![]() ![]() The talented ensemble also includes George Robinson, Chinenye Ezeudu, Dua Saleh, Alistair Petrie, Samantha Spiro, Jim Howick, Rakhee Thakrar, and Daniel Ings. Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson return to lead a cast that includes Ncuti Gatwa, Aimee-Lou Wood, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, and Mimi Keene. The streaming service just debuted the final season’s trailer along with a (justified) warning to get your tissues ready. If only all of our sexual experiences could be so lucky.The fourth and, unfortunately, final season of Netflix’s Sex Education promises to be an emotional roller coaster ride, filled with love, laughter, and tears. Though it’s unfair the series never became the breakout hit it deserved to be, by staying just under the radar, “Sex Education” can end now on its own terms. Perhaps it would have forced the show to censor itself in a way it wouldn’t have wanted to or, worse, to end before it was ready. Had the show ever gotten as big as “Stranger Things” in America, Netflix might have had to deal with how controversial Americans find some of the British attitudes that the show treated as common sense. It boldly confronted issues like priapism and other little-discussed side effects from Viagra, and it was open about the failures of abstinence-only education. Episodes positively portrayed subjects like gay porn, wet dreams, pansexuality, masturbation and drug use. The series was willing to consider both the positives and negatives of everything from sending naked selfies when you are technically underage to the decision to get an abortion. It never demonized anything other than nonconsent. “Sex Education” isn’t like your typical HBO “The Sex Lives of College Girls” or “Sex and the City,” which feature hetero girls being titillating and horny with a side of lesbianism thrown in and a gay BFF or two. But it was also the show’s subject matter. So why isn’t “Sex Education” a bigger deal? The name alone is problematic for an American audience, with more conservative parents wary of the concept. At this point, Butterfield barely manages to rate beside them, having to settle for holiday rom-coms like “Your Christmas or Mine?” Mackey landed the rising star BAFTA this year for starring in indie films like “Emily,” about the famous Brontë sister who wrote “Wuthering Heights.” And Connor Swindells, who plays heteronormative jock-turned-Eric’s love interest Adam, now leads the BBC smash hit “SAS Rogue Heroes” (sadly lost on MGM+ over here). Simone Ashley is also recognizable to audiences for her turn on “Bridgerton” season two as Kate Shah. The best-known (apart from Anderson) is Gatwa, who has been cast as the next Doctor on “ Doctor Who” and is set to be introduced to the long-running legacy series in November when it debuts on Disney+. It was a bit of a surprise, considering the main cast are rapidly becoming household names. However, it wasn’t long before that plan was scrapped and the show’s ending was announced. ![]() At first, it seemed like the series might try to continue, bringing aboard up-and-comers Thaddea Graham (“Us”), Lisa McGrillis (“Mum”) and Jodie Turner-Smith (“Anne Boleyn”) to replace some of the characters set to depart. As with many shows set in high school, showrunners have three choices: follow the original cast to college, stay in high school and let younger stars take over or call it a day and write a series finale. ![]() Going into season four, Netflix seemed uncertain about whether it would try to continue the series as the original cast of characters was reaching graduation. However, it never was one of those shows Netflix proudly touted as a record breaker, overshadowed by larger hits like “ Bridgerton” (which was more mainstream in its sexual content) and “ Stranger Things” (which was more friendly to American teen audiences). It even managed to make the Netflix self-reported Top 10 list at one point. Through its first three seasons, ‘Sex Education” managed to release new episodes despite the pandemic, when it drew respectable audiences and tackled serious issues about coming of age and sex with humor. ![]() Even as Otis gains popularity as the school’s unofficial sex therapist, he has difficulty expressing his own feelings to the girl he’s crushing on, Maeve ( Emma Mackey). He and his BFF, Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), start a business with Otis as a counselor to those panicking about problems too embarrassing to take to adults. The show hinged on the premise that Otis, having subconsciously picked up on his mother’s teachings, becomes a guru of sorts for his fellow students, all of whom are just as sexually confused and awkward as he is, even if they project confidence. ![]()
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