Why is Sex Education ending in its 4th season? Creator declares end but doesn’t rule out a return

Netflix has revealed the number and duration of the series' final episodes.

All good things must come to an end – and that’s okay. After three seasons highly praised by both audiences and critics, Sex Education is drawing near to its fourth and final season. "It’s the end as we know it," said Laurie Nunn, the series’ creator, to the Tudum website.

Contrary to popular belief, the decision to conclude the storyline, for now, was made while the filmmaker was writing the episodes. She claims that “during this process, it became very clear that the stories were reaching their end. The characters were being left in a place that made sense to me. I was happy for them and felt that I had said all I wanted to say about these characters at this time.”

Sex Education: In a bittersweet farewell, Ncuti Gatwa praises the Netflix series and denounces the "disadvantages of this industry.” The fourth season brings back Otis (Asa Butterfield), Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), Maeve (Emma Mackey), Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), Cal (Dua Saleh), Ruby (Mimi Keene), Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling), Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu), and many others. This time, however, they find themselves in entirely new settings.

In the story, after the closure of Moordale Secondary School, Otis and Eric now face a new hurdle - their first day at Cavendish Sixth Form College. Otis is anxious about setting up his new clinic, while Eric hopes they won’t be the school outcasts once more. But Cavendish is a culture shock for all the Moordale students - they thought they were progressive, but this new school is on a whole other level. There's a daily yoga class in the community garden, a strong sustainability vibe, and a group of kids who are popular for being... kind?!

Viv is utterly baffled by the school’s student-led non-competitive approach, while Jackson is still grappling with overcoming Cal. Aimee tries something new by taking an advanced art course, and Adam debates if regular education is for him. Over in the United States, Maeve is living her dream at the prestigious Wallace University, being taught by cult author Thomas Molloy. Otis is pining for her while adjusting to not being the only child at home, or the sole therapist on campus...

Sex Education loses another of its big stars in the 4th season. “If you go back and see where they all began, they’ve truly grown and changed a lot,” says Nunn. “In the fourth season, we see our characters getting closer to launching into the adult world. They’re about to leave their teenage years behind, and with that comes a lot of pressure. This liminal feeling between being a child and an adult is something we’re exploring in a very specific way in this series. They’ve all evolved tremendously since the first season.”

Regarding the final farewell, the screenwriter makes it clear that this universe might be revisited in the future. “I’m definitely taking a break and thinking about other things,” says Nunn. “But Moordale is such a rich world, and writing about teenagers is always a lot of fun. So, I think there’s always potential for more to be explored in this world.”