Turns out Heartstopper was desperately needed

TVLine

"It turned out that I needed Heartstopper. Badly," Charlie Mason says of the Netflix romcom series. " Its story, if you don’t already know, is pretty simple: Gay boy meets straight boy, straight boy realizes that he’s bisexual, love blossoms, sometimes literally, all around them. But it’s written so earnestly, acted so deftly and directed so thrillingly that its impact is profound. There is a joy to these eight episodes, to their gentleness and tension, that radiates too brightly to be rejected. They comprise four hours of happiness and hope." Mason adds: "Heartstopper was exactly what I was so reluctant to admit that I needed after how many years now of absorbing blow after blow, from the pandemic to politics to almost hourly upheaval. It also occurred to me, as I zipped through episodes that went by so fast, I would’ve sworn they were 10 minutes apiece, that this series is going to mean a lot to a whole lotta kids. At a time when hateful 'Don’t Say Gay' bills are giving them the impression that being anything but straight is wrong, something shameful that’s to be hidden, here comes Heartstopper, with its sensitivity and insight, to reassure them that nope, 'different' isn’t wrong, it’s just different. It can also be pretty magnificent."

ALSO:

• Heartstopper is the most profoundly romantic TV series in years: "It’s exciting and interesting to watch and see how and with whom your kids develop crushes," says Dustin Rowles. "Heartstopper, an eight-episode British series on Netflix, is probably as potent as any of the romantic comedies named above, and will almost certainly become one of those cultural touchstones for kids of a certain age who, 20 or 30 years later, will undoubtedly introduce Heartstopper to their kids. Watching the ten-year-olds squeal with delight, scream 'KISS HIM,' or 'NO, DON’T SAY YES,' or hiding behind the couch when the romantic tension gets too high has been an indescribable pleasure."
• What makes Heartstopper feel unique is its unabashed sentimentality: "It delights in building the friendship between Charlie and Nick, then seemingly envelops them in a protective cocoon as they start to feel something more than friendship," says David Mack. "The show is less interested in its characters feeling gay feelings for one another than it is in them feeling feelings at all."
• Heartstopper is a story that not only shows the audience that there can be a happily ever after for queer kids, but it shows that they are worthy of one: "While it is important to teach lessons of self-love and standing up for yourself (which Charlie does with Ben in the end), what I really appreciate about Heartstopper is how it shows Charlie that he’s worth fighting for," says Briana Lawrence. "He doesn’t have to accept the homophobia he deals with, more importantly, others are allowed to have his back and be there for him."
• Fisayo Akinade's Mr. Ajayi is even more important in wake of the "Don't Say Gay" legislation: "What I love most about the character of Mr. Ajayi is that in most stories like this, he would be Charlie’s only source of support, his only confidant," says Vivian Kane. "As we’ve established, he’s far from the only supportive figure in Charlie’s life, but he is an important one. He is a gay adult who offers Charlie a safe space to be himself and to be at peace. He listens to Charlie talk about bullies as well as his romantic life, and he offers advice when asked for it. In short, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would be champing at the bit to see him fired and taken to court."