Something that I have noticed over time is how television drama programs create an image of adolescents that is oftentimes absurdly disproportionate to reality. Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, and Elite are some examples of series that are well received by the public, especially by young people. However, the insights these shows portray as being “ typical teenage experiences” are not at all realistic nor representative of the true experiences of the majority of high school adolescents. On the other hand, everything changed for the better when the Netflix original series Sex Education was released, making me hopeful that perhaps the genre of teen shows/series was not as doomed as I thought it was.
Sex Education is about a group of young people trying to discover themselves in high school, shamelessly exploring their sexualities during the process. This series shows heartwarming stories about acceptance and friendship. The main character, Otis, along with Maeve, opens a sexual counseling clinic on campus; their main goal being to help their peers cope with their problems by showing them possible alternatives.
I understand that this series is different from other mainstream teen series because the characters, although represented by older actors, do seem young for their age–from the way they dress, act and speak. Unlike other shows, it does not put young people in situations that are very mature for their age. Nevertheless, we do get to see some considerably difficult situations throughout the show, as it is in the case of Maeve. These characters navigate their problems with a youthful mentality, one that lacks experience and is prone to making mistakesーmaking the show’s depiction of the typical teenage experience much more closer to reality.
The series, apart from being hilarious and entertaining, is surprisingly educational. The writers managed to intersperse drama with education and I think it’s great! I found myself watching it and whispering to myself, Wow, I didn’t know this; which is worrying in itself because, once again, this example shows how necessary sexual education courses are in all high school curricula. If grade schools would actually teach sex ed or health classes, we would all learn about sexual matters beforehand and not while being sexually active, where we are more likely to make mistakes, negatively impact our emotional health, and even put ourselves at risk for getting pregnant or catching a sexual transmitted infection. It is time to eliminate the taboo surrounding these topics once and for all. At the end of the day, sex education is essentially important.
Finally, I think this series is one of my favorites at the moment. It currently has three seasons that I highly recommend you watch if you haven’t already (disclaimer: this series is TV-MA, so binge appropriately). You will not regret it and you will most likely learn something new from every new episode.