Netflix's 13 Reasons Why is renewed for season 4, which will be the show's last, and a season 3 premiere date is officially announced. The dramatic teen series has had more than its share of controversy since kicking off back in 2017, and if season 2 was any indication, there’s still plenty more to come.
Based on author Jay Asher’s 2007 YA novel of the same name, 13 Reasons Why explored the challenging and often very dark side of teen life by delving into issues such as bullying, rape, drug and alcohol abuse and ultimately, suicide. The series was an immediate hit for Netflix, but with that success came a great deal of pushback from parents and concerned citizens who felt the series glorified teen suicide. In some schools, even just talk of the series was banned and other schools banned the book from their libraries outright. Worse yet, a study was revealed earlier this year that claimed to find a correlation between teens watching 13 Reasons Why and an increase in suicide rates. Nonetheless, the negative press didn’t prevent the second season of the program from being a success, and anticipation for season 3 has been high.
It’s been a long wait for news of 13 Reason Why’s season 3 release date. For quite some time, all that was known was that it was coming at some point in 2019. Now, however, thanks to Variety, we know that the third season of the hit teen series will arrive in just a few weeks time, on August 23. Netflix have also released a teaser trailer, which asks the very intriguing question of "Who killed Bryce Walker?" In addition to this, Variety also revealed the series has been renewed for a fourth season, but that season will be the final one. You can check out the full 13 Reasons Why season 3 teaser below:
As anyone who has spent time watching 13 Reasons Why will know, Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice) was one of the series’ biggest villains. Responsible for the rapes of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) - whose 13 post-suicide tapes make up the core of the first season - as well as Jessica Davis (Alisha Boe), Walker continued to be 13 Reason Why’s most hated character throughout the second season as well, smugly flaunting his ability to avoid punishment at all costs and intimidating anyone who wished to testify against him in the season’s court case over Hannah Baker’s death. Unfortunately for Walker, it looks as though someone in the third season has finally taken steps to act out against him.
It should also be pointed out that both a Netflix press release for season 3 as well as the above teaser give a slight indication that Clay (Dylan Minnette) will be the main point of investigation in Walker’s death. Whether or not it’s actually Clay who killed Walker is doubtful, as the series is likely setting him up as a red herring. At the same time, however, there are many people at Liberty High who would’ve wanted to see Walker dead, and the fact that 13 Reasons Why has gone with this as the prime story component for season 3 indicates there is still much to be explored between now and the fourth and final season.
13 Reasons Why season 3 premieres August 23 on Netflix.
Source: Variety, Netflix