Hannah Baker Won't Appear in '13 Reasons Why' If There's a Season 3

Although “13 Reasons Why” has not yet officially been renewed for a third season, we know if the time does come, Hannah Baker won’t be back.

Hannah’s suicide drives the plot in season one, and in season two she appears in flashbacks. She also appears in scenes with fellow classmate Clay Jensen as he continues to work though the aftermath of her death.

Actress Katherine Langford, who plays Hannah, broke the news to Entertainment Weekly. Langford said after feeling like she had let Hannah go in season one, it was challenging to keep playing her in the second season.

For me, we told Hannah’s story so fully in season 1. And in a way, doing that scene in episode 13 [of season 1], I’ve so often referred to it as it was the hardest scene because it’s the scene where I had to let her go. I think coming back this season was challenging because it was playing her but not really her. The challenge was when you tell a character’s story so fully, and then you have to come back as a version of her that’s filtered through other people’s eyes; that required a lot of trust.

Langford said Clay was the one who had to let go of Hannah in season two.

After we see her dying by suicide in the graphic season one finale, Hannah’s presence in season two sparked conversation. Jamie Tworkowski, founder of the nonprofit To Write Love on Her Arms, tweeted, “In real life, those who die by suicide do not come back to help us answer the questions that surround their death. They don’t sit on our bed and ask if we still care.”

In real life, those who die by suicide do not come back to help us answer the questions that surround their death. They don’t sit on our bed and ask if we still care. #13ReasonsWhy continues to paint a false picture.

Suicide is entirely awful. Our loved ones don’t come back.

— Jamie Tworkowski (@jamietworkowski) May 18, 2018

Mental health advocate Jess Stohlmann-Rainey pointed out that  “after death communication” can be meaningful for suicide loss survivors, according to research that has been done on the topic.

After death communication with people lost to suicide has been really powerful and meaningful for a lot of loss survivors (and sometimes the opposite). @sspencerthomas does research in this area. I’m not sure #13ReasonsWhy2 is too off base in that portrayal.

— Jess StohlmannRainey (@JessStohlmann) May 19, 2018

“13 Reasons Why” isn’t a show for everyone. If you’re curious about the second season — and want to see if it’s for you — check our episode-by-episode reviews.