The Real Reason 13 Reasons Why Was Canceled
While there are many TV shows about teenagers that are celebrated and beloved, from Dawson's Creek and its famous love triangle to a more recent show such as Elite or Cruel Summer, the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why can't be discussed without talking about some of the problems associated with it.
13 Reasons Why has many dark scenes and Netflix announced that season 4 would be it's last. When fans first began watching the show, they quickly learned that teenage girl Hannah Baker was sharing her story and that she believed that the people in her life affected her negatively. As the show continued, there were many other disturbing elements added that weren't part of the book that the show is based on.
Why did 13 Reasons Why get canceled? Let's take a look.
A Four-Season Show
Katherine Langford's $5 million net worth is because of her steady work, and after becoming famous for playing Hannah on 13 Reasons Why, the actress starred on the Netflix show Cursed.
Netflix said the show met its "natural conclusion" and according to Standard.co.uk, the streaming service explained that season 4 would "feature the core cast’s graduation from High School."
Showrunner Brian Yorkey explained his thoughts on four seasons of 13 Reasons Why, telling Entertainment Weekly that it seemed like this was the right amount of time to tell the story.
Brian Yorkey explained, "Somewhere in the midst of making season 2, when it became clear that we might have the chance to make more seasons of this, I pretty quickly got to a place where it felt like a four-season story. I'm always a little bit suspicious of high school shows that go beyond four seasons because high school is four years long."
Some fans of the show wonder why the show didn't stop after season 1, since that is the one that follows Jay Asher's young adult novel most closely.
One fan wrote in a Reddit thread, "This was clearly a one-season story" and another viewer replied, "I was shocked there was a season 2. Then there was a third. And now a fourth? How did they even get past the first season?" Another fan shared their opinion: "This is the problem when books are transformed into what should clearly be limited series. The book is a self-contained story. The first season is a self-contained story."
Season 1 of 13 Reasons Why has a higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 78% rating on the Tomatometer and 80% Audience Score, compared to 25% on the Tomatometer and 53% Audience Score for season 4.
The Controversy
There have been several parts of 13 Reasons Why that viewers and critics alike have called inappropriate and thought were too dark to show.
According to Cinema Blend, season 4 featured a difficult scene when the characters went through a drill for a school shooting, which many found disturbing. In season 2, Tyler is assaulted at school, and Brian Yorkey explained, "As intense as that scene is, and as strong as are or reactions to it may be, it doesn't even come close to the pain experienced by the people who actually go through these things."
It seems like all four seasons of the show have been viewed as problematic, as episodes have featured difficult topics such as murder and assault, and many people found it difficult to continue watching the show.
Hannah's Scene
As soon as 13 Reasons Why became available for streaming on Netflix, people realized that season 1 contained a disturbing scene that was very tough to watch: Hannah Baker's suicide scene.
This became very controversial, with many people saying that it wasn't appropriate, and Netflix made the decision to take the scene out of the show altogether.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the official statement from Netflix read, “We’ve heard from many young people that 13 Reasons Why encouraged them to start conversations about difficult issues like depression and suicide and get help — often for the first time. As we prepare to launch season three later this summer, we’ve been mindful about the ongoing debate around the show. So on the advice of medical experts, including Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we’ve decided with creator Brian Yorkey and the producers to edit the scene in which Hannah takes her own life from season one.”
Brian Yorkey also told EW that after making season 1, it became clear that there was more story to tell with the characters. The showrunner explained, "we fell in love with these characters and wanted to know what happened next. And at that time I wouldn't say there was a plan, but you begin to think, 'It would be interesting to follow these kids.'"
While the writers and producers had good intentions, the backlash to 13 Reasons Why can't be ignored as many were uncomfortable with the stories and themes explored over four seasons.
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