Unless you've been living in a cave under a rock for the last year then you've probably heard of a little Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why. It took the world by storm, with everyone who watched it having strong feels about it. The show is fearless in its approach to tackling topics you typically wouldn't see in a show about teenagers – but it's these hard topics of suicide, sexual assault, depression, and bullying that should be talked about more. The show created a conversation, and along with having such strong performances by its cast and being executive produced by none other than Selena Gomez and her mom Mandy Teefy, it came as no surprise the show was renewed for a second season. So what can you expect to happen? Well, we're breaking down everything you need to know about Season 2:
When is Season 2 set to air?
Fans of the show have been dying for a locked-down premiere date ever since it was announced that the show was getting a second season in 2018 – and now, it's finally here. The new trailer not only reveals that the second batch of episodes is hitting Netflix on May 18, 2018 – but also that Hannah left more than just tapes behind.
It will once again have 13, hour-long episodes. When Season 2 finished filming, Selena took to Instagram to share some photo-booth pics from the wrap party. "And this year wraps up with another committed journey with @13reasonswhy -Season 2 is coming. To every person on this project, thank you for coming back. Good or bad we are committed to having the tough conversations, to telling the story that can start change," she wrote in the caption.
What is Season 2 about?
According to Netflix's description, the second season "picks up in the aftermath of Hannah Baker's death and the start of the characters' complicated journeys toward healing and recovery." Showrunner [Brian Yorkey] elaborated, explaining that this next batch of episodes will focus on showing how these characters are healing and dealing with everything we've seen them endure in Season 1.
"I think Season 2 will see us look at a lot of the events that we think we know how they went down and maybe learn they're more complicated than first we thought, and that Hannah herself is even more complicated than we saw in Season 1," Brian said. "For those that Hannah left behind, that story is just beginning. The story of their recovery is just beginning. Clay and Olivia Baker are two of the people who have the most healing to do and that process was just in its very, very first stages when Season 1 ended. Season 2 is also about healing and about how we go on, because people always say that you have to go on, but how do we after something like that?"
Selena elaborated more when she spoke to Z100 about the direction the show is headed in Season 2 and how it will answer any lingering questions from the first season.
"The content is complicated, it's dark and it has moments that are honestly really hard to swallow and I understood that. These kids today are so exposed to things that I would never even comprehend when I was eight, you know. If this is what we're going to talk about, we might as well do it in a way that it's going to be honest, real and stays true to the book," Selena said. "The conversations that came up and all the talk about it was all valid and I understand it, but I think with Season 2, we're going to have to actually answer a lot of those questions and a lot of resolution with the characters are going to come. These kids put their heart in it. Katherine and Dylan were unbelievable and they believed the story and understand that this is happening every day. I went to the writers' room the other day and I felt like I was watching a movie because I was freaking out on where they're going and it's actually really encouraging and empowering. We're going to take a little inspiration from the first [season] and bring it into the second."
Katherine Langford, who received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Hannah, spoke to Entertainment Weekly and divulged a few more details confirming how the story will focus on all the characters' lives now and how things have changed for them after what happened to Hannah.
"This season has been really interesting for a lot of reasons. It’s a different story than Season 1 and I think that’s a good thing. This season we get to explore a lot more of the other characters and their journeys, which I’m excited about. As sad as it is, there is life after Hannah, and this season we get to see the effects it had on the people around her a lot more," she said.
Will Hannah Baker be in Season 2?
Since Hannah is no longer alive and we've heard all of the tapes she left behind, many wondered how the show will be, since it would appear her story is officially over. Well, rest assured since Brian confirmed Hannah will still be in the show. There is plenty more to tell.
"One of the things that is a fundamental element of our show is the weaving of past and the present. Hannah's story is still very much not finished. She's an integral part of whatever the next chapter of the story is, and she's very much still at the center of it," he said to The Hollywood Reporter.
And Katherine is obviously so pumped her character will be back in action.
"We're going to see Hannah in flashbacks. We're going to see parts of Hannah's life that we didn't in Season 1. We haven't really gone into that much detail but I know that we're going to continue that dialogue and keep developing the story," Katherine said to Mashable. "I knew that Netflix and the creators would only come back for a Season 2 if it was going to add to the story. So when I found out I was coming back and I get to be a part of it, I was just even more excited. I would love to see the quieter moments in Hannah's life that we didn't get to see covered in Season 1. It would be really interesting to see some of those missing pieces."
Now that all the new episodes have been filmed, Katherine explained to EW what they can expect for Hannah and although she doesn't know if there will be a third season and what role Hannah would play in it, she felt like she was letting Hannah go in a sense.
"You see a very different Hannah in season 2. I would prepare fans not to expect the Hannah from Season 1 for a multitude of reasons," Katherine said. "It’s funny because I just wrapped and I think a lot of this season for me is about letting Hannah go."
Are there any new characters?
Yes, seven in fact. According to Variety, Anne Winters will be playing Chloe, the new head cheerleader at Liberty High who is super popular; Bryce Cass will play Cyrus, an edgy troublemaker of sorts; Chelsea Alden will play Cyrus’ sister, Mackenzie, an artsy smart girl unafraid to speak her mind; Allison Miller will be playing Sonya, a young litigator; Samantha Logan will be playing Nina, a track star with a secret; Kelli O’Hara will be playing Jackie, a nice, yet passionate advocate for victims of bullying, and Ben Lawson will be playing Ruck, the high school baseball coach everyone loves. So tons of new faces, along with all of your faves from Season 1.
