Fans of feel-good friendship shows and laugh-out-loud comedies know that The Sex Lives of College Girls is a must-watch TV series. Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the Max show follows four suitemates (Alyah Chanelle Scott, Amrit Kar, Pauline Chalamet, and Reneé Rapp) attending a New England college, as they navigate academics, campus politics, new friendships, and busy sex lives. Season 2 arrived in November 2022 to critical acclaim, with Max green-lighting season 3 before the finale even aired.
Fast forward several months, and both the dual Hollywood strikes and the surprising departure of a lead actor had fans speculating on the comedy's future. Read on for everything we know about The Sex Lives of College Girls so far, including when it's set to return.
When will 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' season 3 come out?
Classes will be in session this fall! The Sex Lives of College Girls season 3 will premiere on November 21, 2024. The release date was announced in early October when the first trailer for the season (more on that below) dropped.
Max revealed the official date several weeks after Teen Vogue reported in an exclusive preview that the show would return in November. The outlet also revealed that not only will the college comedy follow its traditional release schedule—seasons 1 and 2 premiered in November (of 2021 and 2022, respectively)—SLOCG's new episodes will also have longer runtimes.
“We have a bit longer episodes this year,” the show’s co-creator Justin Noble told Teen Vogue. “They're not an hour long, but they're significantly longer than they've been in the past, which has always been my favorite Twitter criticism of the show... So we'll be seeing some 33, 34 minute episodes as opposed to 23, 22.”
In addition to the news, Max has released several new images of the crew's sophomore year, including some first looks at the incoming cast. (More on them below.)
When Max hadn't officially announced a premiere day, the streamer hinted at its plans to air season 3 sometime in 2024. SLOCG was even included in the streamer's December 2023 sizzle reel titled "The One to Watch in 2024."
As for filming news, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, who plays Lila, revealed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that production for the season 3 premiere began last February. Max later shared a video last June on Instagram of Chalamet, Kar, Scott, and Isorelýs Paulino on set and in costumes as their respective collegiate characters. In the fun clip, the foursome performed their version of the looking-for-a-man-in-finance meme.
Which of the cast will return for 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' season 3?
When the season 3 renewal was announced in December 2022, it seemed that the show's four stars—Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp, and Alyah Chanelle Scott—were guaranteed to return for another season. But in June 2023, Deadline reported that Rapp had decided to leave the show.
Rapp later also confirmed the news on Instagram.
"College Girls moved me out to L.A. and introduced me to some of my favorite people. Two and a half years later — it’s given me y’all and this community,” she wrote. “A lot of queer work gets belittled — but playing Leighton has changed my life. I love who I am 10x more than I did before knowing her. I hope she gave y’all a little bit of that too. She’s such a tiny part of representation but even the tiny parts count. I wouldn’t be half the person I am without her and y’all. I love that bitch more than you know. I’m so excited for this season and I can’t wait for you to see what we have coming for her and the girls.”
Speaking with Teen Vogue, Noble confirmed that Rapp will return for some episodes, to wrap up Leighton's arc before her departure. "[She] definitely still has some lessons and room to grow ahead of her. She'll be faced with a couple of big choices and she'll have to make a couple of big decisions in all aspects of her life," the co-creator said.
Although Rapp won't return as a series regular, a handful of other cast members will reprise their roles as usual. Max has officially confirmed Pauline Chalamet (Kimberly Finkle), Alyah Chanelle Scott (Whitney Chase), Amrit Kaur (Bela Malhotra), Christopher Meyer (Canaan Greene), Ilia Isorelys Paulino (Lila Flores), and Renika Williams (Willow) will all be back for more.
Which new cast members are joining 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' season 3?
On April 2, 2024, Deadline reported that Essex College will welcome a transfer student in season 3. Gracie Lawrence has joined the show's cast and will play new arrival Kacey. Per Teen Vogue, Kacey will come to Essex to be with her boyfriend, a current student.
Gracie is best known for co-fronting the soul-pop band Lawrence alongside her brother Clyde. On the acting side, she's also previously appeared in the Netflix film Moxie, and the TV shows Billions, One Dollar, and Younger.
Since welcoming Lawrence, SLOCG has continued building out its cast over the past few months, with Deadline reporting several more new additions. British actress Mia Rodgers will join the show as Taylor, a queer, first-year international student studying at Essex College. Michael Hsu Rosen, who previously starred in the Netflix comedies Glamorous and Pretty Smart, will also play an Essex student.
In June, Deadline revealed four more new cast members will also be Essex students: Netflix alums Michael Provost (Insatiable, Fear Street Part Two: 1978) and Roby Attal (Haunting of Bly Manor, Partner Track), as well as Queen Sugar alum Devin Craig. Rounding out the group (and generating plenty of buzz on social media) is Ruby Cruz, who had a breakout role last year as Hazel in Bottoms.
What will 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' season 3 be about?
Teen Vogue's preview also included hints at the core threesome's journeys as they return for sophomore year following all the drama in the season 2 finale. In case you need a reminder, Whitney decided to move into the Kappa house after spotting Kimberly kissing Canaan(!), Leighton quit Kappa and came out to her dad, and Bela asked to transfer schools after getting kicked out of The Foxy. In the preview, each of the respective stars hinted that the girls will have to deal with the fallout of the events.
Scott said of Whitney's fate, "[Whitney] has to come back sophomore year and really reckon with the decisions she made in the split moment of being hurt to move into the Kappa house and [ask herself] if that’s what she really wants. How long can she avoid and hide from this situation that hurt her?"
Meanwhile, Kaur hinted that Bela will continue her journey of "self-discovery." She told the outlet, "I think you can expect that she's veering towards seeing if she is a good Indian girl, and she discovers whether being a good Indian girl is her vibe or not."
Is there a trailer for 'The Sex Lives of College Girls' season 3?
Yes! With sophomore year fast approaching, Max dropped a teaser for The Sex Lives of College Girls season 3 in October. The charming clip shows the core group up to their typical antics, opening with Bela poking fun at Kimberly and Whitney for pulling a "double walk of shame" the same morning. There are copious parties, what looks like a men's underwear fashion show or dating auction, Kimberly swiping "yes" to Whitney's dad on a dating app, and shots of Bela's quest to hook up with the school mascot.
While we know that Rapp won't be in the entire season, there's some sweet footage of her and the rest of the original suitemates—as well as a preview of Lawrence's new character Kacey. It seems as though she might be filling Leighton's vacancy in their dorm (and in for a rude awakening since she's seen innocently saying that "the best partner is someone who is smart, charming, well-mannered").
Max followed up the teaser with an official trailer drop on October 30, soundtracked by Chappell Roan's "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl." In addition to teasing that the men of Essex had glow-ups over the summer, the new clip also tells us more about how each of the (now) core trio will adjust to sophomore year. Bela's sporting a 1.8 GPA, Whitney's popping espresso beans like pills, Kimberly's on her R.G.B.-inspired journey to "become a Supreme Court Justice by the age of 53"... with a quick detour to a sex shop. You know what they say: Work hard, play hard.
