Sex Education season 3 is officially happening. Netflix announced that its beautifully wholesome, though-provoking show would be renewed less than a month after the excellent second season's debut, showing just how much we're still loving it. While we don't know the release date of the third yet, it looks like it'll be impacted COVID-19 as many other movies and TV shows have been.

Sex Education follows the lives, insecurities, and sexual hang-ups of many members of Moordale High School, set in the breathtaking Welsh countryside. Here, mother and son Jean and Otis – Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield – help their friends and colleagues with their sexual issues. It's Jean's profession, but Otis is doing it for a quick buck.

Below, we'll break down what we know about Sex Education season 3 so far, including its likely release date, returning cast, and where the show can possibly go from here. Will Maeve and Otis finally become an item? Spoilers follow. 

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Sex Education season 3 is confirmed

Netflix confirmed that Sex Education season 3 is in the works on February 10, 2020.  As reported by Deadline back in 2019, the first season of the show drew in an impressive 40 million viewers during its premiere week, so the renewal is no surprise. Given the show's apparent popularity on social media, it's safe to assume Sex Education has found its audience. 

Sex Education season 3 release date predictions: 2021?

Fortunately, Netflix seems to understand exactly how thirsty Sex Education fans are for more of the show, and marked the season 3 renewal announcement with a teaser. Much like season 2’s initial reveal trailer, which featured Gillian Anderson delivering a sultry monologue about the benefits of sex ed, the season 3 teaser is playfully narrated by Alistair Petrie’s Principal Groff.

We see the troublemaking principal walking the halls of Moordale High, passing portraits of Sex Education’s main cast as he notes what the future could possibly hold for each of them. The teaser wraps up with an invitation to find out more in the coming third season, but stops short of revealing an actual release date. 

If Netflix holds true to its current pattern of release for the show, which given its rating success seems possible, we predict we'll see season 3 release in January 2021. Production details are still quite scarce, but Production Weekly has the third season listed in a recent 2020 production schedule for May, so the timing roughly lines up. 

That said, since the show is filmed in a locked-down UK, the shooting date has been delayed on the project by COVID-19. Hopes of production starting in May were dashed as the UK government extended the lockdown until at least May 7. It's unlikely this will push the Sex Education season 3 release date out of 2021, but we should keep our fingers firmly crossed. 

Sex Education season 3 cast: who we expect to return

While a confirmed cast list for season three is yet to hit the web, we feel pretty confident in assuming the characters featured in the teaser video are returning. 

Series headliners Butterfield (Otis Milburn) and Anderson (Dr Jean Milburn) are featured, along with a sizeable chunk of the supporting cast including Emma Mackey (Maeve Wiley), Ncuti Gatwa (Eric Effiong), Connor Swindells (Adam Groff) and Patricia Allison (Ola Nyman). Given how heavily season 2 leaned into an ensemble narrative approach, it would be difficult to imagine the show returning without the bulk of the cast reprising their roles.

Anderson tweeted about Sex Education season 3 on the day of the renewal (note the patterns on the ceiling above her):

Sex Education season 3 story: what we expect from the next set of episodes

Series creator and writer Laurie Nunn was already hard at work on the script for a third season well before Netflix renewed the show

In an interview with LADbible, Nunn touches on the tight working schedule for the series, noting that the writing process of another season before confirmed renewal is a normal part of how TV production works. When asked about the potential for future stories, Nunn said, "I love writing these characters. It's such a big ensemble and I think the theme of the show – in terms of it being about sex and relationships – it really just offers up endless story opportunities."

Season two pivoted away from its focus on Otis and instead opted to lend almost equal time to the wonderfully diverse characters around him. The internet’s newest queer icon Eric (Gatwa) benefited the most from this shift in show structure, allowing for a nuanced and moving insight into the struggles of a young black queer man. His popularity clearly hasn’t gone without notice, as the teaser video for the third season is largely focused on the potential of his blooming romance with his former bully Adam.

