Heartbreak High

I don't often write reviews, but I felt this series needed some serious vindication.

Firstly, I've never seen the original so this was completely fresh for me.

Secondly, I think the comparisons to 'Sex Education' (which I'm a huge fan of) are just lazy; Sex Education did not invent the archetype of hormonal teenagers, I mean come on 🙄

The acting is solid, the stories are entertaining and reasonably unique and the inclusion, at least for me, did not feel tokenistic in the slightest; Australia, particularly in inner city suburbs, is hugely diverse, and this show provides an 'accurate' (as much as a tv show can be) and entertaining portrayal of modern teen life.

Give it a go, and if you can spare yourself the unfair comparisons to other shows that strike a passing resemblance, you might actually enjoy yourself.

Finally, autistic actors are being casted to play autistic characters. This series was the first time I've ever seen myself authentically represented on-screen, the first time I've seen myself shown as anything other than a punchline or a cause for pity. I hope this is the start of change for representation of autistic people in media.

As an Australian teenager, a lot of the media I come across is heavily Americanized and not at all relatable, so this was definitely a welcome change. This is an incredibly candid and funny look into what modern adolescence in Australia is really like, and I'm looking forward to seeing more.

I have never seen an accurate representation of myself in any serie. Quinni was the first autistic girl I have seen accurately portrayed how it feels to be afab and autistic. Not the classic white boys like sheldon and sherlock. And to top it off, Quinni was actually played by an autistic actor! I finally felt really understood.

Not to even talk about the lgbt+ representation. For once one of the main characters was an amab nonbinary person of colour. I loved how diverse this cast and characters was.

I would definitely recommend you watch this series if you want to see yourself represented. I'm sure at least one of the characters are relatable for you.

Season One: 9/10

Themes: High School, Drama, Friendship, Romance, Lgbtq+, Gay, Lesbian, Non-Binary, Asexuality, Sexual Assault, Autism, Sex Education, Police Violence, Parties, Popularity, Troubled Teens & Australian.

Review: I was very pleasantly surprised with this series and I can honestly say I was invested. I thought the acting was great, the storyline was well-crafted and the writing was pretty ace too. All around, it was well done! The characters were also well-developed and they were all interesting in their own way. Almost all of them annoyed me in some way or another, but that also made them seem more real, I guess. I definitely have characters and storylines I prefer over others, but generally the whole series intrigued and entertained me! It was fun, emotional and surprising.

Top four characters: 1) Darren Rivers, 2) Harper McLean, 3) Douglas 'Ca$h' Piggott and 4) Quinni Gallagher-Jones.

Synopsis ¨Heartbreak 22¨ follows a almost identical format to the original series, but very current and updated.

Analysis: reboots generally are interesting. The tap into a brand, with a dedicated fanbase they can be tricky when it comes to the reactions of old fans. Personally as a 84 born kid I really wanted to like it, but there was a bit of concern. After watching the first two episodes it's easy to admit how well it is done. Realistic, fun and captures the spirit of Heartbreak High very well.

The great thing about the series though is that is it just as relatable a the originals. One warning the 3rd and 4th episode are really not great, they go into an Americanized format of a high school drama and bank only on the sex. Don't worry after a de-tour around the 5th episodes it pick up again.

Story: all the dramas and shananigans that teenagers go through during the high school

Dialogue: 10/10 fantastic Costume / Decor: 10/10 as realistic as can be

Anything else: very excited to see to series unfold as it is going. And I hope this series with catch on with a whole new generation. Coz that is where the real success is measured.