Was ’13 Reasons Why’ Renewed for Season 4?

Ahead of its third season premiere, 13 Reasons Why has apparently been renewed for a fourth season, according to SpoilerTV. The teen drama centers on the aftermath of high school student Hannah Baker’s suicide and stars Dylan Minnette, Kate Walsh, Derek Luke, Brandon Flynn, Justin Prentice, Alisha Boe, Christian Navarro, Miles Heizer, Ross Butler, Devin Druid, and Amy Hargreaves.

Discussing Film, an outlet that also reported the renewal, claims that Season 4 will begin production in California later this month with Russell Mulcahy set to direct and Brian Yorkey set to write the premiere episode.

Netflix has not yet confirmed a renewal.

The reported renewal comes before Season 3 is set to premiere later this year, though Netflix has not announced an official premiere date. Series star Zack Prusak, who is credited on IMDb as portraying a “Jock” in all episodes of the upcoming season, seemingly confirmed on Twitter in June that the upcoming season would drop in October.

Based on Jay Asher’s young adult novel of the same name, the series has proven to be one of Netflix’s most controversial and has faced frequent calls from parenting groups as well as subscribers for its cancellation and removal from the streaming platform.

Much of the issue surrounding the series stems from its oftentimes graphic scenes as well as its portrayal of suicide, which many have claimed is glorified.

In recent months, the series has been shrouded in multiple studies linking it to a drastic increase in teen suicide rates, with some studies finding a 30 percent increase in suicide among children aged 10 to 17 in the months directly following the Season 1 premiere.

“Netflix has delivered a ticking time bomb to teens and children who watch 13 Reasons Why,” the Parents Television Council said of the series. “The content and thematic elements of the second season are even worse than we expected. We would have liked to have 13 reasons for hope and redemption following the graphic suicide of the lead female teen character, but rather than providing a path forward, the season only provides cause for despondency.”

Responding to the backlash, Netflix stated that “this is a critically important topic and we have worked hard to ensure that we handle this sensitive issue responsibly.”

In an effort to curb further backlash and prevent viewers from inadvertently watching any triggering material, the streamer has also included a suicide warning video ahead of each episode.

Seasons 1 and 2 of 13 Reasons Why are currently available for streaming. Season 3 does not yet have a premiere date.