It's been almost four years since the students of Hartley High crashed onto Netflix but season 3 — it's last — is, by all accounts, the best one yet.

But first, a brief summary, in case you've been hanging out in the teacher's faculty lounge for too long.

Created by Hannah Carroll Chapman, who was a huge fan of the 1994 original, she, along with producers Carly Heaton and Chris Oliver-Taylor from Fremantle injected the 2022 version with glitter, chaos, and a unique brand of Aussie audacity. It paid off: after spending five weeks in the Aussie Top 10; it soon went global.

The third and final season premieres tonight and for the graduating class of Hartley High, the vibes are shifting from "who's hooking up in the stairwell?" to "oh no, I have to be a functioning adult?"

Below, a few hints as to what we can expect from the actors themselves. We sat down with them to find out what went on behind the scenes, what they'll miss, and how they'll always be family, (cute).

Watch: Heartbreak High Season 3 Official Trailer. Post continues below.

Episode one opens with the sacred ritual of Australian schooling: Muck-Up Day. It's that special time in a Year 12 student's life where they are allowed to be a menace to society before the HSC. But in true Hartley style, a revenge prank goes horribly, spectacularly wrong.

Now, Amerie, (Ayesha Madon) and the gang have to cover up a massive secret or risk losing their futures before they've even had their first legal drink.

James Majoos (who plays Darren) sums it up perfectly: "It felt like graduating high school, kind of like all acting jobs. But we know we'll keep in touch, and we feel like family now."

Ayesha Madon (Amerie) is equally sentimental, noting that while wrapping feels like the end of an era, "we definitely will stay in touch."

Chloé Hayden (Quinni) adds that no matter where they bump into each other, whether it's a red carpet premier or on the street, it feels like they "saw each other just yesterday."

It wasn't all tears and long goodbyes, though. There were memes, ( "A succulent Chinese Meal" is the cast favourite). And apparently, a legendary amount of sticky date pudding, courtesy of on-site catering, something the entire cast says they'll miss.

Regarding the "will-they-won't-they" tension between Amerie and Malaki, Madon notes there is "a level of closure but also a level of open-endedness" and believes fans will be satisfied with how things end. Thomas Weatherall (who plays Malaki) is a bit more cryptic, saying, "I do think they say what they need to say." 

Though there is one revelation Madon gave us, and it changes the way we think about the entire show. "Sasha, (Gemma ChuaTran) and I played the entire three seasons as if we were in love."

Excuse me, what? Well, this explains a lot. And, to be fair, best friendships in high school really do have all the intensity of first love.

Meanwhile, Will, who plays Douglas "Cash" Piggot, talks about his close, enduring friendship with co-star and onscreen love interest, James, who plays Darren, who is non-binary.

"I'm very proud to say that James is now a really good friend of mine," he says. "We hung out a lot and there were periods of time where, in terms of the writing, we weren't sure what direction they were going to go in, so James and I are super comfortable working with each other now — we have a shorthand."

At the other end of the spectrum is Spider's Redemption (or lack thereof): Bryn Chapman Parish is well aware of the online hate for Spider's "men's rights" phase. "There's only so much I can read before I think, 'oh they hate me!'" He admits before teasing that Spider might finally have a "lightbulb moment."

Whatever happens, one thing is certain: it's going to be dramatic, it's going to be hectic and, if it's anything like the smash-hit seasons of the last few years, it will leave us grateful for the beautiful, relatable mess that is high school in Australia.

Heartbreak High season three is now streaming on Netflix.

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Feature Image: Instagram/@netflixanz.