"the youth of today get a lot of screen time, but often, it feels distorted and removed from reality. Australian Dramedy series Heartbreak High breaks the mold."
--Vivien mansbach, 9th grade
The Australian Netflix show Heartbreak High, which came out in early 2022, and is loosely based on the ‘90s series of the same name, has garnered a lot of positive attention, both from viewers and reviewers. Many other dramatized high school tv shows, such as Euphoria, dial up the cliche to a point that probably isn’t relatable to any modern high schooler’s lives; as commentary youtuber imuRgency says in this video about Gen Z television, it feels like a bunch of college students, or even adults, were planted at a high school setting.
But Heartbreak High actually does a brilliant job at spotlighting Gen Z, representing and showing diversity in a non tokenized way, and creating rounded, real characters that feel like modern teenagers (though of course there are the quintessential teen drama running-through-the-gates-of-a-cemetery-being-chased-by-cops scenes) .The show opens with Amerie, our heroine, getting cut off completely from her best friend Harper, after they’d returned from a music festival in late summer. From there, Harper ends up ratting Amerie out for a map they made together of their classmates' sexual conquests, which lands everyone on it in a Sexual Literacy Tutorial (Also known as SLUTS) after school course. This lands Amerie in serious trouble; her reputation is ruined, and her friends have cast her to the wayside. Now, it’s up to her to rebuild what she’s broken, take a look at the past, and of course, get stuck in a love triangle. It’s a simple plot, but the characters are what really makes it shine.
The show is able to carry out the diversity we are overdue for seeing on screen – characters like Darren Rivers, a biracial and nonbinary person, who is living with their mom and her degenerate, pronoun-dissing boyfriend, and eventually, gets kicked out to live with their white father, a failed writer. Father and child clash over Darren’s proud queer identity, as well as barriers of race and money; their father demands rent when they start working at a burger joint. Darren brings humor and depth to the show, without being limited to the cliched sassy queer person of color we’ve seen so many times.
Heartbreak High also breaks Autism spectrum stereotypes with Quinni Gallagher - Jones, a young Autistic lesbian writer. Historically, autistic representation in television has been limited to straight, white guys. Not only does Quinni’s character bring recognition to one of the most underrepresented groups, but the show is also extremely faithful to the experiences of sensory overload and neurodivergence as a teen. Quinni broke barriers for viewers who could see themselves in her experience, and also provided real examples of how those people experience life for those with less knowledge. Quinni’s pioneers positive representation of LGBTQ love on and off the spectrum, but we also see her grapple with the toll that this relationship dynamic can take, and the alienation autistic teens face throughout the dating and social climate. Her romantic journey feels genuine and real; it’s teenage, imperfect.
Often, in shows like this, teenagers are portrayed as having exhilarating love lives and getting caught up in all sorts of romantic conundrums. Though Heartbreak High is, at a surface level glance, about sex and love, it's much more layered than that. For Amerie and Harper, romance is used as a weapon; none of the boys that are being fought over are actually worth it, and this is part of the journey the characters go through. None of the relationships are perfect – Quinni struggles with her neurotypical girlfriend, and Amerie and Harper toss around several nearly interchangeable dicky guys in service of the larger story.
Of note is the relationship between Darren and Ca$h, a mulleted ‘eshay’ drug dealer repeating senior year. Ca$h’s character is one of the most artfully crafted. He’s in a tough situation, living with his spritely grandmother and trying to get out of the roadman-y gang of scumbags he’s known forever. His and Darren’s love affair is touching in the best way; it gives you just enough to not make you cringe. The show does an excellent job of portraying Ca$h’s love for Darren, as well as grappling with his asexual identity, which is something we rarely see in media, period, but even less so with male characters.
Lastly, trauma and PTSD, which are two favorite plot devices for teen dramas, are done very well for Heartbreak High. Harper, Amerie’s ex-bestie, whose trauma event is the basis for the whole show, is a really well done example of how family addiction, sexual assault, and going through something alone can cause you to push away those closest to you. We watch Harper come to terms with the past in real time, and mend the bridges she’s burned, and even come to climax in a dramatic revenge scene so delicious you’ll be laughing along maliciously.
