Netflix’s Vice President of Original Content, Cindy Holland, has defended their decision to release a third season of the controversial series, 13 Reasons Why.
The Netflix Original was hugely successful after its first season in 2017, but the show received a large amount of backlash after the second season was released earlier this year.
“We had a very thoughtful conversation about the fact that we needed to see how these characters move on, to the extent to which they move on, following Jessica through her journey of recovery following that kind of trauma,” Cindy said at the Television Critics Association press tour.
Although the first season sparked some criticism, the second season received much more backlash from fans, as they complained that the programme romanticised suicide and did not deal with mental health issues correctly.
Many fans also accused the second season of being too dark and twisted, while the Parents Television Council created an online petition for the show to be pulled from Netflix.
Disappointed viewers took to Twitter to express how they felt about the programme being renewed for a third season:
they renewed 13 reasons why for a third season because it’s been realized that mental illness is profitable and can be easily marketed and glamorized. 13rw operates under a guise of educating the masses about mental illness, and then they refuse to listen to mentally ill people
— debt-free virgin without tattoos (@virgomeghan) June 6, 2018
How badly can you beat a dead horse? Netflix has renewed #13ReasonsWhy for a third season!
— Chris E. Hayner (@ChrisHayner) June 6, 2018
there is no reason for a third season of 13 Reasons Why because there was no reason for a second season
— pilot! (@pilotbacon) June 6, 2018
Season 3 of 13 Reasons Why is set to be released on Netflix next year.