Australian teen drama spends two weeks in streaming platform’s Top 10, while fans drive billions of views on social media
Netflix’s reboot of Australian drama Heartbreak High has become a global hit, racking up more than 33m hours of viewing time, the streaming company revealed on Wednesday.
The numbers make Heartbreak High the fifth most-watched series in English on Netflix this week – its second week in the Top 10 around the world since it launched on 14 September.
The reboot is loosely inspired by the original show – itself based on a feature film – which ran for more than 200 episodes from 1994 to 1999. Initially broadcast on Channel 10 and later on the ABC in Australia, it was eventually syndicated in more than 70 countries and translated into multiple languages.
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While the 90s version found a cult following for its gritty depiction of teen lives, Heartbreak High – Netflix’s second Australian original series after the reality series Byron Baes – has been described by Guardian reviews as “more ironic” and stylistically distinct, with “an upbeat, lighthearted tone”.
Set once again at the fictional Hartley high, the reboot follows a web of friendships – and fallings-out – tested by the revelation of an “incest map” chalked on a school wall exposing the sexual relationships among students.
The show has found many fans globally on TikTok, where the topic “Heartbreak High” has reached 200m views alone; adding associated hashtags takes that to 500-600m views, the platform estimated. On the platform, users are sharing clips from the show, posting reaction videos to pivotal scenes, and “fancams” – self-edited video compilations of their favourite characters.
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Online, fans have praised the show’s diversity, and specifically its depiction of an autistic character – Quinni, played by TikTok star and neurodiversity advocate Chloé Hayden. “Seeing this portrayal made me feel validated,” said one TikTok user.
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Netflix have yet to officially announce a second season of Heartbreak High, though there is speculation that it will be renewed imminently.
The success of the show has sparked debate around government-imposed local content quotas, which would require streaming services including Netflix to allocate a minimum amount of resources to produce Australian content.
The Australia New Zealand Screen Association – of which Netflix is a part – has argued against quotas. “Streaming services are making fantastic local shows,” the association’s chief executive, Paul Muller, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
This article was amended on 6 October 2022, to adjust the number of views of Heartbreak High-related content on TikTok, which were based on figures shared by TikTok that erroneously included unrelated hashtags.