How long do we have to wait before we can expand our sex knowledge pool? How long do we have to wait before we finally see Otis, Maeve, and others battling through another year of high school? If you’ve been wondering these questions, then welcome aboard, because we are sailing in the same boat, mate. We know that there will be a lot of changes in Moordale Secondary School. The season 3 finale revealed that as new day dawns, Moordale descends into darkness, as its future is in jeopardy.
Although it’s the fourth year, the teenagers haven’t graduated from high school. But that does not mean that everyone will be sticking around till the end. So, the question arises, who are there in Sex Education season 4? But more importantly, when will Sex Education season 4 hit Netflix? No matter how ardently we wish the series to hit the official streamer soon, unfortunately, it is not on the list of June ‘23 releases. With the looming possibility of season 4 being the last season, fans have been (impatiently) waiting for the season to release or at least get some news about the release date.
Although it’s been quite a while since we have been acquainted with Otis and his gang, we have gathered all the latest crumbs of information that we can gather all this time and prepared a full course meal of Sex Education information for you. So, go ahead and relish it!
When was Sex Education renewed for a fourth season?
Sex Education was renewed for a fourth season on September 25, 2021. This exciting announcement was made during Netflix’s TUDUM event. The renewal does not come off as a surprise, owing to the series being one of the most popular Originals, whose fame and audience are exponentially observing a rising graph. Moreover, being the flagship comedy series for the streaming service, it has ricocheted the charts and made a seemingly permanent position on the top 10 lists around the world.
The latest season of Sex Education has even been successful in dethroning Lucifer from its top spot. Additionally, it boasts a number-one spot on Netflix in 70 different countries including the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Based on Netflix’s top 10 data released in August 2022, season 3 of Sex Education is touted to be one of the biggest shows of the month of September.
Breaking News out of #TUDUM!
Sex Education has been renewed for Season 4! pic.twitter.com/8N2WwNLqoG
— Netflix (@netflix) September 25, 2021
What can we expect to happen in Sex Education Season 4?
The official outline of Sex Education season 4 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 at 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 the 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…”
In conversation with ELLE, Emma Mackey who is reprising the role of Maeve, spilled some beans regarding the future of Maeve, saying, “I’m excited for her to make some new friends, to open up a bit more and be exposed to a different culture, to a different kind of world. Because she’s only ever lived in her little tiny bubbles. How is she out of that bubble?”
Speaking to Radio Times, Butterfield shared his insights regarding the evolution of the show, which the fans can expect to see in the fourth installment as well. He said, “We’re in the new school, new locations, and things have changed up a bit. And we’ve got some new characters.
“It’s still got the core team involved and it’s been fun. I mean, we all know each other so well at this point, so it’s a great time and it’s a laugh.”
When it comes to Aimee, she is still struggling with the ramifications of the sexual assault on a bus that happened in season two. Consequently, she broke things off with her boyfriend and started seeking therapy with Jean. The actress Aimee Lou Wood who plays the role told Digital Spy:
“Aimee’s had all these voices around her, talking about what she’s been through, and telling her what she’s been through. Everyone’s trying to help, but it’s not until that moment in therapy… She’s fallen out with Maeve, her one best friend. She’s been told, ‘You should break up with Steve’.
“She’s never been without a boyfriend. Everything that she’s afraid of, comes true. And actually, she realizes, ‘Oh my God, I’m okay. Even though all these really terrifying things have happened, I’m still here, and I’m still okay.'”
During the promotion of Living, the actress reiterated Butterfield’s point of novelty in the fourth season, saying:
“The characters feel like they’re in very new territory because they literally are, they’re at a new school. A lot of our feeling slightly off-center is actually also just because of what is happening in the story which is that they are [at] a new school.
“Aimee, particularly, her best friend’s in America, she doesn’t have a boyfriend for the first time ever, she’s at a brand new school where she doesn’t have any mates. So there’s a lot of newness for all of the characters and I think that that does make the show feel very new.” (via Digital Spy)
If everything’s new, does that mean we will also be seeing more new faces than the old ones? Here’s the answer.
Who are the expected cast members of Sex Education season 4?
Season 4 will be the harbinger of a lot of changes. If you haven’t heard it yet, then you should know that season 4 will be losing three of the female characters – Simone Ashley (Olivia Hanan), Patricia Allison (Ola), and Tanya Reynolds (Lily Iglehart). Their exits have been voluntary.
In a conversation with Digital Spy, Tanya Reynolds said, “Lily is not coming back either. I think that for Lily, her storyline was just wrapped up quite nicely at the end of season three. So she’s got no loose ends to tie up, she had quite a happy ending.’ Furthermore, she added, ‘At the end of last season, everyone kind of gets scattered, and I think that’s just a good opportunity to bring in some new characters.’ She also mentioned how she will ‘absolutely miss her’ and the gang she worked with for three seasons. However, she stands firm by her decision because it ‘kind of feels very right. It felt like it was my time.”
