Sex Education – Picture: Netflix
Sex Education is returning to Netflix for a fourth season but it won’t be on Netflix until 2023 at the earliest therefore it’s going to be a long wait until we return to Moordale Secondary School. Here’s a rundown of everything we know so far about Sex Education season 4.
The raunchy and rambunctious comedy has never failed to disappoint. I n fact, each season gets stronger thanks to its genuine character growth, a great story, and the care and attention it takes to address sex and relationships of all different shapes and sizes.
The show first debuted on Netflix back in January 2019 with season 3 arriving on September 17th, 2020.
Has Sex Education been renewed for a fourth season?
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Renewed on September 25th, 2021
Unsurprisingly, Netflix has renewed Sex Education for its fourth season. The news broke during Netlfix’s TUDUM event.
There has never been any doubt that Sex Education is still one of the most popular Originals in its arsenal, and as the flagship comedy series for the streaming service, it’s no wonder on its return that it had an instant impact on the top 10 lists around the world.
Breaking News out of #TUDUM!
Sex Education has been renewed for Season 4! pic.twitter.com/8N2WwNLqoG
— Netflix (@netflix) September 25, 2021
At the time of writing Sex Education has snatched away the top spot from the final season of Lucifer, and is currently holds the number one spot on Netflix in 70 different countries including the US, UK, Australia, and Canada.
Through Netflix’s new top 10 data, we can see that season 3 was one of the biggest shows of the month of September.
Between September 12th and October 24th, the show was watched for over 447,750,000 hours globally. We also saw season 1 and season 2 enter the global top 10s too, suggesting that even more people decided to jump into the show or plenty of people were going back and rewatching.
| Week Period | Hours Viewed(M) | Rank | Week in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 12th, 2021 to September 19th, 2021 | 125,770,000 | 1 | 1 |
| September 19th, 2021 to September 26th, 2021 | 160,420,000 (+28%) | 1 | 2 |
| September 26th, 2021 to October 3rd, 2021 | 72,870,000 (-55%) | 1 | 3 |
| October 3rd, 2021 to October 10th, 2021 | 42,120,000 (-42%) | 3 | 4 |
| October 10th, 2021 to October 17th, 2021 | 28,190,000 (-33%) | 3 | 5 |
| October 17th, 2021 to October 24th, 2021 | 18,380,000 (-35%) | 7 | 6 |
When can we expect to see Sex Education season 4 on Netflix?
We’ve been lucky to receive a season of Sex Education every year since it was first released on Netflix in January 2019. However, the fourth season will be the very first of the series to break the streak.
Over the last few months we’ve seen numerous reports of when the show is due to get filming.
Production listings as of June 2022 suggest that the series will begin filming in July 2022 but not wrap up until at least March 2023 (this is longer than the November 2022 wrap date we previously reported). Of course, filming schedules are subject to change Netflix themselves are yet to fully reveal when filming begins.
Given the information we know about season 4 of Sex Education, we speculate a summer 2023 release at the absolute earliest.
Sex Education – Picture: Netflix
What to expect from the fourth season of Netflix?
Just like the end of every season of Sex Education, we’re left with plenty of questions for the next season.
Otis x Maeve Back on Track?
Just as the pair finally admitted their feelings for each other a new romance was blossoming, Maeve dropped a bombshell that she would be going to the US for a couple of months putting the relationship on hold for now.
We’ll get the chance to see what the future holds for their relationship when Maeve gets back from America, but two months apart, and time abroad could see a radical change in Maeve upon her return.
Regarding the future of Maeve, Emma Mackey told ELLE “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?”
Otis and Maeve’s first kiss on the school trip – Copyright. Eleven Film
Independent Eric
Eric is often the voice of reason for Otis and a lot of the time has helped by being the moral compass of the series. However, that hasn’t stopped him from cheating on both boyfriends he’s had. First, he cheated on Rahim with former bully Adam, and then while in Nigeria he cheated on Adam with photographer Oba.
Eric has broken up with Adam so that he can explore his sexuality without being tied down to a relationship. How Eric wishes to explore his newfound confidence remains to be seen, but there is a chance he’s put Adam and Rahim on a collision course for their own relationship.
Eric and Adam were once happy in their relationship – Copyright. Eleven Film
Who is Joy’s real father?
With the birth of his little sister Joy, you’d think that Otis, Jean, Ola, and Jakob could look forward to life as a happy family. However, Jean received some unwelcome news while at the hospital, heavily suggesting that Jakob may not be the father of Joy after all.
We know Jean had a healthy sex life before meeting Jakob, having regular encounters with Dan and Harry. And while Jean only kissed her ex-husband Remi, was it actually something more that we didn’t see on-screen?
