10 shows like Heartstopper to watch

Heartstopper is an amazing show that has gained a wide following, thanks to its upbeat tone, dynamic relationships, and willingness to address serious issues. Fans love to root for Nick and Charlie's love story, but they get just as much from seeing Nick's family tensions and Charlie's struggles with mental health.

Heartstopper season 3 just arrived on Netflix on Oct. 3, 2024, which gives fans 8 more episodes to swoon over. But it is still a relatively short show, and the show's crave-ability means that fans can run out of episodes after a couple of binge sessions. Once that happens, it's back to looking for shows to fill the hole it leaves until the next season.

On the up side, there are plenty of other shows out there to recommend. There's plenty of other great LGBTQ+ teen romances out there, like Young Royals, Love, Victor, and Sex Education. And those are all options worth checking out! However, there's a good chance that, by now, fans of Heartstopper have already watched those shows.

That's why this list is going to be a little different. These 10 series have a lot in common with Heartstopper, but they are absolutely their own things. If you have already watched all the usual suggestions, take a chance on one of these shows, which might prove to be a new favorite!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Buy on Apple TV or Amazon

I will fully admit that I recommend Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to just about everybody, but Heartstopper fans in particular will find a lot to love in the zany musical-theatre series! The show follows Rebecca Bunch, a successful lawyer who uproots her life to follow her high school boyfriend across the country. While that is a questionable move, the show adds a lot of nuance to her behavior by exploring mental health, self-perception, and romance tropes along the way.

Each episode of the show includes a handful of musical performances, through which the audience gets to see more of the characters' inner worlds. This structure will likely be popular with fans of Heartstopper, because it works similarly to the animations in that series that help set the tone. The show is invested in exploring different romantic dynamics, including multiple LGBTQ+ experiences, but it also focuses on friendships, relationships between coworkers, and how those can change how we see the world.

Similarly to Heartstopper, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend can seem like a very surface-level show from the outside, especially because of how much romance seems to be at the center. But while it does provide ships worth falling in love with and fighting for, it is ultimately about self-worth and how our deepest wounds impact our dynamics with others. It's an incredibly complex show in a colorful, romantic package, which is something Heartstopper fans are uniquely positioned to appreciate.

The Magicians

Stream on Netflix

The Magicians is essentially a cross between Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, where a young man learns that the fantasy world from his favorite children's books is real, but it and the other parts of the magical world are incredibly dangerous. There are five seasons, each of which explores the darker sides of fantasy tropes, and the solution of one season's problem is inevitably the cause of the next one.

This might seem like a very weird show to recommend for fans of Heartstopper, but it has a similar focus on playing with tropes and showing both the heartwarming and horrific sides of life. In addition, there are multiple LGBTQ+ characters, and an episode from season three titled "A Life in the Day" completely broke the fandom due to its amazing love story.

As a warning, this show gets very dark, including depictions of sexual assault, major bodily harm, and main character deaths. Especially in its first season, it might be hard to see the similarities to Heartstopper. But over the course of the show, the ensemble cast shines, romances thrive, and mental health is a major theme. It's a quirky, fun show, which more fantasy-inclined audiences will love.

Never Have I Ever

Stream on Netflix

One of the best teen dramas to come out in recent years was Never Have I Ever, which followed teenage overachiever Devi as she tried to raise her social status, make it into Princeton, and shake off the reputation she gained after her father's death. It's a groundbreaking show for South Asian representation, but it's also relatable for anybody who didn't have the perfect high school experience.

The obvious connections to Heartstopper come from the high school setting, strong ensemble cast, and enticing romances. All of those elements are woven into the fabric of the show, and while there are plenty of tropes in play, they are always given more depth over time. This is especially true for the Jewish and LGBTQ+ characters, who were somewhat stereotypical in the beginning.

Above all else, Never Have I Ever masters the complex balance of humor and drama. Devi makes some terrible choices over the course of the show, but they feel realistic. She is trying to find her identity after a major loss, which is complicated by messy family and friend group dynamics. This gives rise to opportunities to laugh and cry with her, an emotional landscape that Heartstopper fans will be well acquainted with.

Gentleman Jack

Stream on Max

Continuing the trend of similar themes in a vastly different genre, Gentleman Jack is a historical drama that follows Anne Lister, a woman in the 1830s who took control of her family business and openly engaged in relationships with other women. The show is actually a byproduct of groundbreaking research done by Sally Wainwright in cracking the real-life Lister's coded diaries.

This is a complex show, with multiple subplots based on Anne's family, tenants, and rivals, all of whom have their own interests and motivations. This parallels well with the rich friendships in Heartstopper, as both stories focus just as much on those around the main characters as they do on the lovers themselves.

Of course, the most overt connections come from the exploration of homosexuality and how love and society tend to clash. While Anne has a high enough sense of self-confidence and position in society to get away with breaking the rules, her lover Ann struggles with both external and internalized homophobia, which makes it hard for her to embrace her feelings. There's romance, conflict, witty dialogue, and even some 4th wall breaks, which should give fans of Heartstopper a lot of elements to enjoy.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

Stream on Netflix

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a reboot of the 1985 series, with a much stronger focus on characterization. The series follows Adora, an orphan who was trained as a soldier for the tyrannical Horde. She finds a sword that transforms her into the mythical princess She-Ra and abandons her former life. Adora gains new friends and allies, but is in constant conflict against the Horde and her former best friend, Catra.

