It's official: the controversial but massively popular Netflix show 13 Reasons Why will be returning in 2018 for a second season. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the show's renewal for 13 more episodes.
There have been rumours of a second season swirling for weeks, and season 2's existence was recently confirmed. Now it's for real for real, as Netflix greenlit the next instalment. Season 2 "picks up in the aftermath of Hannah Baker's death and the start of the characters' complicated journeys toward healing and recovery."
Producer Selena Gomez announced the news on her Instagram account this morning with a cryptic trailer and the words, "their story isn't over."
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Showrunner Brian Yorkey indicated that the character of Hannah Baker will be in the second season, telling THR, "Hannah's story is still very much not finished. She's an integral part of whatever the next chapter of the story is, and she's very much still at the centre of it." However, there has been no official confirmation of whether star Katherine Langford will be returning for the season 2.
Other than that, details are slim. Yorkey will stay on as showrunner, but no other announcements are available. It will be interesting to see how the creators choose to handle the difficult topics like suicide, bullying, and sexual assault that they tackled in the first season, as they've received considerable pushback to the graphic nature of the content. While the show's cast and creators have stood by their decision to provide unflinching looks at the reality of the tough issues that teens face, the criticism has resulted in Netflix adding additional content warnings at the beginning of the series.
“We wanted to do it justice and, yeah, [the backlash is] gonna come no matter what," Gomez told the Associated Press. "It’s not an easy subject to talk about, but I’m very fortunate with how it’s doing.”
If you are thinking about suicide, please contact Samaritans on 116 123. All calls are free and will be answered in confidence.