The biggest Netflix release next week is a returning fan favorite

In terms of Netflix’s new release slate over the upcoming week, we’re set to get the usual mix of Netflix originals and third-party titles — including everything from returning fan-favorite series to original documentaries and much more. As usual, one release stands out as the title that the vast majority of users will be spending time on, compared to other more niche additions like Chef’s Table: Noodles. And it just so happens that the big new title next week is a fan-favorite series that racked up tons of viewership for its previous seasons.

Heartstopperwhich is adapted from Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series of the same name, is one of Netflix’s best-reviewed series ever, and when Season 2 hit the streaming giant back in August of 2023, it racked up millions of views. On the whole, the show has been praised for its wholesomeness and its healing qualities, specifically for the way it always points toward the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, even when addressing serious issues.

For some additional perspective about what a major Netflix release Heartstopper is, Season 2 racked up 6.1 million total views after its premiere last year — making it #2 on the global Netflix Top 10 ranking during the viewing window of July 31-Aug. 6. “Season 2 ended with Nick beginning to understand the extent of Charlie’s mental health issues, and it’s this that will drive the story through Season 3,” Oseman said in a Netflix promotional interview.

“While Heartstopper will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up. Mental health, sex, university ambitions, and more: Nick, Charlie, and the Heartstopper “teens are getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears, and new joys as they approach adulthood.”

Oseman has also said the series will feel a bit more mature when it returns, which speaks to everything the characters have gone through up to this point. Along those lines, the eight new episode titles are: “Love,” “Home,” “Talk,” “Journey,” “Winter,” “Body,” “Together,” and “Apart.” If that wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, that first episode titled “Love” picks up with Charlie wanting to tell Nick that he loves him, while Nick is holding on to something important he has to tell Charlie.

What else to watch

Meanwhile, at the risk of stating the obvious: If a Heartstopper isn’t up your alley for whatever reason, there’s still plenty more to watch on the streaming giant next week. For a more comprehensive look at Netflix’s new release slate next week, including every title that’s being added on each day, our monthly Netflix guide is the perfect resource to consult.

That list includes a variety of other original Netflix releases and third-party titles hitting the streamer over the next several days, such as the seventh season of Love is Blindas well as volume 5 of Unsolved Mysteries. And if nothing new that’s added over the next seven days catches your eye, there are still some great titles we previewed last week — like the new romantic comedy series Nobody Wants Thiswhich pairs up Kristen Bell and Adam Brody and has a near-perfect critics’ score as of this writing.