Sex Education

There was a time when teens having sex on television could touch off minor scandals, because the very notion of teenagers having sexual impulses was considered inappropriate for TV to address. Sex Education, Netflix’s latest British import, is, if nothing else, very much proof those days are over.

Centered on a young man who discovers that his mother is a sex therapist and, subsequently, joins up with a female friend to offer his own sex therapy to his fellow students, Sex Education starts a little slow and takes its sweet time moving all the pieces of its premise into place. It also stumbles a bit along the way, in trying to give every episode a sort of “sex problem of the week” structure. But the longer the eight-episode first season runs, the more the show becomes a kind of British Big Mouth, aiming to make sexual pleasure something that’s not tittered about behind closed doors. Plus, the series boasts fun performances from Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, and especially newcomer Emma Mackey.

“The series strains at first to establish the procedural format: a little bit Masters of Sex, a little bit Doogie Howser, XXX. But it blooms, over eight episodes, into a smart, sensitive look at teens finding their place and figuring out the owner’s manuals for their bodies.” James Poniewozik, New York Times

Metacritic score: 81 out of 100

Where to watch: Sex Education is streaming on Netflix.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via