.

"We need all kinds of queer stories: joyful stories, tragic stories, sexy stories, dark stories, silly stories… I could go on. Joyful stories are absolutely needed — queer people need to see that they can find happiness, friendship, love, and peace, despite the struggles they may be facing in their daily lives.

"But I don't want that to discredit the need for all kinds of other queer stories! There can be no light without dark."

Kit Connor gave a profound response, comparing and contrasting what Heartstopper does with other existing media.

"There's a few objectives for Heartstopper. As a cast, as a group of actors, directors, filmmakers, one of our main objectives was to just have a show where you see queer people being happy and in love and having good friends around them.

"It's a really important thing because if you look at something on the other side of the spectrum, like, It's A Sin. That had just come out when we were making Season 1. It was this huge thing, and we were like, 'Oh my God, that's a queer show that's done really well and hit the mainstream.'

"But then we were also thinking, 'It's also got that darkness that every bit of TV has these days.'

"A lot of it is great, great, great television. A lot of it has its place and is also equally important in many ways, shedding light on really difficult issues and having hard conversations, but at the same time, the space of queer media was so, so heavy and dark and sort of overbearing.

"With Heartstopper, a lot of people were crying by the end, but they were happy crying.

"Whereas for most queer media you watched before Heartstopper, you were crying because someone had died or something like that.

"It was just really depressing and overbearing and important, but I think we were in a time — and I think we still are in a time — where there's a lot on that side, and there's nothing on the other end where you just see queer people being happy, doing mundane things, and just living their life.

"That's really what we're going for."

Joe Locke provided more insight, discussing how life imitates art and having happy art can lead to a happy life.

"I've seen some people use Heartstopper's positivity as a negative, and it baffles me. You just want to watch depressing, sad stuff where everyone is awful, and the world is awful? You can't create a world of joy without pumping some joy into it.

"If all we watched and all we consumed was media in which everyone dies, and everyone's sad, then we're never going to be able to have a world where people are happy because people don't know what that looks like.

"Especially at the moment with the huge anti-trans movement that's pushing forward. It's so important that we show trans people aren't dangerous. They're just living and existing, and their existence doesn't stop you existing."

If queer joy is scarce on TV, trans joy is like finding water in the Sahara. Yasmin was kind enough to share why it is important to see trans love and joy now more than ever.

"Why is it vital for us to see trans love and trans joy on screen now more than ever? Representation is a powerful thing. With all the messages I get on Instagram, on Twitter, just everywhere that people can reach me on: Now that I've seen Elle, I get to come out to my mum.

"I get to watch the show with my parents; I get to feel my most authentic self.  This is literally because you're on the screen, and you're just being yourself. And it's shocking. Like this should have happened so long ago.

"I remember before Heartstopper came out, I was searching for that representation, but it was Americanised. I couldn't really find somebody on screen who looks like me, who was my age, that sort of talks like me.

"It was mind-boggling when I got the audition. I was just like, "Wow, this is the start of everything." I just knew how impactful it would be from way before I even got the role. I knew this role would change the world in that respect."

Finding a TV show with multiple queer characters is rare too. Almost inexistent. Yet, Heartstopper's queer characters outnumber their cishet counterparts, making it easier to tell more stories that impact the queer community.

Asked why it was important to explore so many different kinds of queerness, Alice presented that many queer people exist in queer friend groups, and thus it's a realistic depiction.

"Because queer friendships exist and are actually very common! Often queer people are mostly friends with other queer people, and so this is what happens in Heartstopper.

"I love hearing stories about people who've grown up, realized that they're queer, and suddenly all their friends start coming out as queer too.

"Queer people are just drawn to each other! It's also always a good thing to show a variety of queer experiences because being queer is certainly not the same for everyone.

"While one TV show could never show every queer experience out there, I think showing multiple helps people to feel that there's no 'right' way to be queer."

Kit Connor separates different kinds of queerness that Heartstopper explores and their importance. He then talked about the power Heartstopper has in having many people's voices.

