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27 April 2022

Heartstopper receives rare 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes

Netflix's adaptation of the hit LGBTQ graphic novel series has been universally praised by fans and critics alike.

By Alastair James

Words: Alastair James; pictures: Netflix

Unless you’ve been completely off social media the last few days you’ll have missed the tidal wave of love and adoration that has come in the wake of Heartstopper‘s release on Netflix.

The show about high schoolers Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson finding one another and their budding relationship is a step forward in terms of LGBTQ representation on screen, particularly for telling an uplifting queer narrative.

The show has been universally praised and therefore we would expect, and accept, nothing less than a 100% critical approvalmrating on the review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes.

“I’m so proud of us”

Currently (Wednesday 27 April) the show has a golden rating based on 21 reviews. Out of the two ratings – fresh and rotten – no one gave it the latter. Justifiably so, in our opinion!

The show is also scoring 98 percent based on audience reviews calculated from nearly 1,600 reviews. 

Retweeting the news, Heartstopper lead, Joe Locke (Charlie Spring) said: “I’m so proud of us.”

One fan described Heartstopper as the “show of the year”, which we think is also a fair assessment. 

Based on the popular web-comic by Alice Oseman (who also wrote the TV show) the series is aimed at a young-YA demographic, but despite this still has broad appeal. 

One of the most recurring sentiments voiced online is that the show is the kind of representation many LGBTQ people wished they’d been able to enjoy when they were growing up.

The feeling is that seeing positive representation of LGBTQ people, who aren’t overly sexualised or suffering some horrendous trauma, would have spared many the feeling of being something ‘other’ and ‘different’. 

Heartstopper is a normal story about two normal people, and their friends, discovering their identity and falling in love. While they face real-world obstacles on that journey, they ultimately make it which is just as much a possibility in the real world. 

Other TV shows and films might have us believing otherwise. 

Alice Oseman told Attitude previously that focusing on positive stories was a focus from the get-go.

“We also need stories that are happy and spread joy. It’s just so uplifting to watch [the show] and it will spread a lot of joy.”

Locke agrees with her in his cover interview for the Attitude May/June issue saying: “I think it’s really important to push the idea that no matter who you are, or what you identify as, or your sexuality, you’re allowed happiness.”

The Attitude May/June issue is out now.

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