13 Reasons Why season 2: Everything we know

It’s all about the tapes. The Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why, based on Jay Asher’s bestseller, is back for a second season after leaving fans with a slew of conflicting emotions and so many unanswered questions: Now that the tapes have ran their course, where do we go from here? More importantly, now that they’re in the hands of guidance counselor Mr. Porter, what will he do with them? And what’s the Bakers’ next move? But it’s more than just plot — will the cast be the same? What about all that controversy surrounding the show’s graphic content? Here’s everything we know so far about 13 Reasons Why season 2.

13 Reasons Why season 2 premiere

We don’t have too long to wait! 13 Reasons Why season 2 will premiere on Friday, May 18 on Netflix. And this season will have — you guessed it — 13 new episodes.

13 Reasons Why season 2 plot

According to TV Guide, the show will pick up a few months after the final events of the first season and will be focused on the lawsuit Hannah’s parents file against the school district. This, the site points out, will give the students on the tapes the ability to share their side of things.

The 13 Reasons Why season 2 plot will reveal new details about Alex’s suicide attempt (played by Miles Heizer) and the potential onset of a school shooting planned by Tyler (Devin Druid). It will also explore how Jessica (Alisha Boe) is coping with the sexual assault inflicted by Bryce (Justin Prentice).

“I once read something online where someone said, ‘Well, Jessica told her dad she was raped, so her story is over,'” the show’s creator, Brian Yorkey, said at a recent panel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I remember thinking that right there is reason enough to do a season two, because her story is just beginning — her experience continues to be a central part of season two.”

In 13 Reasons Why season 2, a string of sexual assaults involving one of the high school’s athletic teams will be revealed. Each of these cases will reportedly be hinted through Polaroids (instead of tapes).

Yorkey told The Hollywood Reporter that recovery is another theme this season: “So many of these kids had been through traumatic experiences … and we wanted to begin to see them start back on the road toward wellness and wholeness and see what that looks like in the sense that recovery is not a straight line, and it’s not a simple process.”

There will also be different narrators in 13 Reasons Why season 2 — these could potentially be the 12 students Hannah included on her tapes.

13 Reasons Why season 2 cast

We’ll be seeing the main characters from season 1, which means a lot of Clay (Dylan Minnette) — and Hannah (Katherine Langford) will still be featured in the show.

“Clay’s trying to live his life,” Minnette said of his character this season, “but I think Hannah, his life with her, and everything with the tapes, is the biggest thing that’s ever happened to him, and I don’t think he’ll ever be able to escape it, no matter how hard he tries.”

There will be new characters added to the show as well, including cheerleader “it girl” Chloe (played by Anne Winters), brother and sister Cyrus (Bryce Cass) and Mackenzie (Chelsea Alden) and school baseball coach Rick (Ben Lawson).

Jake Weber will play Bryce’s dad Barry Walker, and Brenda Strong will play his mom Nora.

13 Reasons Why season 2 resources

Netflix announced that it will be giving viewers more tools to cope with the bullying, rape and suicide depicted in the series. There will be a new introduction video before each episode as well as an aftershow, on which experts, actors and educators will talk about the events that occur.

Additionally, there will be a list of resources on 13reasonswhy.info.

It was also revealed that suicide will not be depicted in 13 Reasons Why season 2.

“There’s no suicide on screen or off,” Yorkey told The Hollywood Reporter. “And there’s no flashbacks to it.”