"It's really special to have a show where most of the lead characters are queer. In season one, the main one of the main topics we explored was bisexuality and exploration of acceptance of that. In season two, there are more gay characters.

"We go into more of Darcy and Tara's storyline. We see more of Elle's experience being a young trans girl, meeting other trans friends, and getting to relate with the experience that they've had growing up.

"Trans and nonbinary, in fact. I think that's a really important thing. And as I said, Isaac's storyline goes into asexual and aromantic exploration. Someone super educated and super well-read about these kinds of topics is still confused when it comes to his own identity and his own self, just like the rest of us.

"That's a really big storyline in season two and a really beautiful one. One of the really powerful things about Heartstopper is that it is a voice for a lot of people. We're not claiming to be educational or anything like that. But we do try and teach people that no matter what, it's okay.

"It's okay to not know, and it's okay to explore, and it's okay to work things out. You'll get there. It's going to be the best thing ever when you do."

Joe Locke highlighted how queer media is dominated by male/male relationships when there are more kinds to explore in the community.

"One of the great things about the adaptation having more time than a comic book is that in the comics, it's basically just Nick and Charlie's relationship that is focused on.

"You have more time when you do a TV series, so Alice has been able to open up the stories of the other characters here, which is really great because queerness isn't just one binary.

"You don't have to just be one thing. We see a lot of gay male relationships in media compared to other relationships, so it's great that we can share those other types as well."

Yasmin Finney recalled how watching trans characters in shows like Pose or Orange is the New Black empowered her and how relatable a lot of it was.

"When I look back at the shows I had when I was younger, there was Pose, which had an all-Black queer cast, which is amazing. I had Orange is the New Black with Laverne Cox.

"I had Paris Is Burning, just like a handful of things I could watch and think, 'Wow, this is what I want to be. This is who I want to be.' It's all Americanized, though.

"But it's still who I am deep down. I related to that. Especially Indya Moore and Evan Peters' scene where she's like, 'Do you love me as a trans woman?' I have not seen that scene in years because it just makes me cry all the time.

"Now, with Elle and Tao, it's going to be a moment. It really is.

"It's going to be a massive moment. I can just see it. I can just see people recreating that scene.

"I remember when I watched that Pose scene, and now I'm so proud that I've been able to create something that lives up to that and something that romanticizes a trans person in a positive light that's not negative.

"And something that is just powerful to the viewer.

"I'm super grateful for that."

Will Gao summarized everything by highlighting the importance of everyone feeling represented, seen, and heard.

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"I think sexuality and orientation is a whole spectrum. There's so many colors of the rainbow.

"It's really important that we represent all of them. It's really cool that we represent a lot of them in one show within the main arc.

"That's really beautiful. It's important to make sure everyone feels represented and seen and heard."

Heartstopper Season 2 is currently available on Netflix.

The post Heartstopper Cast Talks Queer Joy and Everything That Sets the Show Apart appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Heartstopper's allure has always been that even when things are bad, there is always the possibility of life getting better, and they always do in this world.

Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 8 delivered on all its promises as the kids went to prom, Charlie and Nick hand-in-hand as boyfriends. It resolved some of the hanging storylines but hinted at the direction Heartstopper Season 3 might take.

But first, on Instagram, Nicholas Nelson made it official that he was Charlie Spring's boyfriend and Charlie Spring was his boyfriend.

He made the post with a smile and used a picture that captured how happy he was to be with Charlie.

The post was a significant moment for him. It was what he'd been stressed out and working towards for most of Heartstopper Season 2.

He had come out to his friends and family in person, but he didn't owe anyone coming out. Sharing it with his friends and family was not out of duty but out of love. He wanted them to know something special about it.

The rest of the world can find out for all he cared on Instagram.

The reaction was mostly positive, but nothing could steal the joy he felt at that moment.

The perks of dating a rugby lad are numerous, but the biggest for Charlie was that he could jump into Nick's arms without fearing Nick would drop him. And he took advantage of that.

