This wonderful series was written and co-directed by Kj Kieras and Bentley Eldridge
BY ASH MANGANARO, IMAGE BY THIRD CHARM FILMS
“Everyone’s gay and no one dies” sounds like a dream tagline for any queer storyline, well wait ‘til I tell you, this is the tagline of your newest series obsession while you await season three of Heartstopper. Not only does nobody die, but it also has some of the best queer rep yet; a non-binary lesbian (including casually binding safely on screen), a Latinx lesbian, a black bisexual girl, a black gay trans guy, and a Jewish non-binary person, all trying to save their high school’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). Alongside the obligatory tangle of love stories embedded in every YA creation. Better yet I’m obsessed with their opening song, which is also featured in Heartstopper!
Okay, so you’ve probably gathered Hetero has preoccupied a lot of my brain since I discovered it before it even got made! Third Charm Films has gone through a massive journey since 2020. Not only did they make an entire TV series during a global pandemic, but they were only 18!
It has been written and co-directed by Kj Kieras and Bentley Eldridge, with a whole host of other wonderful queer young people on the crew, please read more cause these guys are truly the future of the film and TV industry.
Back on the theme of the show, at just 15-minute-long episodes + behind-the-scenes bloopers, season one of Hetero has currently available for free to watch on YouTube since August 2022 but has been campaigning to get picked up by a network to widen its viewership. Since season one wrapped their plan is to revamp it as a feature film, including additional clips hetero fans will have their eyes glued to, hopefully seeing more of the series’ most adorable non-binary x cheerleader couple, Quinn and Olivia. Their hope is to “generate interest from a production company to help us continue it” for season two.
This show is easy to fall in love with and relatable for many of today’s young queer people, and while having major production companies support, both financially and in the media, it’s also so incredibly beautiful to watch a passion project develop; completely uncensored and only aiming to satisfy our community’s hunger for authentic representation rather than a CEO who only craves figures.
So if you’ve got an hour free, instead of scrolling through TikToks and Reels, why not give this charming little show a chance before their feature film comes out this autumn?!
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