We did see Dan return in season 3, having a brief comedic moment outside of the hospital joking about the possibility of the baby being his. It’s between Dan and Remi who the potential father is, which is guaranteed to break Jakob’s heart again.
A heavily pregnant Jean – Copyright. Eleven Film
Will Cal find themselves a relationship?
Cal is only one of two students that we know of at Mooredale Academy that identify as non-binary. By the end of the season, Cal befriended Layla, another non-binary student who struggled throughout the season preferring to follow rules and avoid conflict, even if that mean conflicting with their beliefs.
Layla had been hurting themselves, not as a form of self-harm, but was uneducated on the right attire to help look less feminine. Thanks to Cal, Layla now has the right idea on how to help themselves while preparing for school.
Just because Cal and Layla are the only non-binary students, that doesn’t mean they should instantly be together, but Cal made it clear to Jackson that they needed to be in a relationship where Cal was not seen as a woman. Of all the students in the school, Cal and Layla will understand each other the most, which could lead to a potential relationship.
Cal defied Principal Hope on multiple occasions – Copyright. Eleven Film
The Future of Mooredale
The students of Mooredale were successful in their protest against principal Hope Haddon, but perhaps a little bit too successful.
The student’s very public and proud protest as the infamous “Sex School” left the board and investors to resort to desperate measures. Hope was removed as the head of the school, and the investors pulled their funding, leaving the board with little to no choice but to sell the school.
This has left the future of Mooredale in serious doubt as all the students are now going to be forced to find a new school to finish their secondary school education.
However, there is hope. When Jackson was reading his tablet the headline of the article he was reading said “Sex School Inspires Protests Around the Country!”. This means if multiple schools around the country are taking the same stance, then the government may have to make a choice about the future of how sex education is taught in the UK, leaving the door open for Mooredale to continue.
Mooredale Academy better known as South Wales Caerleon Campus – Copyright. Eleven Film
Will Otis revive the Sex Clinic?
With Otis and Maeve making up, and a lack of a decent Sex Education at Mooredale Academy could see Otis revive the sex clinic for wayward students needing help.
It certainly would be a great way to occupy Otis’ time while Maeve is in America. But with the removal of the old toilets, Otis will need to find a new “clinic” to give students advice.
The original “clinic” was the school’s old toilets – Copyright. Eleven Film
Which cast members can we expect to see in the fourth season of Sex Education?
We can expect the majority of the cast to return to reprise their roles in the next season of education.
These are the confirmed returning cast members:
- 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
Sex Education Season 4 casting for two new Trans characters
In November 2021, Krishna Istha (who serves as one of the writers on the show) put out a widely shared casting call looking for two new characters to feature in season 4 that have been referred to as a trans “power couple”.
The two new characters Netflix is casting for includes:
- Abbi (age 18-23) – Abbi is a young trans woman with a 90s Winona Ryder vibe, who is confident and self-assured in her gender identity. Abbi is the leader of her group and the queen bee of her college – every girl either wants to be like her, or be friends with her. She’s sunny, magnetic, generous and loyal. When Abbi came out as a trans woman, she was kicked out of the house by her conservative parents. She currently lives with her boyfriend, Kent, whose family are much more accepting. Abbi used to be religious, but had to move away from her faith when it started to damage her sense of self. She still considers herself ‘spiritual’, and attends a secular and inclusive congregation which celebrates community and chosen family.
- Kent (age 18-23) – Kent is trans-masculine, goofy, forgetful, and a great listener. He is Abbi’s boyfriend, and they’re the ultimate power couple – they’ve been together for a while and are the epitome of ‘couple goals’, everyone loves them. Kent isn’t as sure about being one of the popular kids as Abbi, but he knows himself and feels quietly confident about his final year at college.
New character called Joanna will recur in Season 4
We’ve also exclusively learned of a new character called Joanna who will feature in season 4.
We don’t know too much about the new character but has been described as a British woman in her early 40s, free-spirited and having a sense of humor.
Will there be a season 5 of Sex Education?
What’s unknown too is whether there’ll be more Sex Education after season 4.
Aimee Lou Wood told Radio Times that she’s not sure if the show could continue 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.”
Asa Butterfield concurred telling Digital Spy “I don’t think it needs more than four or five [seasons]. But who knows.”
On top of the comments made by some of the cast, most notably Ncuti Gatwa has been cast as the 14th Doctor in the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who. It’s unclear if filming for Doctor Who will interfere with his role as Eric in Sex Education if the series were to go beyond season 4.
Would you like to see a fourth season of Sex Education on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!