This interview was conducted before May 2023. 

Moordale Secondary might be closed, but Maeve (Emma Mackey) and Otis (Asa Butterfield) are about to learn a very important lesson in Sex Education Season 4: Long-distance relationships are hard. At the end of Season 3, Maeve chooses to leave Moordale for a stint at the prestigious Wallace University in the US, while Otis remains at home in the English countryside alongside best friend Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) and mom Jean (Gillian Anderson). 

But, as the sneak peek above reveals, Maeve and Otis are cooking up some very creative solutions to maintain their romance when Sex Education’s final season debuts on Sept. 21. Surrounded by amorous coeds (and even dogs) in the States, Maeve is inspired to send Otis some visual stimulation to spice up their relationship. But Otis — perhaps the world’s most sexually anxious teen sex therapist — encounters a few challenges snapping the perfect picture in return. His failure to launch a sexy text leaves Maeve less than fulfilled. 

“Otis is 17 and he doesn’t always get things right,” Sex Education creator and executive producer Laurie Nunn told Netflix. “That’s also part of his journey in this season in terms of figuring out how to treat people.”

We’ll see Otis take those steps at a brand-new school — Cavendish College, a progressive paradise ruled by a trio of popular students known as the Coven. “At Moordale, Ruby was the queen bee of the Untouchables, but at Cavendish, kindness is highly valued,” Nunn explained. “Abbi, Roman, and Aisha are the most generous students in school. But at the same time, not everyone can be in their clique.” 

All of your Moordale faves will have to find their footing as they settle into the Coven’s world. Eric is keen to shed his less-than-popular reputation. Ruby (Mimi Keene) must adjust to a brand-new social food chain. Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) takes an interest in art (and maybe another student). Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) tries to figure out what success looks like at an institution more interested in garden yoga than grades, and her BFF Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling) works on getting over Cal (Dua Saleh), who’s on their own journey as a nonbinary teen. 

Meanwhile, Otis is simply having a “terrible time,” according to Nunn. Not only is he sharing his mom with his new baby sister, Joy, but his greatest strengths are also being put to the test. After three seasons running the best teen sex therapy clinic in Moordale, Otis is confronted with O (The Irregulars star Thaddea Graham), Cavendish’s beloved student sexpert.

“That becomes a big existential crisis for Otis,” Nunn said. “His newfound confidence gets shaken quite quickly, and he has to grapple with feeling like he’s not center stage in different aspects of his life.” 

Maeve isn’t having an easier time in the States under the tutelage of cult author Thomas Molloy (Emmy winner Dan Levy). “Maeve’s dilemma has always been that although she’s a teenager, she’s dealing with a lot and she carries a lot of weight on her shoulders,” Nunn said. In Season 4, Nunn wanted to highlight Maeve’s vulnerability. “We explore the burdens that she’s having to carry as a young adult, which the other teenagers around her just can’t possibly understand,” Nunn continued. 

Catch the big finish of Maeve’s story — along with the entire Moordale crew’s — when Sex Education Season 4 premieres Sept. 21. 

A Bridgerton and Sex Education Mashup