Charlie: This is the best my life has ever been. I don’t have to hide my amazing boyfriend anymore. I’m not getting bullied. Everything’s perfect.

_{🔗 permalink: This is the best my life has ever been. I don’t have to hide my amazing boyfriend anymore….}

Nick had periodically swept Charlie off his feet but never has Charlie jumped into his arms so much in one episode.

Charlie was happy everyone knew Nick was his boyfriend, and everything was perfect (like the episode's name) now.

That didn't mean there wouldn't be some awkwardness here and there, but they took it in stride.

Nick Nelson was happy, and that he knew to be true. Yet he couldn't shake his concern about Charlie and his relationship with food.

And in as much as he wanted to help, he didn't know a lot, so he went to someone who's been there since they were wee little boys talking about Radiohead.

I already awarded Nick the Boyfriend of the Year award, but here's why he deserved to keep it.

He knew very well how personal an eating disorder could be, so even when he talked to Tao about Charlie, he approached the topic cautiously.

Nick: But I’ve done so many things that were scary in the past few months because you were there, holding my hand. And I wanna be that for you too. Like, you’re my boyfriend. Char, can you just please, please promise me?

_{🔗 permalink: But I’ve done so many things that were scary in the past few months because you were there,…}

He felt around to grasp anything suggesting Tao knew about the eating disorder, and when he didn't, he didn't bring it up.

Seeing Nick and Tao talk where the conversation was not Tao warning Nick not to play with Charlie's feelings was refreshing. Tao had spent so much time protecting Charlie that he missed that Nick was doing that too.

Nick has a calmness around him that helps people open up to him, and we finally learned why Tao cares about his friends so much.

The conversation turned to Charlie's bullying-filled past, and Nick pinpointed what the problem could be. Charlie still carried the effects of the bullying.

Nick: But I’ve done so many things that were scary in the past few months because you were there, holding my hand. And I wanna be that for you too. Like, you’re my boyfriend. Char, can you just please, please promise me?

_{🔗 permalink: But I’ve done so many things that were scary in the past few months because you were there,…}

Prom was supposed to be an event to behold, but it wasn't what everyone thought it would be.

Nick and Charlie imagined having an epic night, dancing together and sweeping each other off their feet.

Tara imagined spending the evening with Darcy as they outshone everyone like the queens of prom they were.

For Isaac, it was like an atheist attending a religious congregation and watching everyone do their little rituals.

But for Elle and Tao, however, they lived the dream.

They had an epic night, dancing and sweeping each other off their feet. They outshone everyone like the queen and king of prom they were. They were the leaders of the congregations and led the rituals.

Charlie realized they had been performing for the rest of the world. He thought everyone wanted to see Nick and Charlie, the newest couple at Truham. But the truth was that most people cared about having a good time with their sweeties and friends.

And that's what Charlie wanted. So, the party moved to Nick's.

Tara was not having fun without Darcy, so she went to look for Darcy at home and met the mother. Everything finally fell into place. The reason Darcy never brought Tara to her house was clear. And Tara didn't blame.

The privacy, safety, and comfort Nick's house offered allowed them to get better acquainted and check in with each other. And they emerged stronger. Darcy won the Girlfriend of the Year award for being brave enough for two people.

The night was perfect as couples played games and cuddled. Isaac dived into literature about what being asexual meant, and he also had fun.

Everyone retired to their homes as the night ended, leaving Nick and Charlie.

Throughout Heartstopper Season 2, Charlie had been the supportive boyfriend, taking care of and putting Nick first. It hadn't gone unnoticed and unappreciated. Nick knew he had to broach the eating subject sooner rather than later because it was concerning.

Charlie: You went to rugby summer camp?

Nick: When I was 12. I think I had a crush on the instructor. You know, I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back now, I was obsessed with him, so I tried really, really hard and, uh, got that trophy for being the best team player.

