‘Heartstopper’ season 2 reviews: ‘I lost track of how many times tears welled in my eyes’

The British teen series “Heartstopper” was a crossover hit when it premiered in 2022. Based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman (who also created and writes the TV series), it tells the story of a recently outed gay schoolboy (Joe Locke) and his relationship with a popular rugby player (Kit Connor) starting to come to terms with his bisexuality. It returned to Netflix for its eight-episode second season on August 3. So does the show keep its grades up in year two?

As of this writing “Heartstopper” season two has received raves, scoring 84 on MetaCritic based on six reviews counted thus far, all of which are classified as positive. The series also earns a perfect 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 17 reviews, with the RT critics’ consensus saying, “Beautifully acted and scripted, ‘Heartstopper’s’ second season is fit to bursting with emotional truth.”

Abby Cavenaugh (Collider) writes that the relationships depicted on the series “feel real” and “authentic,” while maintaining “the show’s wholesome heart.” Alan Sepinwall (Rolling Stone) adds, “‘Heartstopper’ is excellent at a lot of things, but its greatest strength is in capturing the giddy highs of those beautiful gay teenage experiences.” And Nicole Gallucci (Decider) calls it “profoundly gorgeous” and “agonizing … I lost track of how many times tears welled in my eyes while watching the second season of ‘Heartstopper.'” Anna Govert (Paste) insists that the series “remains essential viewing.”

Will the series remain an awards favorite in its second outing — no pun intended. The first year of the show earned Oseman a BAFTA nom for her writing. She also won a pair of Children’s and Family Emmy Awards for Best Young Teen Series and Best Writing for a Young Teen Program. Connor additionally won an Emmy for his lead performance, while Olivia Colman picked up a trophy for her recurring guest role as Connor’s loving mum (Colman is back for season two with even more screen time).

So keep the tissues handy as you strap back in for the show’s new episodes. What do you think of the new season?

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