Season 1
Rotten Tomatoes reports that 77% of 65 critic reviews are positive for the first season, and the average rating is 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "13 Reasons Why complements its bestselling source material with a gripping look at adolescent grief whose narrative maturity belies its YA milieu." [46] Metacritic assigned a score of 76 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. [47]
Jesse Schedeen of IGN praised 13 Reasons Why, giving it a 9.2 out of 10, stating that the series is "a very powerful and hard-hitting series" and "ranks among the best high school dramas of the 21st century". [53] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe gave a glowing review for the series, saying, "The drama is sensitive, consistently engaging, and, most importantly, unblinking." [54] Maureen Ryan of Variety asserts that the series "is undoubtedly sincere, but it's also, in many important ways, creatively successful" and called it "simply essential viewing". [55] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave the entire season a score of B+, calling the series "a frank, authentically affecting portrait of what it feels like to be young, lost and too fragile for the world". [56] Daniel Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter also praised the series, calling it "an honorably mature piece of young-adult adaptation", and citing its performances, direction, relevance, and maturity as some of the series' strongest points. [57]
The acting, particularly that of Katherine Langford as Hannah and Dylan Minnette as Clay, was frequently praised in reviews. Schedeen of IGN praised the cast, particularly Minnette and Langford, stating: "Langford shines in the lead role ... [and] embodies that optimism and that profound sadness [of Hannah's] as well. Minnette's Clay is, by design, a much more stoic and reserved character ... and does a fine job in what's often a difficult role." [53] Gilbert of The Boston Globe praised the chemistry of Langford and Minnette, saying that "watching these two young actors together is pure pleasure", while Schedeen of IGN also agreed, saying that they are "often at their best together, channeling just the right sort of warm but awkward chemistry you'd expect from two teens who can't quite admit to their feelings for one another". Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter also praises both actors: "Langford's heartbreaking openness makes you root for a fate you know isn't possible. The actress' performance is full of dynamic range, setting it against Minnette's often more complicated task in differentiating between moods that mostly go from uncomfortable to gloomy to red-eyed, hygiene-starved despair." [57]
Ryan of Variety also gave praise to not only the two leads but also the supporting cast of actors, particularly Kate Walsh's performance as Hannah's mother, which Ryan describes as "career-best work". [55] Positive mentions from various critics, such as Ryan, Feinberg and Schedeen, were also given to the supporting cast of actors (most particularly Alisha Boe, Miles Heizer and Christian Navarro's respective performances as Jessica, Alex and Tony). Liz Shannon Miller of Indiewire , who enjoyed the series and gave it a positive score of B+, gave praise to the racial, gender, and complex diversity of its supporting cast of teens. [55] [53] [57] [58]
Another aspect frequently mentioned within reviews was the series's mature and emotional approach to its dark and adult subject matter. This was favorably reviewed by critics, such as Miller of Indiewire, particularly her statement that "the adult edges to this story ring with honesty and truth." [58] Miller, and Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter, also stated that the series can be difficult to watch at times, [57] while Schedeen of IGN states that it is "an often depressing and even uncomfortable show to watch ... a pretty emotionally draining experience, particularly towards the end as the pieces really start to fall into place." [53]
Critics also praised several other aspects of the series. Feinberg highlighted the series' directors, saying: "A Sundance-friendly gallery of directors including Tom McCarthy, Gregg Araki and Carl Franklin keeps the performances grounded and the extremes from feeling exploitative", [58] while Gilbert of The Boston Globe praised the storytelling: "The storytelling techniques are powerful ... [as it] builds on the world established in the previous hour, as we continually encounter new facets of Hannah's life and new characters. The background on the show keeps getting deeper, richer." [54]
Conversely, the series has also received criticism over its portrayal of teen angst. Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote a critical review, writing, "the show doesn't make [Hannah's] downward progress convincing. It too often feels artificial, like a very long public service announcement." He also criticized the plot device that has Clay listening to the tapes one by one instead of all in one sitting like the other teens did, which Hale felt was unbelievable: "It makes no sense as anything but a plot device, and you'll find yourself, like Clay's antagonists, yelling at him to listen to the rest of tapes already." [59]
Writing for The Guardian , Rebecca Nicholson praised some aspects of the series, including the performances from Minnette and Walsh but was troubled by much of the plot, writing, "a storyline that suggests the love of a sweet boy might have sorted all this out added to an uneasy feeling that stayed with me". Nicholson was skeptical that the series would appeal to older viewers, unlike other series set in high school such as Freaks and Geeks and My So-Called Life : "It lacks the crossover wit of its forebears ... It's too tied up in conveying the message that terrible behaviour can have horrible consequences to deal in any subtleties or shades of feeling. It's largely one-note – and that note is horrifying. 'It has to get better,' implores one student towards the end, but given its fairly open ending, an apparent season two setup, it does not seem as if there's much chance of that happening." [60]
The Washington Post television critic Hank Stuever wrote a negative review, finding 13 Reasons Why "contrived" and implausible: "There are 13 episodes lasting 13 super-sullen hours – a passive-aggressive, implausibly meandering, poorly written, and awkwardly acted effort that is mainly about miscommunication, delivering no more wisdom or insight about depression, bullying, and suicide than one of those old ABC Afterschool Specials people now mock for being so corny." He also wrote that he found Hannah's suicide tapes "a protracted example of the teenager who fantasizes how everyone will react when she's gone. The story ... strikes me as remarkably, even dangerously, naive in its understanding of suicide, up to and including a gruesome, penultimate scene of Hannah opening her wrists in a bathtub." [61]
David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the series a tepid review, saying that it was plagued by character inconsistencies, particularly in Hannah's character. He praised Langford's "stunning performance" but noted, "There are times when we simply don't believe the characters, when what they do or say isn't consistent with who we've been led to believe they are ... At times, [Hannah] is self-possessed and indifferent at best to the behavior of the popular kids. At other times, though, relatively minor misperceived slights seem to send her into an emotional tailspin. No doubt, teenagers embody a constant whirl of conflicting emotions, but the script pushes the bounds of credibility here and there." He noted that overall, the series worked: "The structure is gimmicky and the characters inconsistent, but there are still at least 13 Reasons Why the series is worthy." [62]
Season 2
The second season received generally mixed reviews from critics, with criticism aimed at the writing; many declared the season unnecessary and boring. [63] [64] On Rotten Tomatoes, 28% of 53 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The site's critical consensus states, "By deviating from its source material, 13 Reasons Why can better explore its tenderly crafted characters; unfortunately, in the process, it loses track of what made the show so gripping in the first place." [48] On Metacritic, the season has an average score of 49 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [49]
Catherine Pearson from Digital Spy wrote a negative review, calling the season "even more problematic" than the first. She ends the review saying that, "Unrelenting depression seems to shroud the season, briefly lifted only to collapse back down as the show's thirteenth episode, once again, delivers a deeply disturbing scene of suffering." [65] Jordan Davidson from The Mighty wrote that he "felt sick" after watching the final episode of the season. [66]
A scene in which the character Tyler Down (Devin Druid) is attacked and sexually assaulted with a mop handle by bully Montgomery De La Cruz (Timothy Granaderos) during the finale also caused controversy from fans and critics of the series, with some describing it as "unnecessary" and "traumatizing". [67] Series showrunner Brian Yorkey defended the scene, saying that it was included in an attempt to "tell truthful stories about things that young people go through in as unflinching a way as we can". [68]
