Guess What? They’ve Been Writing the Second Season of “13 Reasons Why" for Weeks

Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide.

Netflix, just tell us already.

Yesterday, the creator of Riverdale (kind-of) let the cat out of the bag for rival show 13 Reasons Why, revealing a second season of the controversial program was practically guaranteed.

(Actor Ross Butler, who stars in both, will see his role in Riverdale recast, since he’s going to be “unavailable” for the foreseeable future.)

Today, the Hollywood Reporter has further deets, revealing that a writers’ room for 13 Reasons Why started work on a potential second season “weeks ago”.

A writers’ room is basically where the writers of a program come together to nut out storylines for a season—and beyond—and assign scripts.

They’ve certainly got a hefty job ahead of them, given the seemingly ‘closed’ nature of the first season, which (spoiler alert) brought the story full circle with the suicide of protagonist Hannah Baker (Australian actress Katherine Langford); an incident that triggered the events of the show. In the last episode of the first season, Clay (Dylan Minnette) finally learns why Hannah took her own life, having listened to the cassette tapes left behind explaining her “13 reasons why”.

The graphic suicide sequence has generated some criticism, with headspace warning “schools, parents and young people across Australia” about the series. The Guardian also criticised the series for portraying suicide as “a revenge fantasy… an act that will achieve something.”

Creator Brian Yorkey has defended his series, saying it looked “unflinchingly at some of the really difficult things teenagers actually go through.”

Controversy aside, Netflix is apparently close to making a deal for the second season, though nothing is official. Yet.

And if the Writers Guild of America goes on strike next Monday, which is a possibility, any second season could be seriously delayed, with a writers’ room temporarily disbanded.

So, until we have confirmation, temper your expectations, and enjoy Twitter’s speculations.

season 1: 13 Reasons Why
season 2: 13 Reasons What
season 3: 13 Reasons Where
season 4: 13 Reasons When
season 5: 13 Reasons Who

— K (@kerenkaru) April 25, 2017

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Photo: Netflix