‘Sex Education’ To End With Season 4: The Premiere Date & Everything Else You Need To Know

Netflix has many hit TV shows to offer viewers, but Sex Education just might be one of its most successful shows. Not only was it created by the talented Laurie Nunn, but it also stars some pretty impressive up-and-coming actors. For those not familiar, some of the cast includes Asa Butterfield, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, and more. And then there’s Gillian Anderson, of course.

The first season of the show premiered in January 2019 with season 3 ending in September 2021. Fans have been anxiously awaiting the fourth season, which will premiere in 2023. However, season 4 will be the final season of the critically-acclaimed series. From the release date to the hilarious first teaser, here’s everything you need to know about Sex Education season 4.

Is Sex Education Coming Back For Season 4?

Fans of the show will be relieved to know that, yes, season 4 of the hit TV show is on the way. The official Instagram account for Sex Education officially announced that they were filming the next installment with a first-look photo on August 19, 2022. “Sex Ed S4 is officially in production and @instadanjlevy [Dan Levy] has joined the cast as Mr Molloy!! As Maeve Wiley once said… see you soon,” they captioned the snapshot. Filming commenced earlier in 2023.

On July 5, 2023, Netflix released the first teaser trailer and announced that season 4 would be the final season. Creator Laurie Nunn penned a heartfelt letter to the fans of the show:

“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.”

The letter continued, “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 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, we can’t wait to share it with you. Goodbyes are the worst, but let’s celebrate all the good times we’ve had.”

Sex Education Season 4 Release Date

Sex Education season 4 will premiere on September 21, 2023. All episodes of season 4 are expected to drop all at once.

Many of the show’s fans have been eager to know when the release date will be revealed leaving a plethora of comments on a previous teaser video. “It’s been so so long please tell when is it coming????” one fan begged, while another chimed in, “EXCITED.” Well, now we have an answer!

Sex Education Season 4 Cast

It has been confirmed that many of the show’s beloved characters will return for season 4. The streaming platform announced that Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy was joining the cast. Emma Mackey is also reprising her role as the beloved Maeve Wiley.

In February 2023, the 24-year-old Barbie actress opened up about the show’s next chapter and playing the pink-haired rebel. “There are certain key moments in everyone’s respective lives where I think it’s important to take stock and think really clearly about where you want to go and the kinds of things that you want to make and for what reasons,” she told Total Film.

The actress later went on to chat about the next “phase” of her career. “Without falling into, like, legacy and what you want to leave behind because we’re not missionaries, it is something we’re so privileged to even be able to audition for things and to be able to get roles, so [you need to] make sure that they’re the right ones and you get to explore and stretch out. There are different phases and now is definitely the phase where I want to try everything,” she noted.

At the 2023 BAFTAs, Emma said season 4 will likely be her last. According to PEOPLE, she said the following in the press room, “[Will I be back for] season 5 or 6? Bloody hell, I’ve just finished the fourth one, love — last week! No, I don’t think so. I think, yeah, I’ve said goodbye to Maeve. It’s a happy goodbye.”

Others returning for season 4 include Asa, Gillian, Ncuti, Tanya Reynolds, Connor Swindells, Mimi Keene, Aimee-Lou Wood, Kedar Williams-Stirling, George Robinson, Chinenye Ezeudu, Dua Saleh, Alistair Petrie, Samantha Spiro, Jim Howick, Rakhee Thakrar, and Daniel Ings.

Dan isn’t the only new cast member coming to Sex Education season 4. New faces include Thaddea Graham, Lisa McGrillis, Marie Reuther, Jodie Turner-Smith, Eshaan Akbar, and newcomers Felix Mufti, Anthony Lexa, Alexandra James, Reda Elazouar, Bella Maclean, and Imani Yahshua.

Ahead of season 4, Laurie opened up to NPR about what inspired the show. “Well, the show originally came to me as a seed pitch. So the producers had come up with the concept of what would happen if we put a teenage sex therapist onto a school campus. So as soon as I sort of read the pitch, I just knew that this was a world that I wanted to develop,” she said in September 2021.

What Will Happen In Season 4?

The official season 4 logline reads: “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…”

It is likely fans will get an answer as to who Otis will end up with. Spoiler alert, season 3 showed a romance grow between Otis and Ruby. However, when Ruby confessed her love, Otis didn’t reciprocate, and that led to their split. Maeve and Otis finally shared a steamy kiss, but it’s unclear if they will end up together as she parted ways with him to attend a gifted students program and noted she would see him “soon” at the end of the season.

Creator Laurie Nunn revealed to Tudum that the show will have “skipped forward in time a couple of months” when season 4 begins. “Maeve is in America, which is where we left her on the bus, going off to study,” she said. “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.”

She also teased Thaddea Graham’s character, who will be a new rival for Otis. “She’s just brilliant,” Laurie gushed about Thaddea. “That was a really specific bit of casting that we knew we needed to get right because it had to be someone who could keep Otis on his toes. Otis starts at Cavendish, and quickly realizes that his ambition to start an ethical new sex therapy clinic has been thwarted because there’s already a talented sex therapist called O on campus, and this becomes the catalyst for Otis’ journey in series 4.”

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