Cue the leaves, Heartstopper Season 3 is coming, and now you can mark it down on your calendars because the official release date has been announced in the clip above. It also features an exclusive snippet of “Bird of a Feather” from Billie Eilish’s upcoming album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.

In Season 3, Nick and Charlie’s relationship deepens and our favorites will face their biggest emotional challenges yet. 

You may recall, moments before Heartstopper Season 2 concludes, Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) further solidify their feelings for each other in a deeply emotional conversation. As vulnerable and honest as their heart-to-heart is, it seems there are things still left unsaid.

“I love your hair. I love your eyes. I love …” Nick says to Charlie, his words fading into an unfinished sentence. Moments later, Charlie has to leave, but as he walks home with his phone in hand, he types a message to Nick: “I love you.” Charlie’s thumb hovers over the “send” button as the episode ends.

Now series creator and writer Alice Oseman is dishing about what to expect from the next installment of Heartstopper. “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 told Netflix. “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 conclusion of Season 2 follows the spirit of the original comics, which were also written and illustrated by Oseman, but also diverges a bit. “In the comics, there are a couple of moments where Charlie thinks he’s going to say ‘I love you’ and then decides not to, but the actual cliff-hanger at the end of Season 2 is not something that is in the comics,” Oseman told Tudum.

Whether the finale of Season 2 left you sitting there wide-eyed, trying to will Charlie’s finger to press “send,” or teary-eyed from the moving exchange you’d just witnessed, you’re probably dying for more information on when Nick, Charlie, and the gang will be back in your life. So, let’s talk about what to expect in the future.

When is Heartstopper Season 3 out?

All eight episodes of Heartstopper Season 3 come to Netflix on Oct. 3. 

Oseman teased that we can expect a more mature series when Heartstopper returns. “In Season 1, they feel like kids, but now they are definitely teens,” she said. “The actors are a lot older as well, so I think that just automatically ages up the show.”

Heartstopper Season 3 Announcement

What will happen in Heartstopper Season 3?

The Season 3 premiere, suitably titled “Love,” picks up with Charlie eager to tell Nick that he loves him and Nick holding on to something important he has to say to Charlie. As the summer holiday ends and the months race on, the friends begin to realize that the school year will come with both its joys and its challenges. As they learn more about each other and their relationships, plan social events and parties, and start thinking about university choices, everyone must learn to lean on those they love when life doesn’t go to plan.

After all, as Oseman confirms, relationships will always be at the heart of the series. “The key to each season is thinking about each couple and how their relationship can progress in some way,” she said. 

Still, you can also expect Heartstopper Season 3 to offer something new to its fans. “I’m so excited because it’s going to feel like a really different season, and I love that we are doing something different,” Oseman said. “It would be easy to be like, ‘Oh, Heartstopper Season 3, let’s just do the same kind of thing that we’ve always done. People like it.’ But we are doing something that will feel very different, and people will be surprised, and I can’t wait.” 

As far as significant changes go, one detail has been confirmed: It’s been established that Ben (Sebastian Croft) won’t be returning in Season 3. But Oseman isn’t revealing anything else about the show’s future beyond that. 

When is Heartstopper Season 3 filming?

As announced on Oct. 2, Heartstopper Season 3 is “officially in production” — so you can officially start getting excited for the next chapter. What does the future hold for your favorite characters? You’ll find out soon enough, because it’s all coming together!

Jonthan Bailey Joins Heartstopper Season 3

Are there any new characters in Heartstopper 

Season 3? 

Yes, there will be. Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter, Black Mirror) will play  Nick’s aunt, Diane, who takes Nick on a summer holiday to Menorca and “has some tough advice to impart about his relationship,” Oseman told Netlfix. Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan, Fair Play) will portray beloved graphic novel character Geoff, Charlie’s wise and straight-talking therapist; Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Crashing) will cameo as Jack Maddox, an Instagram-famous classicist and Charlie’s celebrity crush.

“It was an absolute joy to see Hayley, Eddie, and Jonathan’s talent alongside our existing cast, and I can’t wait for the Heartstopper fans to meet these new characters,” said Oseman. 

Additionally, Heartstopper will welcome another graphic novel character in Season 3: Michael Holden, played by Darragh Hand. Michael is also a protagonist in Oseman’s first novel, Solitaire. Oseman described Michael as a “quirky, eccentric optimist with a sunshine disposition” in a Instagram post from November. In Oseman’s novels, Michael is a love interest for Charlie’s older sister, Tori (Jenny Walser).

“I was very nervous and excited to begin the search for our Michael … It was a challenge to find someone who I felt truly channeled Michael from the books,” Oseman wrote on Instagram. “But then Darragh came along and warmed our hearts, made us all laugh so much, and perfectly complemented Jenny Walser’s Tori Spring.” 

What should I do while I wait for Season 3? 

In the meantime, you can uncover all of the Easter eggs in Season 2 that you might have missed on your first watch, lose yourself to the show’s heartfelt soundtrack, or spend a bit more time with Locke.

Additional reporting by Ariana Romero.

Watch Two Heartstopper Stars Award Superlatives to Costars — and Each OtherThey’re all winners in our hearts.