Although Netflix's Heartstopper series is a fairly accurate adaptation of Alice Oseman's graphic novels, the show does make some changes from page to screen. Heartstopper follows two high school boys, Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, as they meet and fall in love. In a nod to Oseman's original vision, the series even includes some of the artwork from the books, such as falling leaves and comic designs.
Nick and Charlie were already in a committed relationship when they first appeared as ing characters in Oseman's debut YA novel Solitaire, and the author later decided to explore how they reached that point in the Heartstopper graphic novels. The show has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with problems in making live-action adaptations, but Heartstopper manages to avoid them.
Alice Oseman has been heavily involved in the adaptation process, which helped ensure that Heartstopper remained faithful to the books. Yet there are still differences between the Netflix series and its source material. Oseman explained (via The ) that the story told in the comics has rather low stakes: "Problems are resolved pretty much immediately, which isn't normally how TV works. So, we had to add a bit more drama, more angst into the show." Here are the biggest changes from the Heartstopper graphic novels and the likely reasons for the changes.
Isaac And Imogen Aren't In The Books
Heartstopper season 1 adds two new characters that don't exist in the Netflix's LGBTQ show, especially while Nick is still figuring out his sexuality. Oseman added, "We knew we needed a bit more drama and angst in the story and Imogen is kind of the one who brings the drama in the mid-season."
Charlie's Friends Have Bigger Roles Earlier In The Show
While the Heartstopper graphic novels, especially the earlier volumes, focus almost solely on Nick and Charlie, the show more fully incorporates its ing characters. For instance, Charlie is rather pessimistic about Nick's feelings toward him in the first graphic novel, but in the Netflix show, his friends actively try to dissuade him from getting his hopes up too much. Elle, Tara, and Darcy are also all introduced much sooner in the LGBTQ show, and each of them have their own struggles to overcome. Tara is already out as a lesbian when she first appears in the books, but she comes out during Heartstopper season 1, which also navigates some of the negative backlash she experiences as a result. Elle plays a more investigative role in the show as well since her connections at Higgs Girls School give her access to gossip the boys lack. The Heartstopper show also introduces Elle and Tao's mutual crushes on each other much earlier than the books.
Nick Struggles With His Sexuality More In The Show
Netflix's Heartstopper lengthens the time Nick spends figuring out his sexuality compared to the books, which resolves his confusion rather quickly. By lingering on Nick's struggles in this regard, and adding characters like Imogen to further contrast the person he imagined himself to be with who he actually is, the show is able to build much more tension around Nick's eventual coming out in Heartstopper. Nick does not decide he's ready to come out to everyone until the very end of the season, saving the reactions from his classmates for season 2. Spending more time on this conflict heightens the drama in interesting ways. As Oseman explained, they wanted to add more angst to the TV series that wasn't necessarily in the books to create a more compelling arc over the course of the season. It's not as interesting to watch a show if the characters immediately resolve every conflict they encounter; audiences want to be able to cheer on the characters as they work through their problems and grow because of them.
Netflix's Heartstopper Appeals To A Wider Audience
The graphic novels are aimed at teens, but the Heartstopper's story can reach children preparing to enter high school, and teach them the beauty in being themselves.
Rugby Plays A Bigger Role In The Heartstopper Show
Although rugby is still a big reason why Nick and Charlie initially spend more time together, the sport plays a much bigger role in the Heartstopper show. Oseman's graphic novels do not linger on any of the individual games with the same fanfare as the show, and some poignant character choices even revolve around the sport. In the season finale, Charlie quits the team in a grand gesture to prove to his friends that they matter more to him. Nick also faces a choice between rugby and Charlie at the end of Heartstopper season 1, and he leaves in the middle of their school's Sports Day to tell Charlie just how much he means to him. Adding more action to the show with these rugby games helps break up the many scenes in the books where characters simply talk to each other, either at school or at someone's house. The Heartstopper show would have felt much more monotonous without these action-heavy sequences.
Charlie's Brother Is Missing From Heartstopper
The decision not to include Charlie's younger brother in Netflix's Heartstopper is a less significant change from the books, but still worth mentioning. It's not very difficult to figure out why the character either remained off-screen, or had been removed from the Netflix show entirely. Charlie's brother did not add much to the story other than looking adorable, and so including him may have not been deemed worth the effort due to the unique difficulties that working with young actors in a live-action project entails. Charlie's mother, father, and older sister Tori are all still present, however, and will likely become more relevant in later seasons. Yet despite these changes, Netflix's Heartstopper remains a very faithful adaptation of Alice Oseman's graphic novels, and perfectly captures the warmth of its central romance.