Heartstopper EP Patrick Walters has spotlighted the difficulty of getting YA projects made as he says the creative team is “working hard” on landing a fourth season of the Netflix smash.
Speaking to the present funding challenges in the drama market, Walters explained at Series Mania that best YA shows often come from “nascent IP or original ideas that are hard to get over the line.”
“I think it’s because the audience is specific, the worry is does it feel niche and is it speaking to a wide enough audience in this specificity,” said Walters, who also produced Sky-Starz’ Sweetpea via his See-Saw Films-backed label fanboy. “The best YA nails those young voices, the current mood of a generation in whatever way and it’s about trying to do that ina. way that allows your broadcasting partner to say, ‘yes, and this will also connect widely’.”
Fans are desperate for a fourth season of Heartstopper but Netflix is yet to officially announce. At the same time, YA smashes like Maxton Hall and Culpa Tuya break records.
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Walters said “there are lots of moving parts” on a potential Season 4 and “we are working hard on it,” but added that he doesn’t have a formal update. Last month, we wrote about the Heartstopper renewal conundrum. Season 3 of Heartstopper amassed 10.9 million views from its Oct. 3 release until the end of 2024 to rank #130 among all of Netflix’s programs from June to December last year, according to the streamer’s latest report.
Walters said he has witnessed worsening funding challenges over “seasons and seasons with Heartstopper,” along with the “production complexities of making and commissioning TV in this moment.”
“The challenge is what you need to do in this moment is to pitch something that feels specific and there is precedent for it and it is moving the conversation on,” he added. “But that is a risk. Often I find you want to gravitate towards risky material and it needs that passion – but that’s a challenge.”
With Sweetpea, he says there was risk as the adaptation was a “big swing.” He also talked up the way in which Sweetpea star Ella Purnell was part of the show’s creative conversation by having a producer credit.
“Sometimes I feel there is resistance in empowering key creatives into that EP position alongside the execs of a production company,” said Walters.
He was speaking a fortnight after See-Saw Films was acquired by French giant Mediawan, and told Series Mania he “hopes” there could be future collaboration between his label and others in the Mediawan stable.
Walters was speaking at Series Mania in Lille, which runs till tomorrow. Others who have spoken include James Norton and Sally Wainwright.
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