13 Reasons Why season 4 will reportedly be the Netflix show’s last – but is this really the end? Or is there room for more exploration of the struggles teens are facing in 2020? Showrunner Brian Yorkey thinks the series has come to a “logical ending point.”
13 Reasons Why – which began as the story of a young teen’s suicide and the tapes she left behind blaming her classmates – has been the target of much criticism. Though its defenders argue that the show tackles necessary topics, some say it’s approach has often been insensitive and irresponsible. Hannah’s death scene in season 1 was so heavily criticised that it was eventually edited out completely.
Brian Yorkey, however, remains adamant that there will be no 13 Reasons Why season 5. "Somewhere in the midst of making season two, 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," Yorkey told Entertainment Weekly. He added that it mirrors the high school experience; one season per year of school.
"It felt like bringing these characters to their graduation and scattering to their next things felt like the logical ending point," Yorkey continued. "So for a long time, the idea has been, should we be so lucky to have the opportunity, we would do four seasons of this. So certainly going into the breaking story for season four, we knew it was the end."
The show is produced by Netflix in collaboration with Paramount TV, so licensing fees won’t have been cheap. It’s also no secret known that Netflix is a champion of original content, so it makes sense that they would take this opportunity to explore something new, as the platform’s juggernauts – Stranger Things, The Crown, 13 Reasons Why – all approach their final episodes.
For better or worse, 13 Reasons Why has left its mark, and you can watch the final season on Netflix now. Looking for more binge-worthy content? Here are the best new movies on shows now on Netflix.
