I’m Obsessed With This ‘Heartbreak High’ Throwback To The ’90s Series
If you’ve just absolutely inhaled Netflix’s Heartbreak High, then you’re not alone.
The reboot has been a breakout hit, sitting pretty in the top 10 of Netflix’s TV charts in 43 countries around the world. Heartbreak High is also currently one of the most watched TV shows globally on Netflix, amassing over 18 million hours of viewing in the last week alone.
In short, the Australian series has done us goddamn proud.
The eight-episode series is a contemporary revival of the beloved ’90s teen drama that aired from 1994 to 1999. The reboot returns to Hartley High, focusing on a bunch of students who are forced to attend Sexual Literacy Tutorials — aka SLT — after a ‘sex map’ is discovered linking them together based on their rumoured sexual exploits.
It gives Sex Education meets 13 Reasons Why vibes, making for completely addictive viewing.
While most of the cast is made up of new Australian talent, a few familiar faces have popped up, which will be a massive throwback for fans of the OG series. Darren’s father starred in the ’90s series as Rivers, with 46-year-old Aussie actor Scott Major reprising his iconic role in the Netflix series.
An eagle-eyed TikToker noticed the little easter egg and we are living for it.
@saintvalentinee #heartbreakhigh #heartbreakhighreboot #netflix ♬ original sound – Whointheworld
Rivers gives a few nods to his character on the original series, but the most obvious reference occurs is in the final episode when he tells Darren at the diner that in his younger years he was “racist, sexist, and homophobic,” which all checks out as the ’90s drama was a far cry from the inclusive and progressive 2022 reboot.
Then in a moment which had me screaming, it’s revealed that Darren’s boss is Chaka, played by Isabella Gutierrez, a character who dated Rivers on the original series. ICYMI: the teens broke up due to Chaka moving to Darwin. Chaka and Rivers are reunited in a cute moment at the diner, leaving Darren confused. “It’s a long story going back to our own Hartley days,” Rivers tells Darren.
Scott Major shared a sweet snap of the two OGs together on the red carpet.
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In the reboot, Rivers even wore a shirt that appeared on the original series. The ’90s nostalgia is real.
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Obsessed!
@gemreadingsmut The same shirt? #heartbreakhigh #heartbreakhighreboot #netflix #netflixoriginal ♬ Teenage Dirtbag – Sped Up (and she doesn’t give a damn about me) (Sped Up) – Wheatus
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The original and rebooted Heartbreak High seasons can be streamed on Netflix.