'13 Reasons Why' Star Says Season 2 Won't Be Toned Down, Despite Backlash

It's pretty much impossible to have been on social media in 2017 and not heard about 13 Reasons Why. The Netflix teen drama quickly became the most tweeted-about show of the year after premiering at the end of March, owing part of that intense interaction to captivating fans, and the other part to generating a lot of controversy. The show has received a ton of backlash for what some consider a glamorized representation of teen suicide, but despite this outcry, the cast confirmed 13 Reasons Why Season 2 will be just as intense as the first one.

Dylan Minnette, who plays Clay Jensen in the series, told Variety the upcoming second season of 13 Reasons Why was never toned down or altered due to the controversy that arose around Season 1. He said it will be clear from the very beginning of the new season the show hasn't stepped back from its portrayal of hot-button topics like suicide and rape.

It's evident from the get-go that we're not pulling any punches this year.

So, it sounds like the controversy surrounding this show is definitely not about to go away any time soon. That said, Minnette and his costar Katherine Langford actually view the increased amount of discussion about teen suicide that the show has cultivated as a positive thing. Langford pointed to fans who came up to thank her for telling Hannah Baker's story as the positive aspect of it, and Minnette said he feels most of the people accusing the show of glamorizing suicide haven't actually watched it themselves.

Langford goes on to argue she doesn't see the show as glorifying suicide at all. Speaking about the controversial finale scene in which Hannah slits her wrists in a bathtub, Langford said she becomes immediately sick and sad when thinking about the show's portrayal, rather than seeing any glamour in it.

We show Hannah's suicide not to glorify it. We show the rape not to glorify it. It's uncomfortable when you watch it. So we made decisions creatively, acting-wise and writing-wise, that contributed to us wanting to show this in a way that felt truthful and authentic. Personally, I don't feel like it glorifies it at all. When I watch those scenes, I get a visceral response — it makes me sick, and it makes me sad.

With the cast clearly stating next season won't be pulling any punches in response to this backlash, we're definitely in store for the same amount of controversy as well. Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why will premiere sometime in 2018.