Netflix's teen drama 13 Reasons Why is being edited. The controversial suicide scene at the end of the first season will no longer be available in its original, graphic form. The show sparked criticism from the mental health community before the it even aired and when it began streaming, researchers found an increase in search results for suicide-related phrases.
The showrunners initially defended the graphic nature of the scene. In an essay for Vanity Fair, writer Nic Sheff advocated for the need to “depict the suicide with as much detail and accuracy as possible. I even argued for it—relating the story of my own suicide attempt to the other writers. “should depict the suicide with as much detail and accuracy as possible.”
Two years on, the tide seems to have turned at Netflix. The streaming service issued the following statement ahead of the third season; “We’ve been mindful about the ongoing debate around the show. So on the advice of medical experts, including Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we’ve decided with creator Brian Yorkey and the producers to edit the scene in which Hannah takes her own life from season 1.”
As you might have anticipated, Twitter was deeply unimpressed with the edit. Browse some of the reactions below.