Eric isn’t the only student with love on the brain, of course. The timeless 'will they, won’t they?' dance between Otis and Maeve (Mackey) seems set to come to a head. The somewhat divisive final scenes of season two saw Otis confess his love to Maeve in a voicemail, only for it to be deleted by Maeve’s new love interest before she could hear it. 

While some fans have been critical of this story beat as an artificial extension of the character’s ongoing love dilemma, the show’s director shrugs off any potential backlash. In a chat with BT, Ben Taylor says "I think shoes will be thrown at screens. In a good way. I love being p***ed off at stuff. You think you want it, but you don't”. 

There are plenty more threads featuring the supporting cast that need to be picked up in Sex Education season 3. Jean ends season two with a newfound appreciation for emotional intimacy with her on-again, off-again partner Jakob thanks to her friendship with Adam’s freshly divorced mother Maureen. Elsewhere, various students are now grappling with revelations about their identity and place in the world as they face the realities of sexual assault trauma, non-conventional identities and the looming prospects of the future. 

It's one of Netflix's best shows

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about further developments for the show, Nunn is excited about the places she and her writers can take the eclectic cast. “These characters ... they've got legs. I think I could do some more with them if we're given the chance,” she said. “[Netflix] is very supportive and really wanting us to tell the stories that we feel passionate about. It really feels like we're all on the same page, wanting to make the same show.”  

It’s an exciting prospect for a show primarily made by young, diverse talent both in front of and behind the camera. It’s not hard to see why Sex Education has resonated so deeply with fans. It offers a very human, non-judgemental look at the issues facing not just teenagers, but many adults who are still coming to terms with their own sexuality. Nunn’s writing is razor-sharp, and the show’s inclusive agenda makes it a fine addition to Netflix’s growing library of progressive media and stories. 

Bring on season 3. 

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You season 3 has been confirmed by Netflix, despite criticism of its more problematic themes in some circles. But, however you stand on the toxic passion of Joe and his string of female obsessions, there is something oddly compelling about You.

You season 3 will be the third chapter in the adapted book series from American author Caroline Kepnes, which first invited us into the dangerous mind of the lovesick Joe Goldberg in 2014. Now, after two seasons of the show, we've witnessed the menacing intensity with which Goldberg pursues relationships with the likes of Candace and Love, but You retains a loyal following on Netflix regardless.

Filming on the third season began earlier this year, but will have almost certainly been affected by the coronavirus pandemic in some way, especially for a show involving intimacy and human contact. There's no official release date or details on any disruption, but we're still hoping to see the show return in 2021. So, here's everything we know about the You season 3 release date, cast, and more.

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You season 3 release date: expect it in 2021

Netflix hasn't confirmed an exact You season 3 release date, but when news of the renewal broke on TVLine, it was revealed that ten new episodes are coming in 2021. The official Twitter page for the show posted a tongue-in-cheek video in early January, simply stating "New Year, New You", a witty play on the pseudo-self-improvement commentary in You's second season.

Production started on the third chapter earlier this year, but it's likely there will have been some coronavirus-related disruption since. On Twitter, producer Sera Gamble confirmed on Friday, February 7 that work had started on You season 3. "Just thought you'd want to know," Gamble wrote. 

While this essentially condemns viewers to at least a full year before they can check back in with Joe and Love, it's nice to know a new season is definitely happening in an age where Netflix isn't afraid to cancel its original shows. 

You season 3 cast: Joe and Love will return

Most importantly in terms of casting, we have confirmation of two returning cast members: Badgley will return as Joe and Victoria Pedretti will return as Love. The continued presence of Love in Joe's life was a pretty sure thing given how season two ended, with the couple in a pretty unholy union (more on what that twist means for season 3 below). Hopefully, we'll see the return of the extended cast of Quinn family and friends from season 2 as well.

