British Comedy Guide

Sex Education to end with Series 4

Wednesday 5th July 2023, 3:47pm

Sex Education. Image shows from L to R: Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), Ruby Matthews (Mimi Keene)
  • Series 4 of Sex Education launches on Netflix on 21st September... however it will end the show
  • The new episodes see many of the characters at sixth form college, whilst Maeve is studying in a US university
  • Creator Laurie Nunn says "As the themes and stories of the new season crystallised, it became clear that this was the right time to graduate"

The trailer for the forthcoming fourth series of Sex Education confirms the hit comedy will end after this series.

Due to be published on Netflix on 21st September, the final series of the comedy will see Asa Butterfield and Ncuti Gatwa returning for one more set of adventures, but now they're in sixth form.

Netflix says: "Bittersweet as it always is to say goodbye, don't be too sad, because English teens Otis (Butterfield), Eric (Gatwa), Maeve (Emma Mackey), Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), Cal (Dua Saleh), Ruby (Mimi Keene), Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling), Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) and the rest of the gang will get a proper send-off with most of them starting off Season 4 not at Moordale, but at the high-tech, progressive Cavendish Sixth Form College.

"At their idyllic-seeming new school - there's yoga on the lawn, a welcoming, queer-friendly atmosphere and plenty of sustainability efforts to satisfy any health and wellness nut - they meet the new popular crowd, the Coven (Anthony Lexa, Felix Mufti, Alexandra James). There's even a rival sex therapist to Otis named O (Thaddea Graham) and a familiar face, Isaac (George Robinson), who's studying art.

"Also returning, of course, are Gillian Anderson as Otis' sex therapist mum, Jean, and the Groff family - Connor Swindells as Adam; Alistair Petrie as Adam's strict, ex-headmaster dad, Michael Groff; and Samantha Spiro as Adam's mom, Maureen Groff."

New cast members joining the show include Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy, who plays Thomas Molloy, a tutor to Maeve.

Sex Education. Thomas Molloy (Dan Levy)

The official blurb for the new series explains: "Following the closure of Moordale Secondary, Otis and Eric now face a new frontier - their first day at Cavendish Sixth Form College. Otis is nervous about setting up his new clinic, whilst Eric is praying they won't be losers again. But Cavendish is a culture shock for all the Moordale students - they thought they were progressive but this new college is another level. There's daily yoga in the communal garden, a strong sustainability vibe and a group of kids who are popular for being... kind?! Viv is totally thrown by the college's student-led, non-competitive approach, while Jackson is still struggling to get over Cal. Aimee tries something new by taking an Art A-Level and Adam grapples with whether mainstream education is for him. Over in the US, Maeve is living her dream at prestigious Wallace University, being taught by cult author Thomas Molloy. Otis is pining after her, whilst adjusting to not being an only child at home, or the only therapist on campus..."

Series creator Laurie Nunn explains: "We have skipped forward in time a couple of months. Maeve is in America, which is where we left her on the bus, going off to study. The Moordale Secondary students are starting at a new school called Cavendish College, which is very different from Moordale. It's very progressive and woke, and it makes the Moordale students feel like they're little fish in a big pond."

Nunn has also written a letter to fans, to explain why the show is ending. It says: "It's been a while since you heard from us. This Autumn we're back with Season 4, coming to Netflix on September 21.

"A lot has happened since our first writers room in 2017, when we spent a month in a cramped office above a sex shop, talking about what it felt like to go through puberty. The painful awkwardness, first crushes and big, big feelings. We wanted to make a show that would answer some of the questions we all used to have about love, sex, friendship, and our bodies. Something that would have helped our inner teenagers feel a little less alone. It's been overwhelming seeing how the show has connected with people around the world, and we hope it's made some of you feel a little less alone too.

"Writing this feels bittersweet, as we've decided the fourth season will also be the final instalment of our show. This was not an easy decision to make, but as the themes and stories of the new season crystallised, it became clear that this was the right time to graduate.

"We are incredibly proud of Sex Education and feel indebted to our brilliant writers, cast and crew who put so much heart into making every episode. They have worked tirelessly to bring you this final season, and we can't wait to share it with you.

"Goodbyes are the worst, but let's celebrate all the good times we've had."

Below is the trailer:

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