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Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn and Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effiong in Sex Education Season 3

The Sex Education Season 3 Trailer Reveals The New Anti-Sex Antagonist

Plus, everything we know about the new episodes.

by Ani Bundel
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Sam Taylor/Netflix

From dramas like The Crown to reality fare like The Great British Baking Show, Netflix fans love British-based (and British-accented) TV. Add in a teen-comedy element and the result is Sex Education, a comedy-drama set at Moordale Secondary School about the adventures of Otis, an insecure teen who turns out to be a whiz at sex therapy. After two hilarious seasons, fans will be delighted to know Sex Education Season 3 is finally on the way, with a release date set for this fall.

The series debuted back in the winter of 2019 with Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn and Gillian Anderson as his mother, a sex therapist who has accidentally taught him everything she knows. Like so many teen comedies, Otis learns he has a gift and becomes more confident after starting a sex therapy business for his classmates alongside his friend, Maeve Wiley. A second season arrived in January of 2020, in which Otis finally gets the girl, Ola, only to discover that high school romance is far more pressure than he ever anticipated.

Season 3 was initially planned to arrive in the winter of 2021, but filming was delayed due to coronavirus pandemic shutdowns. Thankfully, fans don’t have too much longer to wait; Season 3 is finally scheduled for Sept. 17, 2021.

Sex Education Season 3 Trailer

On July 19, Netflix finally released the first official look at Sex Education Season 3. But the teaser wasn’t your standard YouTube clip show of all the things fans can expect from the new season. Instead, the trailer took the form of an advert for Moordale Secondary, with Otis, Viv, Ola, and Maeve cheering potential students on to “Choose Moordale” as headmistress Hope Haddon lists out why an education here was the path to a brighter future.

The final trailer for Sex Education Season 3 arrived right as school was officially in session across the United States, the Tuesday after Labor Day, Sept. 7. After several teases and hints about the new season’s plot, this final teaser filled in the missing pieces and revealed Otis has a brand new nemesis: the new headteacher. She may be named Hope, but when it comes to teen sex, she seems to be where hope goes to die.

Sex Education Season 3 Cast

Sam Taylor/NETFLIX © 2020

Sex Education Season 3 will see the return of Butterfield as Otis, Anderson as Jean, Emma Mackey as Maeve, Ncuti Gatwa as Otis’ BFF Eric, and Patricia Allison as Ola.

Connor Swindells returns as Adam and Aimee-Lou Wood as Maeve’s BFF Aimee. In addition, Kedar Williams-Stirling will be back as Head Boy Jackson, Chaneil Kular as Anwar, the popular Untouchables leader, and other Untouchables Simone Ashley as Olivia and Mimi Keene as Ruby.

Tanya Reynolds, Mikael Persbrandt, Sami Outalbali, Anne-Marie Duff, George Robinson, Chinenye Ezeudu, Alistair Petrie, Samantha Spiro, Rakhee Thakrar, and Jim Howick are also listed to return.

In the new faces, the biggest addition is Jason Isaacs, of Harry Potter fame, playing Peter Groff, Mr. Groff’s more successful and not very modest older brother. Jemima Kirke also joins as the new headteacher, Hope, Otis’ new nemesis. Indra Ové will play Elsie’s foster mom, Anna. And a new student, Cal, will enter Moordale, played by Dua Saleh, for whom this will be their acting debut.

Sex Education Season 3 Photos

Sam Taylor/Netflix

On Aug. 17, Netflix released several new photos for the cast in Season 3, showing how they’ve grown up over the show’s run. But the real revelation is Otis’ new mustache, a wispy, desperate attempt at facial hair that cannot come to any good whatsoever.

Sam Taylor/NETFLIX © 2020

Fans also got a good look at Mimi Keene as Ruby in Season 3 and her posse of Untouchable friends, including Chaneil Kular as Anwar.

Sam Taylor/NETFLIX © 2020
Sam Taylor/NETFLIX © 2020

Sex Education Season 3 Plot

Sam Taylor/NETFLIX © 2020

As for how all the Moordale students are doing after this 18-month break, here’s the synopsis for Season 3:

“It’s a new year, Otis is having casual sex, Eric and Adam are official, and Jean has a baby on the way. Meanwhile, new headteacher Hope tries to return Moordale to a pillar of excellence, Aimee discovers feminism, Jackson gets a crush and a lost voicemail still looms. Prepare for commitment animals, alien phenomena, vulva cupcakes and much more of Madam Groff.”

Sex Education Season 3 Release Date

Sam Taylor/NETFLIX © 2020

Sex Education Season 3 debuts on Netflix on Sept. 17, 2021, with eight episodes.

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