_{🔗 permalink: When I was 12. I think I had a crush on the instructor. You know, I didn’t realize it at the…}

His method of approaching issues was truly marvelous. If he didn't become a professional rugby player, Nick Nelson had a future in psychiatry and mental health. He was naturally that good.

And maybe it was only with Charlie, but still.

He got Charlie to open up about how bullying affected him. It was monumental. Charlie had never shared anything about it with anyone. Not even Tori or Tao.

It meant that he trusted Nick more than anyone else.

But Nick felt something more. He was awed by Charlie's strength. He had noticed that in Heartstopper Season 1 and wished he'd met Charlie when he was younger. Maybe some of that strength would have rubbed off on him.

But he was also strong in his way.

He looked at Charlie, and then it dawned on him. It had been there for a while. He loved everything about Charlie Spring. He loved …

Nick: I love your hair so much.

Charlie: Nick. I really need to go.

Nick: I love your eyes.

Charlie: For God’s sake.

Nick: I love…

_{🔗 permalink: I love…}

Sarah returned and interrupted his train of thought, but the feelings remained.

As Charlie walked home, he felt it too. So, he composed a message to express his love for Nick. Will he express his feelings or respond to Nick's interrupted confession?

The episode ended on an exciting note. There was a cliffhanger, but it was the kind that made you giggle at the thought of the resolution in the succeeding season.

On a scale of one to ten, how excited are you for the next chapter in these not-so-kids' anymore lives?

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What will the future look like without Elle in the friend group?

Elle: I wanna go to Lambert.

Tao: I know.

_{🔗 permalink: I wanna go to Lambert.}

Are you excited to see how Isaac settles into his newfound identity?

Imogen and Sahar. Did you see that coming?

Hit the comments section.

The post Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Perfect appeared first on TV Fanatic.

When everyone left for Paris on Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 6, they had something bothering them, and on return, most had found a solution. With certain issues out of the way, those that arose while in Paris became the main ones.

But before that, everything was okay. It was more than okay. It was near perfect.

Charlie: You should’ve come. It was really fun.

Tori: My summer is for sleeping, not visiting old museums.

_{🔗 permalink: My summer is for sleeping, not visiting old museums.}

Nick had more or less come out, and he was freer. Tara and Darcy did not let the issue between them prevent them from having fun, while Elle and Tao took the next step.

Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 7 opened, showing these characters happy and almost content. Nick couldn't stop staring at Charlie's photos, and Charlie couldn't stop doing the same.

Thanks to Tara's mom's understanding, Tara and Darcy were working with a long leash that allowed them to sleep over and sleep in the same bed.

Tao was climbing walls with happiness, and it looked good on him. His mom was just as excited, if not more. Her little Tao had a girlfriend!

But happiness doesn't last forever, as it is defined by moments of sadness. When the sadness has passed, we get to enjoy being happy and feel like we've earned it. If anyone had earned it, it was these kids.

Nick had one stop called Stephane in his coming out journey. Once he had told his dad, everything would be fine.

Charlie was waiting on Nick for as long as it took, but he also had to deal with a ghost of the past by the name of Ben Hope.

Elle was as happy as everyone else, but that happiness seemed to have an expiry date because as soon as Tao learned that she had been accepted at Lambert, things would become awkward, if not toxic.

Two invitations were dolled out, and all were accepted.

Charlie: We’ve been invited to Nick’s for a dinner party.

Tori: Wow. Mum will love that.

Charlie: What d’you mean?

Tori: She’s not exactly Nick’s biggest fan, is she?

Charlie: Well, maybe this will help her see how great he is.

_{🔗 permalink: Well, maybe this will help her see how great he is.}

Elle had an art showcase, and all her friends showed up to support her. What was great about her art — apart from that it was beautifully painted — was that it was personal. It represented one of the most joyous occasions in her life — spending time with her very supportive friends.

It was at that moment that Tao realized he couldn't be self-centered. Just like when Elle had come out, there was uncertainty but with support, she came out the other end. There was uncertainty around her future at Higgs, but with his support, she'll emerge this time too.

