Summer's hottest TikTok fandom is the 'Big Three:' Heartstopper, Young Royals & RWRB
Summer's hottest TikTok fandom is the 'Big Three:' Heartstopper, Young Royals & RWRB
These three LGBTQ+ shows are being paired together on the video-sharing platform
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If you’re on any form of 1BookTok, chances are you’ve seen references to the current “Big Three.” That is, Heartstopper, Young Royals, and Red, White, and Royal Blue. This bandwagon is a worthy one to hop on, 2IMO.
While only two out of the three are based on books, they all have a similar theme tying them together: boy-meets-boy in a world that can be pretty unfriendly to boys who meet boys.
This summer was a perfect storm for the merging of the three fandoms. Season 2 of Heartstopper and the release of the Red, White, and Royal Blue book adaptation both hit in August, while Young Royals is expecting its third and final season sometime soon.
Here’s a quick, no-spoilers synopsis of each:
Heartstopper 🇬🇧: Social opposites Charlie and Nick grapple with what they mean to each other at their British, all-boys school. With a great ensemble cast and beautiful cinematic moments, this show lives up to its title. Based on Alice Oseman’s comics. (Netflix.)
Young Royals 🇸🇪: Prince Wilhelm and Simon are drawn to each other after the Swedish prince is forced to move to boarding school due to a viral social media post. The soundtrack and plot twists are unparalleled. The show stays pretty dark, as a warning. (Netflix.)
Red, White, and Royal Blue 🇺🇸: Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of an American president, meets British Prince Henry after a wedding gone wrong. It’s a feel-good story at the end of the day that amuses with clever international wit. An adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s book. (Amazon Prime Video.)
The 3user-generated TikTok content inspired by these shows is amusing, to say the least. With videos ranging from Taylor Swift 4edits to serious side-by-side comparisons, there’s plenty of fan fodder to go around. Best of all, any one of these series is a worthy standalone obsession.
In terms of my personal preference, Young Royals was my favorite with Heartstopper in a close second. I would recommend reading the book before watching the Red, White, and Royal Blue adaptation, just so you know the original heart of the storyline when experiencing Amazon’s take.
If you don’t believe the hype, as of writing this, the Heartstopper hashtag on TikTok has 14 billion views, while Young Royals and Red, White, and Royal Blue sit at 4.9 billion and 1.9 billion views respectively.
All that to say, it’s not too late to end your summer with a “Big Three” binge.
My weekly roundup:
🎶 What I’m Listening To: Not to sound repetitive but…GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo
🎞️ What I’m Watching: Bottoms directed by Emma Seligman
🔎 What I’m Reading (along with almost every other journalist I know): USA Today Hiring Taylor Swift Reporter by Jaden Thompson
📱 What I’m Scrolling: Selena Gomez at the VMAs
Read the full Gen Z Dictionary here.
BookTok: An unofficial term for the algorithm on TikTok that targets book lovers
IMO: In my opinion
User-generated content: Social media posts created by fans, rather than companies
Edits: Fan-made videos, usually spliced together quickly with clips from the show