Anne recently shared some details about her character and what fans can expect from Chloe.
"She’s a cheerleader. It’s funny because I had been working on the show before it had got released to the public, so I didn’t really say anything and also I can’t say much. I can’t really tell you too much, but I can say that I am one of the new characters and you will see a lot of me. Chloe is a very different character than other people I’ve played. I will be involved in a lot of drama, that’s for sure," Anne said to Flare.
As a matter of fact, Anne actually auditioned for the role of Hannah Baker before Katherine landed the leading spot.
"You know, when you don't get something you're like oh, that sucks," she told Hollywood Life. "When it was such a big hit at the beginning I was like you know what, I don't need to watch it right now. I'll wait 'til later. And then when I booked it I was like okay, I gotta watch all of them, so I binge watched it all. But I had read the book already and I read the script obviously from when I first auditioned for it, and yeah it's an amazing concept, amazing script, amazing writers! I knew it was gonna be an amazing show, and obviously it's doing so well."
And Dylan Minnette, the one and only Clay Jensen himself, teased that these new characters bring a whole new layer to the show.
"I think the most interesting and compelling stuff in season two is involving the new characters. There are so many characters on the show already, but every character they add is integral to the story. There's definitely some important characters that come into play; it's kinda exciting," he said to Entertainment Tonight.
What's in store for Clay?
Clay is our flawed yet all-around nice guy who in a sea of dark and twisted characters, would sometimes provide glimmers of light throughout the series. Dylan explained he's looking forward to continuing Clay's journey, wherever that takes him and with whoever.
"I'm sure his anxiety is going to come into play still. He handled things pretty poorly here and there in Season 1, so I'm interested to see how he handles things this season. We'll see. I think there's more to be explored with his closure, I mean this season ended with him having a smirk on his face in the car riding away. What does that mean? I'm excited to know," Dylan shared. "The show picks up a few months after Season 1 where we left off, and there’s a lot of catch up to play, and I think people might be a little surprised where Clay is. I don’t know if there’s a new love [interest], we’ll just have to see. But I think people will also be surprised by where he ends up, because I’m also trying to figure it out myself right now," he said to US Weekly.
Dylan then spoke to Entertainment Tonight and shared that viewers will know all that went on during the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2 within in the first few episodes. As for Clay, well he's just trying to move on with his life as best he can, but of course, Hannah will forever hold a place in his heart.
"You'll learn pretty quickly what happened between the two seasons. For Clay, I think that he definitely wants to move on from what happened in season one. Clearly the impact of the loss of Hannah is huge for him," Dylan said to ET. "Hannah will always be a part of Clay, no matter what. You'll definitely see more of that in season two because Clay won't be able to shake the memory of her, I don't think, for a long time."
Dylan added he just can't wait for everyone to see how much the audience is going to be surprised with the direction of the story as it progresses with the new batch of episodes.
"I really do love a lot of the things they've done with season two, and I hope that it resonates well [with viewers]," he continued. "I don't think you'll be able to predict what the season is at all. I was surprised by a lot of it myself, so I'm looking forward to seeing all the reactions."
Is Alex going to survive?
As you remember from the Season 1 finale, it was revealed that Alex was shot and we don't know if he's going to live or not. Miles Heizer who plays Alex couldn't reveal anything about Alex's fate when he spoke to Us Weekly, but he did promise that things are going to get even more raw, real and intense in the new batch of episodes.
"I will say we took the issues that were present in Season 1 and made sure that they are present in Season 2. We really went head first into all of these things that people thought were taboo and talked about them anyway. If anything, we’re even more open about the taboo topics from Season 1 and we dive in deeper," Miles said. Now while he did remain tight-lipped about what's in store for his character, the show's official Instagram account might've given us all some insight. There's a new photo of Alex sitting on the bleachers, listening to something and there appears to be something that resembles a cane next to him that could be helping him walk.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?! Basically, we won't be getting answers to any burning questions until the new episodes arrive.
Will the truth about Tony be revealed?
There is a widespread fan theory that Tony is actually a ghost, guiding Clay through this journey. And while this would be a massive plot twist, it appears this is all fiction, and Christian Navarro, who is Tony, even said this is not the case.
"There was a big [theory] that was like, Tony's a ghost. And I was like 'Watch the show, man. There's no way. I interact with everybody; Tony's a real guy.' That one was a little bit of a stretch to me. Sometimes these fan theories are incredibly impressive and ahead of the curve and shock me, but that was not one of them. It would be amazing, but no," he said.
So looks like there isn't some big mystery surrounding Tony after all. He's just the guy we all know and love and there's nothing wrong with that.
Is Selena Gomez going to be in Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why?
The short answer is no. She has said plenty of times she is happy staying behind-the-scenes when it comes to this passion project and one of the show's stars, Amy Hargreaves who plays Clay's mom, admitted having the superstar in the show might distract from the story itself.
"It would become so much more about Selena Gomez and not about the story. It would kinda distract from the main story. So I can't imagine that she would pop up for a cameo, but who knows? You never know," Amy said to ABC News.
Plus, when we caught up with Tommy Dorfman, who plays Ryan, he made it clear that it's not even clear if she will be able to visit the set at all this time since she's currently busy filming a movie at the moment.
"No idea. She's working in New York right now," Tommy exclusively said to J-14 when we spoke to him at Out Magazine's 25th Anniversary Celebration.
Watch: Behind-the-Scenes Pics of Season 1 of '13 Reasons Why'
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