Netflix has been having a difficult week, but it seems it finally has something to celebrate with the success of a new drama.
It was revealed at the end of last week that the streaming giant has lost 200,000 subscribers since the beginning of 2022, leading to $50 billion falling off the company's value.
That was swiftly followed by news that Netflix has re-evaluted many of its in-development projects, with the streamer's animation projects hit particularly hard. A slew of negative headlines have followed over the weekend, with many commentators signalling that this may represent the tip of the iceberg for Netflix.
A tricky time for sure, but, amidst all that, Netflix finally have something to celebrate – and it's down to its new teen drama Heartstopper.
Heartstopper is a coming-of-age drama, adapted from the Webtoon comic and graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman. Set in the fictional Truham Grammar High School in England, the story follows student Charlie Spring, who falls in love with his classmate Nick Nelson. We follow the pair's developing feelings and the lives of their friends and parents as it develops.
It landed on Netflix on April 22 and has gotten off to a great start.
Is Heartstopper a hit then?
With critics, it is most definitely a hit. The show has earned the coveted and rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics universally praising the show.
Reviewers have praised the show's feel, inclusivity and gentle power in its storytelling, with plaudits also coming for the performances of stars Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao, Yasmin Finney and Corinna Brown.
Additionally, the show has also been a hit on social media, with Variety reporting that engagement on Twitter in the days after its debut has been huge. Heartstopper has enjoyed 929,000 engagements on the platform, putting it straight at the top of the Variety's Trending TV chart, with more than double the level of engagement of the second placed show, Euphoria.
Can we expect more Heartstopper?
The show has been adapted from the first two volumes of Oseman's graphic novel series. There are two further volumes already published and a fifth and final instalment in due in the coming months. So there's plenty of material to draw for another season.
All this early praise and social media heat would suggest that it's looking good for Heartstopper, but, as the makers of Archive 81 will tell you, great reviews aren't always enough to save you from Netflix's axe.
