School is about to be out, forever … at least on Netflix’s Sex Education.
The popular British comedy is about to drop its fourth season on the streamer and, according to showrunner Laurie Nunn, it will also be its last. In speaking with TUDUM, Nunn said wrapping things up in season four wasn’t the initial plan but as the writer’s room began fleshing out certain storylines, saying goodbye just felt right.
“During that process, 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,” Nunn explained. “I felt happy for them, and I felt like I’ve said everything that I want to say with these characters at this time.”
Over the course of four seasons, the show has struck a deft balance between situational comedy and surprisingly thoughtful storylines that touch on everything from LGBTQ+ issues to women’s health, mental health, and beyond. Steered by a stellar cast that includes Emma Mackey, Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, and Gillian Anderson, the Netflix dramedy has earned legions of fans and plenty of praise from critics. But, as the star power of its main players grew — Mackey just appeared in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and Gatwa was recently named the next Doctor Who — it felt like there might be a graduation date for certain characters. Before that happens, Nunn says fans can expect a climactic send-off.
“We have skipped forward in time a couple of months,” Nunn says. “Maeve is in America, which is where we left her on the bus, going off to study. 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. 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.”
Despite the drama, Nunn hopes that fans who have been on this journey since the beginning will appreciate how far these characters have come, and leave feeling optimistic about where they’re headed.
“If you go back and watch where they all started, they’ve really grown up so much and changed so much,” says Nunn. “In Series 4, we’re seeing our characters getting closer to launching themselves into the adult world. They’re right on the precipice of leaving being a teenager behind, and with that comes a lot of pressure. That feeling of limbo between being a child and a grown-up is something we’re exploring in quite a particular way in this series. ”
Sex Education season four premieres on Netflix Sept. 21st.