Upon being invited to Capital Xtra’s breakfast show, Patricia who reprised the role of Ola also mentioned something about her leaving Sex Education. She said, ‘I 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.’ She mentioned her cause for leaving the series as to the arrival of other opportunities.
Emma Mackey, one of the lead roles of the series, who played Maeve, said to Hunger, ‘Sex Education is so momentous as a concept, as a show, and the cast is phenomenal. I genuinely care about them all a lot and I made lifelong friends. But the bittersweet nature of it is that I also can’t be a 17 my whole life.’
Considering her success with Bridgerton season 2, Simone Ashley has also refused to return for Sex Education season 4. ‘I get asked that all the time. No, I’m a Bridgerton girl now.’ She said to This Morning hosts Vernon Kay and Josie Gibson when they asked her whether she would return in the fourth season.
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Joining this list, unfortunately, we have the English teacher Emily Sands, played by Rakhee Thakrar, who confirmed that she won’t be joining for season four of Sex Education. Hinting at future projects, the actress shared that she won’t be able to disclose the reason she won’t be back as Emily.
In addition, Jim Howick, who reprised the role of Emily’s partner, music, and science teacher Colin Hendricks for three seasons, revealed that he doesn’t know for sure whether he’d be back for season four in August 2022.
Speaking to Digital Spy, he said, “I’ll probably find out soon, and I’m pretty sure I am, I would know if I wasn’t. I think I’m probably in it, but probably in second block, and that films until February. So we’ve got ages to go…I don’t want to say anything for definite because in these situations, you just don’t know obviously.”
Apart from these members, the confirmed cast of Sex Education season 4 includes:
- Gillian Anderson as Jean Milburn
- Asa Butterfield as Otis
- Emma Mackey as Maeve
- Ncuti Gatwa as Eric
- Connor Swindells as Adam
- Aimee Lou Wood as Aimee
- Kedar Williams-Stirling as Jackson
However, as mentioned earlier, Mackey and Gatwa have confirmed that season four will be their last. Expect Emma to have a scaled-back role in the fourth installment. In 2023, after winning the Rising Star award at the Baftas, the actress confirmed that she has “said goodbye to Maeve.” Not only that, but Ncuti also shared an Instagram photo in February 2023 of his trailer door, implying that it was his last day as Eric.
On the brighter side, Dan Levy has been reportedly cast in the upcoming fourth season of Sex Education. He will be playing the role of a famous author, Thomas Molloy, who is also Maeve’s course tutor in an Ivy League College in the USA. Not only that but Mimi Keene, the actress playing the role of Ruby, is also confirmed to be returning for season 4. Does her arrival mean that with Maeve in the USA, Otis and Ruby will get back together?
In November 2021, one of the writers of the show, Krishna Istha, put out a casting call to the public, in search of two new characters to feature in season 4 that have been referred to as trans “power couple.” These two characters are called Abbi (aged 18-23) and Kent (aged 18-23).
In addition to these roles, below-mentioned are the new faces joining the fourth installment of Sex Education:
- Thaddea Graham
- Marie Reuther
- Felix Mufti
- Anthony Lexa
- Alexandra James
- Reda Elazouar
- Bella Maclean
- Imani Yahshua
When can we expect Sex Education season 4 to stream on Netflix?
As mentioned in previous reports, the filming for Sex Education season 4 began last summer. However, Digital Spy reports that the filming will continue till February 2023. According to Netflix Life, “This is a show that doesn’t take too long to film, and post-production is nothing like the scale of the likes of Shadow and Bone and The Witcher. This helps to keep the wait to a minimum.”
The official streamer recently confirmed on their Tudum website that the show will be back in 2023.
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Will there be a Sex Education season 5?
At the time of writing this article, there has been no information regarding the renewal of Sex Education for a fifth season. In a conversation with RadioTimes, Aime Lou Wood expressed the uncertainty of the show, saying:
“I’m not sure because there’s a part of me that could just do it forever. But there’s also a part of me that’s like, ‘No – we’ve all got to go and do different things and play different parts. It’s a bittersweet thing because it probably is, even if it’s not this series, it probably is closer now to ending than it is to the start. Which is sad but also probably in many ways, will be positive. I always think leave them wanting more as well. Always leave them wanting more.”
Not only that, but Asa Butterfield corroborated this common feeling of uncertainty while talking to Digital Spy, “I don’t think it needs more than four or five [seasons]. But who knows.”
Would you like to watch a fifth season of Sex Education? Drop your opinions in the comment section below.
For more release date updates on Sex Education season 4, stay tuned to Web News Observer!