‘Sex Education’ Is Saying Farewell With Season 4

Sex Education is back! After three years away from our screens, the Netflix hit series is gearing up for the release of its fourth season. If you’re as excited as we are and need to know EVERYTHING, then keep reading.

When will Sex Education season 4 be released?

We don’t have long to wait! The next season will drop on the streaming service on September 21. We suggest if you need a recap you get to rewatching ASAP.

Is Sex Education Season 4 the final season?

It is. The show’s creator and head writer Laurie Nunn announced that Sex Education would end following season four’s release.

In a heartfelt message posted to Instagram, Nunn wrote that choosing to end that show “was not an easy decision to make” but that she was “incredibly proud of” the series:

“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 installment of our show. This was not an easy decision to make, but as the themes and stories of the new season crystallized, 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.”

Nunn concluded with, “Goodbyes are the worst, but let’s celebrate all the good times we’ve had.”

Is there a trailer for Sex Education season 4?

Yes, there is. You can watch it here:

Who is returning for the final season?

Asa Butterfield will return to his lead role as Otis Milburn alongside Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effiong. Emma Mackey is set to reprise her role as Maeve Wiley along with Aimee Lou Wood as Aimee Gibbs.

Other stars returning include:

Gillian Anderson as Jean Milburn

Mimi Keene as Ruby Matthews

Connor Swindells as Adam Groff

Kedar Williams-Stirling as Jackson Marchetti

Chinenye Ezeudu as Vivienne ‘Viv’ Odusanya

Alistair Petrie as Michael Groff

Rakhee Thakrar as Emily Sands

Unfortunately, the lesbian super-couple that is Ola Nyman (Patricia Allison) and Lily Iglehart (Tanya Reynolds) announced that they will not be returning.

Regarding her departure, Allison told Capital XTRA:

“I have absolutely have loved being on Sex Education so so much and playing Ola, but unfortunately I won’t be joining the team for season four. I’m so sorry to have to break that to you guys but I’m just gonna be doing some other little things, some other opportunities come up.

I’ve been doing it for three years and I’ve genuinely loved it so much. I have to say goodbye sometime which is kind of sad but other things are coming and that’s really exciting.”

Reynolds spoke about leaving the series during an interview with Radio Times:

“I’m not [returning], actually, which is sad, very sad. I loved every minute of it and I loved Lily with my whole entire heart. Three seasons was just a really perfect amount for me.

It’s just the natural progression of these shows—when you have such big ensemble casts and so many characters, I think you have to let a few older characters go to make way for newer ones, which is absolutely the right thing, the way it should happen.”

In 2022, Simone Ashley, who played Olivia Hanan, told UK morning show This Morning that her focus has shifted to another Netflix series. When asked if she was returning to Sex Education, Ashley said, “I get asked that all the time. No, I’m a Bridgerton girl now.”

Before it was announced that season 4 would be the last we’d see of the Moordale School lot, Gatwa revealed that this would be his last appearance as Eric as he is set to play the 15th Doctor in the upcoming season of Doctor Who.

What is the plot of Sex Education season 4?

Well, we can expect the final season of Sex Education to focus on the characters graduating after finishing sixth form. There are quite a lot of ongoing storylines, but the ones that are probably most anticipated are Maeve’s return from America and the state of her relationship with Otis, as well as the fallout from Jean’s cliffhanger at the end of season 3.

In one of the last scenes, Jean receives the paternity test results of her newborn daughter Joy. Though we don’t see them, her quiet “Oh, shit” suggests that Orla’s dad, Jakob (Mikael Persbrandt), whom she’s been seeing might actually not be the baby’s dad. Oop!

(featured image: Netflix)