We’re getting closer and closer to the launch of Heartstopper Season 3, but before the episodes come out on Oct. 3, you can see what Nick (Kit Connor), Charlie (Joe Locke), and everyone else are up to in the first look photos. 

As series creator and author Alice Oseman previously told Netflix about Season 3, “We are doing something that will feel very different, and people will be surprised, and I can’t wait.” This doesn’t mean that the series will stray from its core message –– in fact, the first episode of Season 3 is titled “Love.” 

But, while Heartstopper always has and always will be about relationships, this time around the tone is a lot more grown-up. “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 continued. “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.”

The first look photos reflect these deepening realities, while also revealing moments of intimacy, joy, and the appearance of a brand new character for the series — Oliver (Jensen Clayden)!

As Oseman tells Tudum, “Oliver Spring will be making a small but festive appearance in Season 3 of Heartstopper as a younger cousin of Tori and Charlie. I’m so excited for the fans of the show to meet this beloved character from the comics!”

Enjoy the heartwarming Heartstopper photos now, and stream the new season on Netflix on Oct. 3.

Samuel Dore/Netflix

Samuel Dore/Netflix

Samuel Dore/Netflix

Daniel Escale/Netflix

Samuel Dore/Netflix

Samuel Dore/Netflix