Moordale Gets a Makeover in This 'Sex Education' Season 3 Teaser

Have you been missing the good people of Moordale High? You're not alone. We've been missing them, too. Fans of Sex Education are clamoring for the show's return after Season Two, released in January 2020, ended with a series of bombshell revelations. Season Three, like so many beloved television shows, was waylaid by pandemic production woes, leaving more questions than answers about when to expect new episodes.

Here’s everything we know thus far about a potential Season Three.

Will There Be a Season Three?

In a tweet dating all the way back to February 2020, Netflix confirmed that Sex Education has been renewed for a third season.

When Will Season Three Come Out?

Netflix announced that Sex Education will return for its third season on September 17. First look photos included in the original Twitter announcement show Otis and Eric on the radio, Aimee and Maeve out in town, Adam on a field trip, and the new headmaster arriving at Moordale Hale (more on that below).

Who’s Coming Back for Season Three?

Barring any shocking cast exits, it’s safe to predict that series regulars Asa Butterfield (Otis), Gillian Anderson (Jean), Ncuti Gatwa (Eric), and Emma Mackey (Maeve) will return. As for the supporting cast, it’s hard to imagine anyone leaving but Anne-Marie Duff, who delivered a sensational performance in Season Two as Maeve’s estranged mother, and who ended the season in the back of a social services van.

Joining the cast is Girls alum Jemima Kirke, whose character will replace Mr. Groff as Hope Haddon, the new headmaster of Moordale High. A source told The Sun, “The arrival of a sexy woman as head will sensationalize pupils who are more used to a stern middle-aged man running the show. But she will prove to be a formidable figure and add to a cast already filled with strong female roles.” ScreenRant reports that Hope, a former Moordale student herself, will make waves by instituting a new dress code that requires the students to wear gray uniforms. On the student front, Dua Saleh joins the cast as Cal, a nonbinary student who will clash with Headmistress Haddon.

Also joining the cast is Peter Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy!) as Peter Groff, older brother to Mr. Groff. ScreenRant reports, "At the start of season 3, Michael will have been staying at Peter’s house for a while since he’s got nowhere else to go following separating from his wife." With Mr. Groff recently placed on administrative leave, separated from his wife, and estranged from his son, we predict that these two will butt heads.

Indra Ové joins the cast as Anna, a foster mother to Elsie, Maeve's younger sister. Sex Education fans will remember that Season Two ended wrenchingly for Maeve, when she called child services on her troubled mother and said goodbye to Elsie, who was carried off in the back of a child services van. The introduction of Anna suggests that Maeve won't have to say goodbye to Elsie permanently, as the Season Two finale suggested she might.

What Will Season Three Be About?

Netflix offered this official synopsis for Season Three:

Based on the loose ends of the Season Two finale, we have a few guesses about what else to expect Life at the Milburn household is destined for upheaval, judging by Jean’s unexpected perimenopausal pregnancy. When we left her in Season Two, Jean had yet to inform Otis or Jakob about the pregnancy, foreshadowing new dramatic tension in her already-fraught relationships with the men in her life. Though viewers would be forgiven for wondering if Jean will terminate her pregnancy, given the show's much-lauded depiction of Maeve's abortion, costume designer Rosa Dias offered insight about the maternity wardrobe she constructed, suggesting that Jean intends to see the pregnancy through.

"I didn’t want her to suddenly start wearing things that weren’t her," Dias said. "There’s this notion that when women fall pregnant, suddenly they just start wearing comfortable clothes and they lose their style and become sort of all mumsy. There’s a real thing about that in terms of when people get pregnant and then after they’ve had babies. That doesn’t have to happen. It really doesn’t."

Romantic pairings may also be in for a shuffle when we ring in a new season. Season Three will likely address the fallout from Eric’s decision to very publicly end his relationship with Rahim and take up with Adam, who, in a grand gesture at the school’s galactic production of Romeo & Juliet, declared both his bisexuality and his love for Eric. Meanwhile, Season Three may also provide clarity on the season two finale cliffhanger about Maeve and Otis. In a surprising act of duplicity, Maeve’s lovelorn neighbor Isaac drove a wedge between Maeve and Otis, for which he will likely be held to account in a potential Season Three. As for Jean and Jakob, Jakob may be driven to revise his hard stance on getting back together when he learns about Jean’s pregnancy.

Early intel from cast members suggests a tonal shift for Season Three. Kedar Williams-Stirling, who plays Jackson, hinted, "There’s two new characters this time. I feel like it’s going to be different because we also shot it in a different season. Normally we shoot in summer, but because of Covid, we had to shoot it in the winter. "There’s a whole storyline that happens where just the aesthetic of the whole thing changes. So without giving too much away, it’s definitely a different tone this year, and it’s going to be exciting to see on screen."

Tanya Reynolds, who plays Lily, added, "We’re not allowed to say anything, but there are new scandals and I can’t wait to see how people react to some things. I think as Lily gets older she’s definitely going to become a Greta Thunberg type."

Meanwhile, Dias teased a shocking ending that could change the series forever. "When you see series three, the end of it is really quite interesting," Dias said. "Whatever happens in four, if it happens, wow–the writers have got a challenge. They’ve got a massive challenge on their hands."

The Season Three trailer tees up fallout from Maeve's apparent rejection of Otis' Season Two finale declaration of love, with Otis saying, "I don't need to know what Maeve is doing anymore." Love is in the air for Eric and Adam as they explore their new romance, but Adam's classmates struggle to come to grips with his coming out. Meanwhile, change comes to the top brass at Moordale High, with new Headteacher Haddon saying, "There is a battle happening for the sexual health of our teenagers. I will get Moordale back on track." The trailer promises an action-packed season that threatens to change everything for our favorite teenagers, as we see Moordale's infamous abandoned bathrooms bulldozed, the students forced to wear uniforms, and all sexual graffiti painted over in shades of gray.

There you have it, folks. Season Three may still be a few weeks off off, but we feel it's safe to say it's worth the wait. Watch this space for updates as we learn more.

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