In addition to being similarly pastel-toned and optimistic on the surface, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is fundamentally a show about love. Adora is at her strongest when working alongside and for the sake of those she loves, but they often come into conflict on moral stances. She and her friends struggle to find their places in the world, particularly when parental figures have drastically different expectations for them than they do themselves.

While this is certainly more of an adventure show than Heartstopper, fans will find many similar themes as the show goes along. The character dynamics are incredibly compelling, and while it can be goofy, She-Ra is not scared of going into the darker sides of these relationships. Both shows are optimistic in tone, while not ignoring the struggles of real life.

Geek Girl

Stream on Netflix

Geek Girl follows Harriet Manners, a socially awkward teenager who is pursued by a modeling agency after catching their eye while attending a fashion show. After a few false starts, Harriet comes to love the experience of modeling, although the attention it draws sends her into anxiety attacks. With the support of her family, best friend, agent, and new boyfriend, Harriet learns to accept her way of living in the world and build a place for herself in the fashion world.

This show plays with many of the same ideas present in Heartstopper, largely due to both being representations of what life is like for bullied British teenagers. There’s a definite focus on mental health, along with some incredibly meaningful discussions around neurodivergence. While there are some stereotypical elements at play for the autistic and LGBTQ+ characters in the show, the characters are not trapped by those elements.

Ultimately, it is an uplifting show about a person who has been rejected for their differences finding a place where they belong. That’s something any Heartstopper fan can enjoy, and the variety of perspectives provided by the people in Harriet’s life add nuance to what could have been an unoriginal plot. The future of the show is currently unknown, but it’s worth taking a chance on, even if it ends up staying at one season.

Please Like Me

Buy on Apple TV+ or Amazon

Those willing to search for international options beyond the US and UK will likely enjoy Please Like Me, an Australian comedic drama about a young comedian navigating a variety of life-changing situations. According to the show's creator, the characters are "ill-equipped but just trying to make everyone else happy." That description, more than anything, may explain why the show is such a good fit for fans of Heartstopper.

Turning to more specific connections, the first episode of the series includes the main character, Josh, realizing that he is gay. That prompts a whirlwind of trying to understand his identity, communicate it to those around him, and find comfort in a new community. In addition, he and those around him struggle with both mental and physical health crises, adding the depth that Heartstopper is known for.

The series was meant to be different from anything else out at the time, and that does come across in the overall feeling it evokes. Rather than playing into tropes and relying on familiar visuals and themes, Please Like Me can be almost uncomfortably sincere. But it's worth continuing through the discomfort for a few episodes, at which point this may become your new favorite show.

Atypical

Stream on Netflix

Atypical has a similarly important place for the Autistic community that Heartstopper does for the LGBTQ+ community, and since it also has a major bisexuality arc (and Heartstopper has at least one confirmed Autistic character), there's likely some major crossover in audiences looking for representation.

The series follows Sam Gardner, an Autistic teenager, and his family as they try to process his transition into adulthood. His mother and sister had always been put in caregiver and protector roles throughout his youth, so they also have opportunities to re-examine their identities when Sam starts to live more independently.

As previously stated, representation is probably one of the most important connections between Heartstopper and Atypical, though new audiences should be aware that there was some controversy about misrepresentation in the first season. However, the show also focuses on figuring out who you are, struggling with how other people fit into that, and learning how to ride both the best and worst experiences in youth, all of which are themes that Heartstopper had in abundance.

Lost Girl

Stream on the CW app

Turning to another series that seems very different from Heartstopper, we have Lost Girl, a Canadian fantasy series from 2010. The show follows Bo, a young woman who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a complicated world of supernatural creatures and their bureaucracies. She and her human best friend form a detective agency, where they help humans and Fae negotiate their co-existence outside of the traditional system’s rules.

From the beginning, sex and sexuality were crucial components of the show, as Bo is a bisexual succubus who learned early in life that her physical affection can be a death sentence. Entering the Fae community not only gave her more understanding of the world around her, but also a community where being herself wasn’t inherently seen as wrong.

For those who enjoy fantasy, Lost Girl captures both the best and worst parts of being different from others, a concept inherent to Heartstopper as well. Whether you view it as an extended metaphor for sexuality or simply a component of the larger worldbuilding, Lost Girl is all about being true to yourself and finding joy in your truth, even when the rest of the world wants to destroy you for it. It’s certainly not an obvious parallel to Heartstopper, but it is a fantastic option for those who want the core of Nick and Charlie’s journey, but with a more adult perspective (and magic) thrown in.

The Fosters and Good Trouble

Stream on Hulu

Yes, this is two shows, but since Good Trouble is a direct sequel to The Fosters, it only seems right to list them both. These were shows from ABC Family/Freeform that followed a family of adopted and foster kids as they grew up. The original began with Callie and Jude Jacob being fostered by Stef and Lena Adams Foster and the path their introduction takes the family on.

The Fosters ran for five seasons, after which Good Trouble began, following Callie and her adopted sister Mariana as they build their adult lives at a shared living space in Los Angeles. Both shows have prominent LGBTQ+ characters and focus on how families (and found families) navigate the world around them.

This is a great option for those who want to see how the heartwarming dynamics of Heartstopper would play out later in life. The characters consistently fight for each other, acknowledging their traumas and supporting each other through the other side. Ensemble dramas can be hard to keep balanced, but this franchise manages it through its dedication to authentic, yet optimistic, portrayals of flawed individuals trying to build stable lives for themselves and their loved ones.