Olivia Colman To Return For Heartstopper Season 2

The first season of the Netflix adaptation of "Heartstopper," Alice Oseman's series of graphic novels, was a smash hit, earning a perfect 100% rating from critics and a 97% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The series stars Joe Locke and Kit Connor as young budding couple Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson, and they were joined in Season 1 by Yasmin Finney ("Dr. Who"), Sebastian Croft ("Doom Patrol"), and Corinna Brown ("Doctors"). The cast of mostly relative newcomers was bolstered by talented veteran actors like Fisayo Akanade ("Atlanta," "Romeo and Juliet") and Olivia Colman ("The Crown," "Fleabag").

The nine episodes that were released this past April covered just two of Oseman's seven books in the series, leaving plenty of room for many more chapters of the Netflix program. In May, The Verge reported that the series had been renewed for at least two more seasons, but little else was known about the future of "Heartstopper" until a tweet from the streamer earlier today laid out some casting details for Season 2. But just who is returning, and what new faces might fans see in "Heartstopper" Season 2?

The mention of Olivia Colman's return (she plays Nick's mother, Sarah) comes at the very bottom of the announcement, along with the confirmed returns of Chetna Pandya ("Black Mirror") as Coach Singh, Alan Turkington ("The Man From U.N.C.L.E.") as Mr. Lange, and Fisayo Akanada as Mr. Ajayi.

But returning stars weren't the only significant mentions in the announcement. Joining "Heartstopper" for Season 2 will be Thibault De Montalembert as Nick's father Stephane, Bel Priestley as Naomi, and Ash Self as Felix. Priestley and Self will be making their acting debuts, and "Heartstopper" will continue its standard of placing members of the LGBTQIA+ community front and center with its casting. Kit Connor recently came out as bisexual on Twitter but said he felt "forced" to do so by some of the show's fans. Writer, director, and showrunner Alice Oseman showed her support in a reply to Connor's tweet, writing, "I truly don't understand how people can watch Heartstopper and then gleefully spend their time speculating about sexualities and judging based on stereotypes. I hope all those people are embarrassed as F***. Kit you are amazing."

With the returns of Colman and Akanada and the introduction of Priestley and Self, Connor should enjoy as much on-screen support in Season 2 as he has from Oseman. She told Variety, "If 'Heartstopper' helps a young queer person in their coming out journey, or if it helps a parent understand their child a little bit better, it is the most lovely and heartwarming thing you could hear and makes it feel like it's all worth it."