It's likely that You will continue to be set in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. With the previously mentioned tax incentives in place for production in California, and a second season finale that saw Joe adjusting to life in an idyllic suburban home, it's safe to assume that season three won't feature a change of location like season two's shift from New York to LA.

You season 3 story: what to expect next year

Season 2 of You drastically stepped up the melodrama, diverging from the books with a pretty shocking character reveal. When Love is forced to confront Joe's true nature by his first victim, Candace, she takes the news in a way few people saw coming – by stabbing Candace in the throat. 

It was a jaw-dropper of a moment, revealing that Love is as obsessive and inclined toward murder as Joe is. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Badgley offers some insight into the gender politics the show explores through Joe's rejection of his partner's darkest tendencies. 

"...it's like, 'OK yeah, theoretically they're the same – but then he denies her, which again brings up the archetypes of man and woman and the oppression of women, the inequality of men and women," Badgley says. He goes on to hint at a deeper look into Love in season three, noting that she: "...she doesn't appear to be the same kind of person, she doesn't appear to be the same kind of predator."

It's not just Love that season three plans to interrogate more thoroughly. Showrunner Sera Gamble is planning an even darker future for Joe, too. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gamble talked about how the ending of season 2 doesn't indicate good things for our protagonist. 

In the wake of Love's revelations of murder, she also surprises Joe with the news that she is now carrying his child, securing her future with him (for now). We see the two move to the suburbs (with Love's mother in tow) and it's here that Joe spies his new neighbor through the fence – a possible new subject of his obsessive nature. 

"I think to me, the most important thing about that last scene is just it is confirmation that Joe is still Joe," Gamble says, "in a way that's not going to be great for Joe." What drives Joe, and how that makes us feel about his actions, was clearly Gamble's vision for season two, which saw an extensive dive into the traumatic childhoods of both Joe and Love. Even though their histories are pretty different, we learn that both leads experienced physical and emotional abuse as well as perpetrating acts of violence at a very young age. 

The finale was designed to set up, "a much more suburban, insular world where Joe would be a complete fish out of water". How Joe handles fatherhood will be an interesting element of next season – the past two seasons have shown that he's particularly protective of the children in his life.

Badgley told TVLine that Joe and Love are "not soulmates. He's afraid of her at the end. Basically, it's set up for season 3 in a way where they would be each other's arch nemesis." That's a lot of potential material for You season 3 to explore. 

You could run for even more seasons on Netflix

Joe's story won't necessarily be complete with season 3, either. "I am not scared at all of saying that we definitely could follow Joe for several more seasons," Gamble told THR. Don't worry about the writers running out of ways to test their protagonists, either. "Because we believe in the world that Caroline gave us and we believe in these characters, we just know they'll keep finding really fucked up shit to get into."

You is a one-of-a-kind show

No matter where the twisted romance of Joe and Love takes us next, Netflix clearly has a guilty pleasure smash on its hands. Author Caroline Kepnes is currently hard at work on books three and four in her You series, which means that You season 3 could face a Game of Thrones-style dilemma in outpacing the source material. 

You is just a fresh, sexy and somewhat dangerous show. It takes the thrilling complicity in horrible acts seen in the show Hannibal, and perfectly matches it with biting millennial satire. Naturally, it's generated controversy for its dark subject matter, but Gamble has managed to navigate the show's themes with a deft touch, giving viewers a twisted and compelling show.

Bring on season 3. 

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Call centres have a bad reputation among customers, but it doesn't have to be that way.

There's no such thing as an average day in a call centre. For starters, no two customer queries are the same. 

This makes resolving complaints and improving customer satisfaction an ongoing challenge – and the key to success is how organisations invest in overcoming this challenge.  

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When good is no longer good enough

The call centre might not be at the core of a business, but it will always have a major impact on the firm’s overall success. A negative call centre experience can affect a company's brand reputation, its customer retention and its bottom line.  

