Netflix makes a rare break from tradition and allows a hit series to finish on its own terms for a change

It’s been an open secret for a while now, but the first trailer for the fourth season of smash hit Netflix comedy series Sex Education also came with the official confirmation that it would be the last.

That’s fair enough when you consider the majority of the principal cast are a great deal closer to 30 than they are high school age, but it’s going to be a bittersweet farewell nonetheless. By the time the final run of episodes lands on September 23, two years will have passed since we last saw Otis and the gang, with plenty of loose ends still to be tied up.

In an age where Netflix literally cancels dozens upon dozens of exclusives on an annual basis, allowing one of the most-watched and perennially-popular to actually set its own end date has become something of a rarity, even if you get the sneaking suspicion the company would have loved to squeeze at least one more season beyond that before the well ran truly dry.

Comedy isn’t exactly a genre with a long shelf life on Netflix, either, so Sex Education being able to survive and thrive for as long as it has without even once being in any danger of cancellation is a testament to a brilliant concept, phenomenal cast, and excellent writing staff who’ve all been playing at the very top of their game since the opening installment.

Several of the stars are already on their way to much bigger and better things, so as sad as it is to say goodbye to Sex Education, the time is definitely right.