Mentally prepare yourself (or at least get your cassette tapes in order), because 13 Reasons Why is coming back for a third season this August and the trailer just dropped.
The controversial Netflix teen drama, which is based on the novel by Jay Asher and is executive produced by Selena Gomez, has proved popular among audiences, even if it has divided viewers over its graphic depictions of suicide, sexual assault and addiction.
The show’s second season, which premiered last year, left things on a cliffhanger, with lead character Clay (Dylan Minnette) preventing a school shooting only to be left holding the rifle as police arrived at the scene. And by the looks of things, Season 3 is going to be just as dramatic. In the just dropped trailer, an unseen narrator with a British accent delivers an enigmatic monologue. It’s all very Big Little Lies but make it teen.
“Here’s the thing about the kids at Liberty High,” the voice says. “They’re connected by their secrets. Connected… and forever changed. The truth is, given the right circumstances, the right motivation, anyone could have done this.”
The trailer also reveals another shocking fact: the death of Bryce Walker. We see our core group of characters – Clay, Tony, Jessica, Alex, Justin, Tyler and Zach – at the American football player’s funeral, as his mother asks: “If any of you know anything, please say something?” The death of Hannah Baker is well and truly in the past.
According to Entertainment Weekly, a description for the series reads: “Eight months after preventing Tyler from committing an unthinkable act at Spring Fling, Clay, Tony, Jessica, Alex, Justin, and Zach find ways to shoulder the burden of the cover-up together while helping Tyler move toward recovery. But when the aftermath of a tumultuous Homecoming game culminates in the disappearance of a football player, and Clay finds himself under police scrutiny, it’s up to a shrewd outsider to steer the group through an investigation that threatens to lay bare everyone’s deepest secrets. The stakes are raised in this riveting third season of 13 Reasons Why, as the consequences of even the most well-intended actions can alter a life forever.” Watch the trailer below.
It’s also been announced that 13 Reasons Why has been recommissioned by Netflix for a fourth season, which will also be the teen drama’s last. The news comes a few weeks after Netflix revealed that they had decided to edit the controversial scene in the show’s first season that shows the character of Hannah die by suicide.
“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,” Netflix said in a statement. “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.”
You don’t have to wait long for 13 Reasons Why to return. The third season drops on August 23.