Netflix has come under fire in recent years for being a platform that favors quantity over quality. Indeed, the main gripe about the premiere steamer is that the oversaturation of content has led to a lot of disposable material. The current binge culture has led to a lot of forgettable "original" content.
That said, one show that has rejected such a premise is Sex Education, Laurie Nunn's hilarious and heartening British high-school comedy. The show has won plaudits from fans and critics alike, with the first season of the show netting a 91% critical approval from Rotten Tomatoes and the second earning 97%. With a third season all but inevitable, here's what most fans don't know about Sex Education!
Viewership
Do most fans have any clue how many people indulged in Sex Education in the first month it aired? Go on and guess!
The show about gawky high-school teenager Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) navigating romance while his sex-therapist mother Jean (Gillian Anderson) embarrasses him at every turn, attracted roughly 40 million viewers in the first month on air. That's a whopping average of roughly 1.3 million streams per day. No wonder the show was renewed! Let's just hope it can keep up those numbers.
Deliberate Anachronisms
One of the charming aspects of Sex Education is the way it obfuscates the time period in which the show is set. While many of the teenagers own smartphones, the TV sets and household appliances in their homes oddly date back to the 90s.
In addition, the vehicles in the show are not modern, but hail from the 1970s-1990s as well, giving the show a slightly altered reality. This was done deliberately to give the show a timeless quality rather than an obvious and datable snapshot in time.
#MeToo
Due to the salacious subject matter of the show and the #MeToo-era it was produced in, Netflix proactively stepped in to prevent uncomfortable situations on set. Can you guess how the did so?
Taking the lead from HBO, Netflix reportedly hired intimacy coordinator Ita O'Brien to remain on set during the filming of Sex Education. She remained present to ensure the sex scenes and graphic subject matter was handled with care, decency, and without a shred of inappropriate behavior. It's a trend that should spread across all productions regardless of their subjects.
Ezra Furman
One of the aesthetic motifs in Sex Education is the use of music. During the entire first season, the music of American rocker Ezra Furman can be heard playing as if it were the show's recurring theme.
So how many of you actually spotted Furman's cameo in the show? Indeed, in episode seven of season one, Furman appeared as the musician on-stage playing during the school dance. It's the only screen credit of Furman's career so far. Furman is also uncredited for contributing music in the new season via episodes 2.2, 2.4, and 2.6.
Charlie Bartlett
Much has been made about the stark similarities between Sex Education and the 2007 American high-school comedy Charlie Bartlett. The primary parallel is that both feature an awkward high-school male who becomes an unsuspecting counselor for fellow students.
With a reverential RIP to the late, great, Anton Yelchin, who played Bartlett, the likeness doesn't end there. Both Charlie and Otis convene in the toilet to give their advice, often to much cooler students. Of course, Charlie Bartlett bombed at the box-office, making it easier to parrot without much notice.
Locations
Although the show is set primarily at Moordale High-School somewhere in England, there is no such school in real life. In fact, the show is filmed mainly in Wales!
Indeed, much of the show is shot in and around Wales. For the scenes taking place at Moordale, the former University of South Wales in Caerleon, Newport was used. Additional Welsh cities in the Wye Valley such as Llandogo, Tintern, and Penarth were also used. The Newport International Sports Village complex was used for the swimming pool scenes.
Super Smash Bros
On at least two separate occasions during season one, mention is made of the videogame Super Smash Bros. Eric implies Otis likes to play the game a lot, which is reinforced when Otis asks Eric later if he wants to play the game with him.
Well, believe it or not, Asa Butterfield (Otis) is an avid fan of Super Smash Bros in real-life. He even plays the game competitively online, often broadcasting his gaming via Twitch. At last blush, Butterfield made a Smash Bros update on Twitter less than 24 hours before this list was written!
Real-Life Romance
When it comes to romance, we know art often imitates life and vise versa. But if you had to guess, can you tell which young actors in Sex Education share a real-life romance?
Let's end the suspense. Connor Swindells, who plays Adam Groff in all 16 episodes so far, is hitched to real-life girlfriend Aimee Lou Woods, who plays Aimee Gibs in the series. The two actors do not share a ton of scenes together (yet anyway), but when they do, you can sense a cheeky connection between the two.
John Hughes
Showrunner Laurie Nunn has gone on record saying she always intended the series to be a loving homage to the 80s high-school films of the late great John Hughes. Specifically, she wanted to pay tribute to The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink (which was written by Hughes but directed by Howard Deutsch).
This is why the aesthetic of Moordale more resembles American high-schools than British ones. Lockers, Letterman jackets, and the lack of school uniforms were deliberately used to give the show a more authentic American vibe.
Awards
How many of you are aware of the honors and awards Sex Education has been up for in its shorts time in existence? No worries, that's what we're here for!
While the show has yet to bag an award, Sex Education has been nominated for an Online Film and Television Award (Best Writing), BAFTA Scotland (Best Actor, Ncuti Gatwa), MTV Movie & TV Award (Best Kiss and Breakthrough Performance, Gatwa), National Television Award (Best Comedy), and most recently, GLAAD Media Award (Outstanding Comedy Series). It's official, fans, critics, and award panels are all in love with Sex Education!