The latest casting of Ncuti Gatwa in Gatwa will take over as the Fourteenth Doctor. As exciting as this casting is for fans of the famed British sci-fi series, it may be bad news for Netflix's Sex Education.
Created by Laurie Nun, Sex Education premiered in 2019 to both critical and commercial acclaim. Thanks to its popularity, the British drama-comedy returned for seasons 2 and 3. Sex Education follows the students and faculty of Moordale as they navigate their personal and sexual relationships. While the show juggles multiple storylines, there are clear primary characters in its narrative. Its main lead is Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), who teams up with fellow student Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) to run underground sex therapy sessions at school. Meanwhile, Gatwa plays Eric, Otis' best friend, who has his own compelling Sex Education narrative.
With a limited acting resume, Gatwa is best known for his role in Sex Education thus far. Throughout its first three seasons, Eric has become a clear fan favorite, and oftentimes, he and his personal arc outshine that of Otis'. Suffice to say; he is an integral part of Sex Education's overall storytelling. Now that Gatwa will be starring in Doctor Who, however, there are questions regarding what this means to his stint in Sex Education and the show as a whole. As the Fourteenth Doctor, it's an understatement to say that much of Gatwa's schedule will be devoted to working on the BBC show. This s the theory that Sex Education season 4 will be the show's last. For context, Netflix has already confirmed that the coming-of-age series will return for a fourth year, although no release date has been set.
Aside from Gatwa's casting in Doctor Who, Sex Education's story also sets up its nearing end. By the end of Sex Education season 3, Moordale was revealed to have been sold to an unknown buyer, forcing the primary cast of the show, who are mostly juniors and seniors, to find other educational alternatives by the end of the term. This massive cliffhanger demands to have a resolution, especially since some individual arcs are also still hanging in the balance. For example, after finally getting together, Otis and Maeve were forced to separate again as the latter decided to pursue her study abroad in the United States. Meanwhile, Eric's fate, particularly his romantic plot, is in limbo as well after he broke up with Adam (Connor Swindells). Sex Education season 4 gives the series enough time to wrap up all these loose narratives for a more satisfying ending for the Netflix series.
While the idea of Sex Education season 4 being its last may be disappointing, especially considering the show's quality, wrapping it up with a complete narrative is for the best. Overextending the show risks negatively impacting its great storytelling. Assuming that this is the case, chances are that everyone involved in the series was informed ahead of time regarding this, allowing Gatwa to sign up for Doctor Who.