Renewed on September 25, 2021, Sex Education season 4 has every fan of the series twiddling their thumbs to watch it on Netflix. Owing to the exponential popularity and fame, the renewal is a no-brainer. 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.
A quick fact: 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.
With such a dapper reputation, who wouldn’t want to watch the fourth season after all? And if you have not been living under the rock, then you know the good news already. The release date of Sex Education season 4 is out with a trailer and the fans are going loco!
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, will Sex Education season 4 seal the fate of the show?
Spoiler alert: You’re not going to like the answer.
Will Sex Education season 4 be the final season?
Unfortunately, yes! The upcoming installment of Sex Education season 4 will officially seal the fate of the show, and as fans, we’ll have to bid our adieus by the end of it. Speaking to Tudum, creator Laurie Nunn commented about the fourth season and it being the last, saying: “It’s the end as we know it.”
However, Nunn also shared that it was never planned to be the final season. Eventually, during the process of sketching out the characters and their lives, “it just started to feel very clear that the stories were coming to an end, the characters were being left in a place that I felt really good about it. I felt happy for them, and I felt like I’ve said everything that I want to say with these characters at this time.”
We know how hard it must be to imagine how we’ll never know what happens to our favorite characters once they turn into adults. But you don’t need to be down in the dumps right now because we still have one season to go, and we know it will not be disappointing.
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…”
Speaking to Tudum, creator Nunn talks about the time-lapse of a couple of months, where Maeve is in America, and the Moordale Secondary students will start a new journey in Cavendish College, which is very “progressive and woke, it makes the Moordale students feel like they’re a little fish in a big pond.”
Not only that, but the creator also shared some of the themes which will be underscored in the upcoming season like “the idea of failure”, identity, and acceptance. “With that, mental health goes hand in hand.”
In a 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.
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.
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.
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.
Joining this list, unfortunately, we have the English teacher Emily Sands, played by Rakhee Thakrar, who confirmed that she wouldn’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.
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 reportedly been 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 the trans “power couple.” These two characters are called Abbi (aged 18-23) and Roman (aged 18-23). These characters are now confirmed to be reprised by Lexa and Mufti, respectively.
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
Felix Mufti, Anthony Lexa, and Alexandra James will play the new popular group called “the Coven.” Nunn shares her excitement about fans meeting them as “they’re a lot of fun.”
Thaddea Graham is confirmed to play Cavendish’s new rival for Otis. Nunn praises her character, saying that “she’s just brilliant” and is capable of keeping “Otis on his toes.” Teasing at what might happen in Sex Education season 4, Nunn shares, “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.”
What is the release date of Sex Education season 4?
Last year of school, hop on this bus on September 2, 2023!
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!