The stories at Moordale High don’t necessarily have to end, but Sex Education will find itself needing a nearly brand new cast after season four.

Sex Education, though still a fairly recent addition to Netflix, should actually make its fourth season also the show’s last. Since the show aired in 2019 it has become massively popular, and has managed to achieve a lot in the short time it has been airing. Its core emphasis on characters, rather than over-the-top storylines, has made the cast a favorite among audiences. The cast has commented on Sex Education’s run, and here’s why they’re right that the show needs to end in its fourth season.

Sex Education’s simple premise won audiences over. Following a group of teenagers as they navigate school, sex, gender, and identity, the show touches upon a lot of important topics, making it one of the best TV shows of 2021. While it has brought taboo topics to light, and educated as well as entertained, Sex Education should end at season four.

Primarily, the cast, though well-loved, are getting too old to play teenagers. The high school setting, of course, is the central idea of the show and is quite an important part of it, but with every season the cast is aging beyond the age they’re portraying. Whilst it wasn’t so much of a problem in its first season, with the majority of the teenage cast in their early to mid-twenties, their real ages are starting to overlap too harshly.

Some of the cast are fast approaching their 30s, which is frankly too old to continue to play teenagers, as it wouldn’t be giving the near accurate portrayals of real-life that Sex Education is loved for. At the least, Sex Education needs to conclude the stories at Moordale that concern these particular characters. It is possible for the show to succeed in a soft-reboot, given how popular it is and how many important topics it brings into the mainstream, but perhaps continuing with a different generation Skins-style. That being said, it may come off awkward as so much time has already been dedicated to the original cast. In any case, the show itself is already setting itself up for an ending. Otis and Maeve finally got together (though not officially), which was the central narrative of the show, and there has been ample time dedicated to even the secondary characters, such as Jean and Jakob’s story.

Although its importance in media and culture cannot be understated, and its bravery in shedding light on taboo or commonly misunderstood topics are rightly lauded, it’s better that Sex Education leaves on a high rather than being drawn out. In the short space of 3 years, it has already cemented itself as a staple TV show with a truly stellar cast. Rather than them being held to the show, it’s better that they can continue to prosper in other projects.

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