The art exhibition was great for Elle, but Isaac learned a lot too.

Earlier, he talked with James about his feelings — or lack thereof — for James when they kissed.

Seeing the look on James' face when Isaac admitted that he didn't feel what he was supposed to be as painful as realizing he might not be like all his friends.

He had been supportive when they had relationship stuff going on, and it seemed like that was the only thing they had in common. What was to happen now?

Learning something about yourself that challenges the idea of who you thought you were or were supposed to be can be incredibly upsetting and, in some cases, can lead to loneliness.

Darcy's mom kept hounding her while she was at the exhibition that she had to leave.

Sadly, not all parents support their children, and Darcy is not as lucky as Tara or Charlie.

When she wore the suit, which fit, she looked so happy and good that her friends pitched in to buy it for her. Her mother sucked the joy out of the whole thing.

It finally became clear why Darcy was jumpy when her mom texted on Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 5. There was a reason she dreaded going home and would feel a heavy cloud descend whenever she approached home.

It was the worst place for her.

After dozens of messages hounding Charlie to meet up, Ben finally showed up at the exhibition.

In my Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 5 review, I said that I didn't care much for Ben and would not mind if he was never heard from again. But if he wanted to apologize, that'd be a great thing to make an exception for.

And so he showed up to apologize.

Ben had always been selfish, and his ambushing Charlie was not out of character. He apologized, and for all it was worth, I thought he was pretty sincere.

Charlie did not forgive him, and that was his right. Just because you want to apologize doesn't mean the other person should forgive you.

Ben's actions had real consequences on Charlie.

Until enough time has passed and Charlie has nothing but a faint memory of that terrible time, he might not forgive Ben. And that's not guaranteed because enough time might never pass for someone to forget how you made them feel.

There was a chance Ben was being insincere. I guess we'll never find out if he leaves Truham. But if he is in Heartstopper Season 3, his actions must reflect his words. That might be the easiest way for anyone who has found themselves on the receiving end of his abuse to consider forgiving him.

Ben is awful, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. Everything begins at home, and we haven't seen enough of his home situation. It would explain why he's that awful but wouldn't excuse his treatment of others.

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Ben was closeted, and that does things to some people. Just because he was not the perfect queer person doesn't invalidate his life and experiences.

Everything culminated in dinner at Nick's house that saw him come out to his dad.

Sibling rivalry is very real, and after seeing how David interacted with their dad, it made sense why he bullied Nick so much.

Both boys were starved of Stephane's attention, and it might have felt like a loss for David when Nick was born and Stephane's little attention diverted towards Nick. David felt he'd been robbed of something and couldn't get over it.

Even as a grown man in university, he was still a little boy inside, craving his dad's attention.

Nick came out to his dad, which made him realize that he shouldn't have cared about what Stephane thought about him because Stephane barely thought about Nick. It was all a lot of pressure for nothing.

Stephane was engrossed in his life; he had no time for anyone. He didn't know what year Nick was in; he didn't know where David studied.

David: Dad. You… You’re going?

Stéphane: Yeah Got to head into London before it gets too late. But call me when you get back to Edinburgh, huh?

David: Glasgow.

_{🔗 permalink: Glasgow.}

David set his sights on Charlie, thinking he could bully Charlie, but Tori was right on him to put him in his place. How do you not stan the queen of staying hydrated?

Tori: You are a pathetic little man. Talk about my brother like that again, and I’ll end you.

_{🔗 permalink: You are a pathetic little man. Talk about my brother like that again, and I’ll end you.}

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The final hurdle Nick had crossed. It even impressed Charlie's mom, who was not Nick's biggest fan.

But there was another issue and not a small one. Charlie was still not eating properly. He barely touched his food in the Paris photos and at the dinner.

Nick wanted to understand and learn how he could help. Like anyone in this generation, google was his best friend.

Prom was coming up on Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 8, and it will be an event. Nick and Charlie, as boyfriends, had a nice ring to it.

Hit the comments section with your thoughts about the episode.

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