Customer expectations have never been higher; we’re a nation of consumers who are more likely to complain if a service doesn’t meet the high quality that has come to be expected. The best call centres aim for more than ‘satisfactory’; they are looking to provide exceptional customer experience. Unfortunately, for companies and customers alike, high-quality experiences are the exception, despite six in ten organisations seeing customer experience as a key point of difference between them and their competitors. 

The problem is that companies are failing to act on their own aims. While 92% of companies cite their customer experience as a top priority, more than half of call centre customers rate their experiences from "very poor" to just "okay".  

Why change has to be more than skin deep

As shown above, a well-run call centre can make a big difference to both a business and its customers. So, how do companies go about achieving the high-quality interactions they need? How do they improve their existing customer experience?  

It's tempting to start with the frontline staff as they're the people who actually engage with the customers. However, this ignores the underlying problems with how the company works. Any analysis carried out by the leaders on the actions of their staff has to spark real change throughout the business. If not, what's the point?  

Another problem is assuming that call centre workers have the right tools for the job in the first place. If the case complaints management system is not fit for purpose, there's no chance of even the best employees being able to deliver high-quality customer experience. 

Bringing the conversation together 

Many call centres struggle with their customer experience because they still work in the past. They still operate on a business model built around a time when voice calls were almost the only way to contact a company.  

Today, tech-savvy people who communicate in different ways dominate the workforce (and customer base). Customers now expect to have access to companies via many different channels (including social media), while employees expect to use systems that facilitate (and link) these multi-channel conversations.  

Customers can have more than one interaction with a company's call centre – often with many agents and sometimes across more than one channel. If the call centre team can't bring individual interactions together then customers could become frustrated, which could in turn threaten your brand reputation. 

Even the right tools might not do the job 

Many companies believe their call centres have the right tools and systems in place to support their teams, but there's no guarantee of actually making the most of this. How can they be sure their people have access to the right information at the right time (while also restricting sensitive data)? How do they know that their customers are happy with their experiences? How do they know reports are creating insights that make the business more competitive?  

The answer to this is that companies can never do too much when it comes to checking their processes and assuring quality. Focusing on QA in a call centre is vital. It reveals where teams can improve and gives leaders an accurate overview of how the business is operating. Effectively, it tells companies everything they need to know. 

Quality is the assurance customers need 

The benefits of effective QA are clear. Accurate information and transparent processes improve loyalty among both customers and employees, which becomes easier to achieve because QA encourages businesses to become more data-driven. It reduces the instances of mishandled interactions and provides useful insight to avoid a recurrence. 

Similarly, the real-time nature of QA information means companies can spot costly mistakes before they have an impact, with employees also being more likely to buy into the process, knowing it is has a clear framework based on up-to-date metrics. Even better is the fact that QA works alongside existing case management solutions. Rather than requiring a costly replacement, QA improves both the use and analysis of the systems in place, allowing companies to take a step back and gain a clearer picture of how their call centre works (or doesn't, in the worst-case scenario).  

Assuring a high-quality customer experience

There’s little doubt that QA will have an immediate effect on a business. While the long-term plan would be to completely reshape the way the company works, leaders and employees alike will most definitely notice results straightaway. They'll soon see the difference it has on customer interactions and, eventually, they'll see the positive impact it has on brand reputation. 

The changes don't have to end there, though. With responsive, insightful tools, companies will have the ability to go even further, changing existing call centre practices and even the entire business culture to provide the best customer service. The key is to create a call centre experience that exceeds customer needs; a business that keeps its goal in mind will undoubtedly find it easier to achieve, with the difference being between knowing exactly how to improve customer satisfaction and having almost no idea at all.  

So, what's the plan for your business? Do you want to learn from your mistakes and create a better customer experience, or would you prefer to stay in the dark about your performance?  

The choice is yours...

James Wood, Director Of Business Development, EMEA & APAC at Aptean

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