It's official: Netflix has renewed its compulsive but controversial teen drama 13 Reasons Why for a second season (so now we know why the show's creators left things so frustratingly open ended in that finale episode...)
Executive producer Selena Gomez, who revealed that she was 'surprised' and 'overwhelmed' by the show's runaway success, took to her Instagram account to confirm the rumoured follow-up almost a year ago, posting a short video that flashes through a handful of key locations from the show's first season. Her caption? 'Their story isn't over. Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why is coming.'
Even after all this time, Netflix fans are probably still reeling from the intense ups and downs of the show's debut 13 episode run, which followed high schooler Clay Jensen as he listens to 13 audio tapes left behind by his friend Hannah Baker after she commits suicide, with each tape detailing a 'reason' - and shifting culpability onto a different classmate (Clay himself included).
Thankfully the trailer for the show's next installment is finally here and it promises a season just as intense and ominous as the first.
Watch The Trailer For Season 2 Of 13 Reasons Why
While full details of the second season are still vague, any fan will have a handful of burning questions that need answers, fast. Spoilers will abound below...
When is 13 Reasons Why season 2 on Netflix?
There's not that long to wait. The new series hits Netflix on Friday 18 May, just over a year after the end of season one.
Will Hannah Baker (and actress Katherine Langford) return for season two?
As it turns out, we already have an answer to this one. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Brian Yorkey revealed that, though she may no longer still be living, '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 center of it,' he added. Thanks to the show's flashback structure, which seamlessly merges the past with the present to uncanny effect, it shouldn't be too hard for Hannah (and Langford) to remain a major player in the drama.
What happened to Alex, and is he still alive?
In the show's closing moments, it's revealed that Hannah's former friend and classmate Alex (played by Miles Heizer) is in intensive care after suffering from a gunshot wound (did we mention that things get bleak?) Also speaking to THR, Heizer revealed that he believes his character has committed suicide, like Hannah. 'It was interesting to see similarities between Alex and Hannah, because there are a lot of warning signs throughout the season [...] It would be interesting to go into that.'
After a few examinations of the new trailer though, Alex is spotted in amongst all of the action so it seems his story isn't quite finished yet either...
How will the conflicted response to the show affect future seasons?
13 Reasons Why has attracted praise and censure in equal measure for its depiction of sexual assault and suicide, choosing not to shy away from showing them on screen. In response to criticism since its release, Netflix has now introduced regular trigger warnings throughout the show. It will certainly be interesting to see whether this reception has an impact upon the way the show's writers approach these themes in future seasons...
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