Heartbreak High is just the beginning of the Gen Z rep we need, but it will also serve as a good template for future screenwriters. It’s a show that feels both genuine and dramatic. It’s hilarious, but it also deals with issues that are very real to modern young people. Even if eclectic, potty-mouthed Australian teens getting caught up in dramatic, romantic, ridiculous, real situations isn’t your cuppa, check out Heartbreak High on Netflix if you want to see who this generation really is.
But Heartbreak High actually does a brilliant job at spotlighting Gen Z, representing and showing diversity in a non tokenized way, and creating rounded, real characters that feel like modern teenagers (though of course there are the quintessential teen drama running-through-the-gates-of-a-cemetery-being-chased-by-cops scenes) .The show opens with Amerie, our heroine, getting cut off completely from her best friend Harper, after they’d returned from a music festival in late summer. From there, Harper ends up ratting Amerie out for a map they made together of their classmates' sexual conquests, which lands everyone on it in a Sexual Literacy Tutorial (Also known as SLUTS) after school course. This lands Amerie in serious trouble; her reputation is ruined, and her friends have cast her to the wayside. Now, it’s up to her to rebuild what she’s broken, take a look at the past, and of course, get stuck in a love triangle. It’s a simple plot, but the characters are what really makes it shine.
The show is able to carry out the diversity we are overdue for seeing on screen – characters like Darren Rivers, a biracial and nonbinary person, who is living with their mom and her degenerate, pronoun-dissing boyfriend, and eventually, gets kicked out to live with their white father, a failed writer. Father and child clash over Darren’s proud queer identity, as well as barriers of race and money; their father demands rent when they start working at a burger joint. Darren brings humor and depth to the show, without being limited to the cliched sassy queer person of color we’ve seen so many times.
Heartbreak High also breaks Autism spectrum stereotypes with Quinni Gallagher - Jones, a young Autistic lesbian writer. Historically, autistic representation in television has been limited to straight, white guys. Not only does Quinni’s character bring recognition to one of the most underrepresented groups, but the show is also extremely faithful to the experiences of sensory overload and neurodivergence as a teen. Quinni broke barriers for viewers who could see themselves in her experience, and also provided real examples of how those people experience life for those with less knowledge. Quinni’s pioneers positive representation of LGBTQ love on and off the spectrum, but we also see her grapple with the toll that this relationship dynamic can take, and the alienation autistic teens face throughout the dating and social climate. Her romantic journey feels genuine and real; it’s teenage, imperfect.
Often, in shows like this, teenagers are portrayed as having exhilarating love lives and getting caught up in all sorts of romantic conundrums. Though Heartbreak High is, at a surface level glance, about sex and love, it's much more layered than that. For Amerie and Harper, romance is used as a weapon; none of the boys that are being fought over are actually worth it, and this is part of the journey the characters go through. None of the relationships are perfect – Quinni struggles with her neurotypical girlfriend, and Amerie and Harper toss around several nearly interchangeable dicky guys in service of the larger story.
Of note is the relationship between Darren and Ca$h, a mulleted ‘eshay’ drug dealer repeating senior year. Ca$h’s character is one of the most artfully crafted. He’s in a tough situation, living with his spritely grandmother and trying to get out of the roadman-y gang of scumbags he’s known forever. His and Darren’s love affair is touching in the best way; it gives you just enough to not make you cringe. The show does an excellent job of portraying Ca$h’s love for Darren, as well as grappling with his asexual identity, which is something we rarely see in media, period, but even less so with male characters.
Lastly, trauma and PTSD, which are two favorite plot devices for teen dramas, are done very well for Heartbreak High. Harper, Amerie’s ex-bestie, whose trauma event is the basis for the whole show, is a really well done example of how family addiction, sexual assault, and going through something alone can cause you to push away those closest to you. We watch Harper come to terms with the past in real time, and mend the bridges she’s burned, and even come to climax in a dramatic revenge scene so delicious you’ll be laughing along maliciously.
Heartbreak High is just the beginning of the Gen Z rep we need, but it will also serve as a good template for future screenwriters. It’s a show that feels both genuine and dramatic. It’s hilarious, but it also deals with issues that are very real to modern young people. Even if eclectic, potty-mouthed Australian teens getting caught up in dramatic, romantic, ridiculous, real situations isn’t your cuppa, check out Heartbreak High on Netflix if you want to see who this generation really is.