Olivia Colman will not be seen in the third season of Heartstopper

Olivia Colman will not return for season three of Netflix series Heartstopper. “I couldn’t do number three. I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that,” the Oscar-winner told Forbes in an interview today. And it’s not because she doesn’t want to. Colman, who recurred in the series as Sarah Nelson, called the series “one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been part of.”



Shortly after the first season was released, Heartstopper received a rare - for Netflix - two-season pick-up.

Netflix announced last week that the eight-part season three will be available to stream in October.

Creator Alice Oseman took to her Instagram Story last week to discuss the series' evolution in season three.

“Nick’s story from the comics is still there, still infinitely important to me, and Sarah’s role as emotional support for Nick will shift to other characters in the story for now. If we get a season four, I would love for Olivia to be a part of it again!”

In Season 3, per the official logline: “Charlie would like to tell Nick that he loves him. Nick also has something important to say to Charlie. As the summer holiday ends and the months race on, the friends begin to realize that the school year will come with both its joys and its challenges. As they learn more about each other and their relationships, plan social events and parties and start thinking about university choices, everyone must learn to lean on those they love when life doesn’t go to plan.”

As they learn more about each other and their relationships, plan social events and parties, and begin to think about college choices, everyone must learn to lean on those they love when life doesn't go according to plan.”

Sources reported last year that Heartstopper is one of Netflix's highest-rated series with a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The series has also been praised for its LGBTQ representation. The series topped the Twitter trends for several weeks and catapulted leads Kit Connor and Joe Locke to celebrity status. Their Instagram followers exploded from just over 100K each before the series premiere to 3.4 million (Connor) and 2.5 million (Locke). On TikTok, #heartstopper has been viewed more than 4.3 billion times.

The cast also includes Yasmin Finney, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell and Tobie Donovan.

The series is written and produced by Oseman, who also serves as showrunner. Patrick Walters produces and Andy Newbery directs season three.