Everybody’s been talking about Sex Education Season 3 since the sophomore season of the popular teen comedy-drama series dropped on Netflix back in January.
Sex Education, a British comedy series that follows high schooler Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) and his intrusive sex therapist mom Jean (Gillian Anderson), was an instant hit with fans after it premiered on Netflix in January 2019.
The series remains one of the most popular on Netflix. It has received positive critical reviews; Season 1 earned a critics’ approval rating (Tomatometer score) of 91 percent, while Season 2 scored 97 percent.
Ahead of the return of Sex Education for the highly-anticipated third season, here is everything we know, including the release date, casting updates, and plot.
Will there be a Season 3 of Sex Education?
The good news is that Netflix has confirmed Sex Education for Season 3. So fans can rest assured that they will be seeing more of Otis, Maeve, Eric, and the rest of the Moordale gang.
Alistair Petrie, who plays Michael Groff, the strict headmaster at Moordale school, announced the renewal of the series for Season 3 in a video uploaded to Netflix UK & Ireland YouTube channel in February 2020.
Watch the announcement below:
Release date latest: When will Sex Education Season 3 come out?
After the show’s eight-episode Seasons 1 and 2 premiered in January 2019 and 2020 respectively, fans were expecting it will return for a third eight-episode season in January 2021.
Production on the upcoming season was originally scheduled to start in the spring of 2020, but it was delayed due to the coronavirus lockdown in south Wales where the show is filmed.
The delay caused fears that Sex Education Season 3 may be delayed.
However, Deadline reported in May 2020 that Netflix was drawing up plans to resume production on their U.K. shows. The report said that Netflix and Eleven (a production company owned by Sony Pictures Television) were hoping that production could start in August.
This raised hopes that the upcoming season could still premiere in early 2021.
Netflix announced the plans to start production on Sex Education after the U.K. government affirmed that “high-end TV and film productions” could resume as soon as the industry puts in place adequate coronavirus safety measures to protect actors and production crews.
Monsters and Critics reported that top U.K. broadcasters, including the BBC and ITV, announced they were planning to introduce safety measures that would allow them to quickly return to production.
Deadline later confirmed that in line with the plans by top U.K. broadcasters to resume production, Netflix was on track to start production on Sex Education Season 3 in August.
The local news website, South Wales Argus, also reported in July that Sex Education was looking for extras to participate in filming.
Season 2 premiered in January 2020 after filming took place from May to September 2019. So, If production on Sex Education Season 3 starts in August 2020 then it could premiere in the spring or summer of 2021.
Sex Education Season 3 cast updates
Netflix has not confirmed the cast for Season 3, but we already know some of the returning cast based on the announcement video.
Members of the show’s main cast who appeared in the video include Asa Butterfield as Otis, Ncuti Gatwa as Eric, Gillian Anderson as Jean, Emma Mackey as Maeve, Aimee Lou Wood as Aimee, Connor Swindells as Adam, Alistair Petrie as Headmaster Groff, Kedar Williams-Stirling as Jackson, Patricia Allison as Ola, and Tanya Reynolds as Lily.
Other Season 2 cast members likely to return for season 3 include Simone Ashley as Olivia, Mimi Keene as Ruby, Chaneil Kular as Anwar, Chris Jenks as Steve, and Rakhee Thakrar as Miss Sands.
Mikael Persbrandt could also return as Jakob, James Purefoy as Remi, Jim Howick as Mr. Hendricks, Samantha Spiro as Maureen, Hannah Waddingham as Sofia, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Roz, Chinenye Ezeudu as Vivienne, George Robinson as Isaac, and Sami Outalbali as Rahim.
What is Sex Education about?
Sex Education follows high schoolers navigating the difficult teen years and learning all they can about friendship, romance, love, and sexual relationships.
The series stars Asa Butterfield as Otis, a socially awkward teenager struggling to adapt to the awakening of his sexuality under the watchful eyes of his sex therapist mother, Dr. Jean Milburn.
In Season 1, Otis and Maeve start a sex therapy clinic at school to help other kids learn the skills they need to form and manage sexual relationships.
Maeve develops feelings for Otis but she is forced to keep her feelings to herself when Otis hooks up with Ola.
In Season 2, Otis and Ola break up. Ola and Lily start a new relationship. Otis acknowledges his love for Maeve and leaves a voicemail to let her know how he feels, but Isaac, who nurses a crush on Maeve, deletes the message.
Meanwhile, Eric hooks up with Adam and dumps Rahim.
Sex Education Season 3 plot
We don’t have any details yet about the plot for Sex Education Season 3. But while fans continue to root for Otis and Maeve, it remains to be seen whether the two will finally overcome the obstacles in their way and get together at last.
Asa Butterfield, who plays Otis, revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that Otis and Maeve “both have a bit of growing up to do if they are potentially to become a couple.”
This could mean that things won’t go very smoothly for the pair in the upcoming season and that their potential pairing will continue to face obstacles.
Season 3 will start where Season 2 left off after Eric hooks up with Adam.
Fans will also learn what is next for Jean after she gets pregnant with Jakob’s baby.
Sex Education Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix.