Two seasons – why?
WHEN 13 Reasons Why wound up its first season, the ending raised the question, how in the world could you create a season two?
While the show did finish with numerous cliffhangers, it also finished with the death of its main character and the whole reason why the show was created – for Hannah to explain why she committed suicide.
But despite that, the show’s monumental success led to it being renewed for a second season which will again be developed by show-runner Brian Yorkey.
According to Variety, it sounds like Yorkey isn’t planning on advancing the show much past the storyline of its first season, instead using the second season to tell the version of events from the other high school kids who featured on Hannah’s tapes.
“Hannah told her version of events, but there are at least 12 kids who have another version of those events that we actually haven’t really heard from yet,” Yorkey said.
“I don’t think Hannah told any untruths on her tape. She reclaimed her narrative, which had really been taken from her,” he added.
The first season did leave fans with numerous loose ends including the outcome of Hannah’s parents’ lawsuit against the school, the life-or-death fate of Alex and a potential school shooting from Tyler.
The show was adapted from Jay Asher’s hit 2007 novel Thirteen Reasons Why and, after its March 31 debut on Netflix this year, rapidly became the most tweeted about show of 2017.
The series’ first season centred around teen suicide, sexual assault and high school bullying as it followed Hannah Baker (Australian actress Katherine Langford), who recorded 13 cassette tape sides explaining why she committed suicide.
Dylan Minnette, who plays Hannah’s love interest Clay Jensen on the show, told Variety he will work on the show with the same expectation he had for the first season.
“I just want us all to do the same as this year,” Minnette told the publication.
“Just go in assuming that nobody is going to watch it, everyone’s going to hate it, and try to make the best thing possible.”
The second season, which will again have 13 episodes, will debut on Netflix next year.