Netflix's series 13 Reasons Why is no stranger to ruffling feathers. Over its four seasons the drama about a group of high schoolers tackled a variety of topics, from suicide and sexual assault to school shootings and mental health. The fourth and final season dropped on Friday, June 5 and riled up a famous fan: Kirstie Alley.
"Don't let your kids watch 13 Reasons Why...DARK so DARK and such an onslaught of the most non stop f--ked upness to come down the highschool [sic] pike since Caligula was 16," the veteran Cheers star tweeted on Monday, June 15.
However, in response to someone on Twitter, Alley did say she thinks it's a good show—for adults.
After its premiere, 13 Reasons Why received its fair share of backlash.
"You always want to make a show that connects and I think we knew we were making a show we felt we were onto something with the show we were creating," director and executive producer Tom McCarthy told E! News at 13 Reasons Why's Netflix FYSee event in 2017. "You can never anticipate a response, especially with the young adult viewers…I don't know if controversy is the right word…it's a debate, it's a conversation and there are prof on both sides who have very strong reactions to it, and I think that's exciting."
The show eventually edited out Hannah Baker's suicide scene ahead of the third season premiere following multiple studies about the show's depiction of the character taking her own life.
"It was our hope, in making 13 Reasons Why into a television show, to tell a story that would help young viewers feel seen and heard, and encourage empathy in all who viewed it, much as the bestselling book did before us. Our creative intent in portraying the ugly, painful reality of suicide in such graphic detail in season one was to tell the truth about the horror of such an act, and make sure no one would ever wish to emulate it," series creator Brian Yorkey said in a statement. "But as we ready to launch season three, we have heard concerns about the scene from Dr. Christine Moutier at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and others, and have agreed with Netflix to re-edit it. No one scene is more important than the life of the show, and its message that we must take better care of each other. We believe this edit will help the show do the most good for the most people while mitigating any risk for especially vulnerable young viewers."