Why Netflix Canceled Heartstopper After Three Seasons

"Heartstopper" is set to end with a showstopper; the sweet teen romance series will cap off its three-season Netflix run with a film-length conclusion, according to Variety. Fans of the series, which follows a group of mostly queer high school students experiencing the dizzy highs and angsty lows of first love, are hyped for more "Heartstopper" — even if the show isn't actually getting a fourth season.

The romantic drama gained critical praise and a strong following from the moment it premiered on Netflix in 2022, in part due to the built-in fan base of the "Heartstopper" webcomics and graphic novels. With series author Alice Oseman on board the TV adaptation (the writer executive produced the show and penned every episode) and tender lead performances from young stars Joe Locke and Kit Connor, "Heartstopper" seemed to steal the whole world's heart. Hell, the show even won two GLAAD awards for its wholesome portrayal of blossoming teen love. So why didn't "Heartstopper" get renewed for a full fourth season? It's not exactly clear, but we do know that the movie avenue wasn't the original plan.

The official "Heartstopper" movie announcement was quickly followed by a Tudum interview with Oseman in which they expressed a whole lot of excitement for the film — and a dash of surprise, too. "I totally understand if fans are a little apprehensive," Oseman admitted in response to a question about the upcoming adjustment. "It's a big change from what we know. It's something totally new and unknown, and yes, the runtime will be less than a TV season." She continued: "Even I needed some time to process and come to terms with the change. But once I began to see the entire vision, I knew it would be something even more beautiful than a regular season could achieve."

It's always tough to see through the PR filter of an interview that's conducted by a company's in-house press, but it's obvious from Oseman's comments that they at some point expected the show to continue on in a serialized format. Instead, Oseman will now write the film, with "Still Alice" filmmaker Wash Westmoreland directing. This isn't an entirely unprecedented change-up; when they don't axe them completely, streamers like Netflix have occasionally made a practice of ending fan-favorite shows with an abbreviated batch of episodes or a movie rather than a full-length final season. The streamer employed the tactic with the Wachowski sisters' ambitious sci-fi project "Sense8," and has essentially turned "Stranger Things" into a series of increasingly long, expensive movies throughout its five seasons.

While some shows are given feature film endings to create extra must-see-TV hype, in the 21st century, the finale movie has so far more often signified that a show isn't pulling in the audience numbers execs think it needs to in order to justify its existence. At the same time, the powers-that-be likely still don't want to sour creative relationships or tick off passionate fandoms by cutting a story short. In the past, cult favorite shows like "Veronica Mars," "Deadwood," and "Firefly" have all earned endcap films thanks almost entirely to the fervor of fans. While it's unclear whether any of these reasons contributed to the "Heartstopper" switch-up, it's worth noting that Oseman similarly credits the people who have cheered the show on for getting it this far. "The excitement and joy from 'Heartstopper' fans is such a huge part of why we are still able to tell this story, years later," they told Tudum.

The longer, unbroken format might be a shock to the system compared to the previously bite-sized treat of a show, but Oseman and the series' cast and crew (including Locke and Connor, now with executive producer credits) plan to pull out all the stops. The film's plot will pull from the sixth volume of Oseman's comics, which is partially available online, but the author notes that we should expect "some tweaks" and surprises from the original story. "We are feeling very ambitious about what is possible in a movie format," Oseman says, promising a story of love and growth that's "memorable, sophisticated, and atmospheric."

The "Heartstopper" finale film does not yet have a release date, but Variety reports that filming will begin in summer 2025.