Season 4 is the perfect time for Netflix to cancel Sex Education (Here’s why)

One of Netflix’s most beloved comedies is returning for a fourth season, but with multiple cast members departing and the time between seasons taking a seriously long time, we see no point in it continuing any further. Sorry, but Sex Education season 4 should definitely mark the end of the series.

Sex Education first premiered on Netflix back in 2019 and generated a dedicated fanbase pretty quickly. The comedy follows socially awkward protagonist Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), a high schooler whose mom Jean (Gillian Anderson) is a sex therapist. Alongside his classmate Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey), Otis starts a sex clinic at school to help their fellow teens with love and sex advice. Otis and Maeve start to form romantic feelings for each other, with their will-they, won’t-they relationship serving as one of the main storylines season after season.

The most recent installment, Sex Education season 3, was without a doubt the best of the series. I’m a big fan of the show, and the fourth season gave me everything I needed. Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) and Adam (Connor Swindells) took their relationship to the next level, Jean and Jakob (Mikael Persbrandt) had their baby, and Otis and Maeve finally kissed! Oh, and there’s a totally awesome musical number where the school choir performed “F**k the Pain Away.” What more could you ask for?

Sex Education should end with season 4

But unfortunately, with a season and season finale, specifically, that great, it would’ve also served well as a series finale. Maeve got into a school for gifted children in America and left Otis behind, which, though upsetting, would’ve been a strong place to end their storyline.

Netflix renewed Sex Education for a fourth season in Sept. 2021, just days after the third season came out. Though we’re sure the next season will be fun, many of the cast members won’t be in it. Butterfield and Mackey will reprise their roles, sure, but Simone Ashley, Tanya Reynolds, Rakhee Thakrar, and Patricia Allison have all departed. Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy has joined the cast for season 4, which is a major plus, but with the cast members playing teenagers getting older, we expect more cast exits on the way.

Is Emma Mackey leaving Sex Education?

And Mackey herself has confirmed she’s done with Sex Education after season 4. That’s right; the 27-year-old actress told Radio Times that she’s done with Maeve now that she’s completed filming the fourth season. “Season 5? I’ve just finished the fourth one last week! No I don’t think I’ll be in season 5,” Mackey stated.

And it’s no surprise Mackey is ready to leave Sex Education behind her. Even after the third season ended, she teased she wouldn’t be playing Maeve for much longer, noting that she “can’t be 17 [her] whole life.” Plus, the actress has gone on to scoop up impressive roles outside of the Netflix series, most recently starring in the movie Emily, where she portrays English author Emily Brontë. She’ll also appear in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

Sex Education cannot go on without Maeve. It just wouldn’t be the same. She’s just as important of a character as Otis and probably the most beloved one in the whole show. With several cast exits and the fact that the actors are getting older, there’s really no reason to keep the series going past the fourth season. As I said earlier, they should’ve just ended it with season 3.

There’s not much worse than a show overstaying its welcome, and it pains me to say it, but Sex Education would definitely be doing that if Netflix renewed it for a fifth season.