Why won't there be a Heartstopper season 4?

However, it turns out fans will still get to see more from the love story between Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), just in a different format.

The show's third season took the characters on a rollercoaster journey, but ended on a positive note that could have potentially served as the show's end. However, Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman has repeatedly expressed expressed a wish to bring the final graphic novels to live-action too.

So what's the news regarding the future of Heartstopper, and why won't there be a season 4? Read on for everything you need to know.

Why won't there be a Heartstopper season 4 on Netflix?

After months of waiting for news, it was announced in April 2025 that Heartstopper will not be returning for a fourth season, and the storyline will instead be brought to a close with a movie.

The final film is set to shoot this summer, and is being adapted by Alice Oseman from her own upcoming sixth volume in her graphic novel series.

When the news was confirmed, Oseman said in a statement: "I am completely overjoyed that we will get to tell the end of the Heartstopper story.

"I’m so grateful to everyone who has worked hard to make this possible and to the incredible fans of Heartstopper for your patience and passion. I cannot wait to bring this story to a magical conclusion."

This comes after Oseman told fans in February 2025 that she and the team were "working very hard" to get more episodes made.

"It is still ongoing, we don't have a final answer yet, but there are so many people behind the scenes who are working really hard to make it happen," she told crowds during a panel at Waterstones Children's Book Festival.

Oseman continued: "We're feeling optimistic, we're feeling hopeful, and hopefully we'll be able to share some news about that sometime soon. Fingers crossed. Thank you so much for watching!"

The writer first hinted towards a film as the finale when speaking with Deadline, saying that Heartstopper would only need one more instalment – "whatever it could be" – to wrap up the adaptation.

In another interview, Oseman reiterated (via TUDUM) that she "would love to tell the end of the story in TV form" and that she'll "let fans know" any concrete updates as soon as possible.

Read more:

• Joe Locke on Heartstopper season 3, filming sex scenes and famous fans
• Kit Connor on "sweet and tender" sex scenes in Heartstopper season 3
• Heartstopper's Alice Oseman opens up on tackling sex and mental health in season 3

Back in 2022, Oseman told RadioTimes.com that the fourth season – now a film – could well be the last.

"It would probably be four seasons to cover the full story," she told us. "I haven't done any in-detail planning or anything, but it's quite easy to divide up the books into seasons, so four I think would do it."

What will happen in Heartstopper's future and who will return?

Heartstopper's season 3 ending found our characters at a crossroads, with Nick considering moving to Leeds for university, but fearing what it could mean for Charlie and their relationship.

That's not the only major change, either; Elle is eyeing a move across the channel to study art in Europe, while Tara wants to go travelling on a gap year to help relieve the built-up stress of her exams.

Charlie is refocusing on his studies as his health is getting back on track, but his sister Tori is experiencing an internal crisis as she tries to grapple with her confusing feelings towards Michael.

In short, we can expect more relationship drama and journeys of self-discovery in the Heartstopper film, taken from volume 6 of the graphic novels.

The official synopsis for the film says: "With Nick preparing to leave for university and Charlie finding new independence at school, the reality of a long-distance relationship begins to weigh on them. Doubts take hold, and their relationship faces its biggest challenge yet."

Oseman's sixth and final volume is yet to be released, but the writer previously said of it when speaking with The Guardian: "I’m really excited about what’s going to happen towards the end of the story, but it’s also very bittersweet.

"I also feel it’s absolutely the right time for it to end. It’s very sad, but it’s time."

Sounds like we could be left weeping by another emotional farewell – get your tissues at the ready.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the cast, Kit Connor and Joe Locke, who will also serve as executive producers on the film, are currently the only ones to have been confirmed for the film.

In spite of this, we'd still expect all of the principal cast members to return.

That includes Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Tobie Donovan, Rhea Norwood and Leila Khan as Charlie and Nick's loving friendship group.

Meanwhile, it seems likely that Jenny Walser and Darragh Hand will be back for the film, with the relationship between Charlie's sister, Tori, and her maybe-boyfriend, Michael, still requiring some ironing out.

The big question is whether any of the show's big name guest stars will return.

Olivia Colman had to skip Heartstopper season 3 due to a scheduling conflict, which means that Nick goes on holiday with his Aunt Diane (Hayley Atwell) instead. However, in a meta reference, he says that he hopes his mum can join them "next year".

It suggests that a return for the world-famous Colman isn't off the table, but it's too soon to say whether she or Atwell will be back for the film.

Here's a reminder of all the key players in the Heartstopper season 3 cast:

• Kit Connor as Nick Nelson
• Joe Locke as Charlie Spring
• William Gao as Tao Xu
• Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent
• Corinna Brown as Tara Jones
• Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson
• Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson
• Jenny Walser as Tori Spring
• Cormac Hyde-Corrin as Harry Greene
• Rhea Norwood as Imogen Heaney
• Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid
• Hayley Atwell as Diane
• Bradley Riches as James McEwan
• Fisayo Akinade as Mr Ajayi
• Nima Taleghani as Mr Farouk
• Chetna Pandya as Coach Singh
• Jack Barton as David Nelson
• Georgina Rich as Jane Spring
• Eddie Marsan as Geoff
• Joseph Balderrama as Julio Spring
• Momo Yeung as Yan Xu
• Stephen Fry as Headmaster Barnes
• Jonathan Bailey as Jack Maddox
• Bel Priestley as Naomi Russell
• Ash Self as Felix Britten

Heartstopper seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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