It’s September 14, and you know what that means? Heartbreak High has officially landed on Netflix.
The series, which is a reboot of the ’90s original of the same name, centres around Amerie (Ayesha Madon), whose life turns upside down after her best friend Harper (Asher Yasbineck) dumps her just as she enters Year 11.
The teen drama has everything the original has to offer; however, it’s taken the ’90s Aussie hit and modernised it for 2022.
The cast is noticeably much more diverse and accurately represents what Australia actually looks like.
“I hope viewers see themselves. I think a lot of people who have never seen themselves represented will finally resonate with someone on screen,” Chloe Hayden told POPSUGAR Australia.
Hayden, 25, plays Quinni, a character with autism, and was diagnosed with autism and ADHD herself when she was 13. It’s one of the reasons her character is so important to her.
“It’s such a significant thing. Being able to see and identify yourself in media is such an important thing to have.
“For the first time, a lot of underrepresented people are going to see themselves in a great show with some really cool characters.”
The 2022 version of Heartbreak High carries the same premise, but rest assured, it’s not the same show.
The actors made sure to point that out, saying the show is a “reimagining rather than a reboot.”
“We’re not aiming to recreate it — it was amazing, and it happened — but we wanted to take the beautiful spirit of the old one, take the way it was so topical and tackled issues head on, and bring that into ours,” said Ayesha Madon.
“Should people expect the same series? Absolutely not.”
The cast, who are all much older in real life compared to their fictional personas, tapped into their teenage selves again to try and get into character.
James Majoos, who plays Darren on the show, reminisced on his Tumblr days and said it was surreal stepping into the classroom again.
“I listened to music that I listened to in high school and revisited my SoundCloud days. It was unreal,” he said.
Heartbreak High is the perfect binge-watch not only for teenagers but for those who grew up on the original.
Heartbreak High is available to stream on Netflix from September 14.
