Olivia Colman won't return for Heartstopper season three

Oscar winner Olivia Colman has announced that she won't be returning for the third season of Netflix's comedy drama show Heartstopper.

Featuring Kit Connor and Joe Locke in lead roles, the British series is written and created by Alice Oseman, and based on her webcomic and graphic novel of the same name.

The series mainly focuses on the story of Charlie Spring (Locke), a schoolboy who falls in love with classmate Nick Nelson (Connor).

Colman portrayed the role of Nick’s mum, Sarah Nelson, during the first two seasons of the show and is a firm fan-favourite.

“I couldn’t do number three. I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that,” Colman said. “I feel like I was part of one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been part of.”

Colman’s exit comes just a week after Netflix announced the premiere month for the new season of the coming-of-age queer series. Although she ruled out returning for season three, she said she is open to come for season 4 or even a spinoff series.

Patrick Walters, an executive producer on Heartstopper, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to confirm Colman’s exit from the show, saying “we really tried, but it wasn’t meant to be this season. What initially turned out to be disappointing news ended up leaving space for something different, but equally special- the feels will still be there, [don’t worry].” Responding to concerns about recasting Sarah for the third season, Oseman clarified that they did not recast the character.

Heartstopper began on Netflix with its first season in April 2022, followed by the sophomore chapter that was released in August 2023. The third season will premiere in October this year.