13 Reasons Why (2017)
TV show · 2017 · Drama, Mystery · English
Curator score: 3.3/10 (343.2K ratings)
Tagline: If you're listening, you're too late.
After a teenage girl's perplexing suicide, a classmate receives a series of tapes that unravel the mystery of her tragic choice.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 3.3/10
- IMDb: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 35%
- Metacritic: 60
- TMDB: 7.5/10
Production: Anonymous Content, Paramount Television Studios
Cast: Dylan Minnette, Grace Saif, Christian Navarro, Alisha Boe, Brandon Flynn, Justin Prentice, Miles Heizer, Ross Butler, Devin Druid, Timothy Granaderos, Amy Hargreaves, Mark Pellegrino, Tyler Barnhardt, Jan Luis Castellanos, Deaken Bluman, Gary Sinise
Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict: A gripping, highly bingeable teen mystery that starts with real momentum and strong emotional hooks, but it becomes increasingly uneven and sensationalized as it goes on. The first season is the essential one; later seasons are more divisive and less rewarding.
Best for: Viewers who like dark teen dramas with mystery structure; People interested in trauma, guilt, and social fallout stories; Binge-watchers who want a propulsive, twist-driven series
Skip if: You want a sensitive, consistently grounded treatment of mental health; You prefer lighter teen drama or a hopeful tone; You lose patience with escalating melodrama and repeated shock twists
Overview: 13 Reasons Why is built to be impossible to stop watching. Its first season is a sharp, emotionally charged mystery with a strong hook, effective cliffhangers, and a clear sense of dread that made it a major conversation show. The performances and atmosphere do a lot of heavy lifting, and the series initially feels like a serious look at how cruelty, silence, and rumor can compound into tragedy.
Worth noting: The problem is that the show keeps expanding beyond the premise that made it work. As it continues, it leans harder into soapier plotting, procedural mystery mechanics, and increasingly implausible turns. The emotional intensity remains, but the writing becomes more uneven, and the handling of sensitive subject matter drew substantial criticism for good reason.
Bottom line: If you watch it, the first season is the main event and the most defensible entry point. After that, the appeal becomes more about completionism and teen-drama momentum than about quality. It’s a show with real impact, but also one that often confuses escalation with depth.
Recommended similar titles:
- Euphoria (2019 · Curator 9.7/10 (306.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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- Elite (2018 · Curator 1.5/10 (9.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
If you want the glossy, twisty, high-school soap side of 13 Reasons Why, this delivers fast pacing and escalating secrets.
- The End of the F***ing World (2017 · Curator 7.5/10 (249.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- Pretty Little Liars (2010 · Curator 5.8/10 (190.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, Max)
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- The OA (2016 · Curator 0.7/10 (1.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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Topics: teen drama, mystery, dark tone, coming-of-age, psychological, melodrama, bingeable, trauma, high school, controversial
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/tv-show/13-reasons-why/66788
13 Reasons Why (2017)
TV show · 2017 · Drama, Mystery · English
Curator score: 3.3/10 (343.2K ratings)
If you're listening, you're too late.
Overview After a teenage girl's perplexing suicide, a classmate receives a series of tapes that unravel the mystery of her tragic choice.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.3/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 35%
Metacritic: 60
TMDB: 7.5/10
Production Anonymous Content, Paramount Television Studios
Cast Dylan Minnette, Grace Saif, Christian Navarro, Alisha Boe, Brandon Flynn, Justin Prentice, Miles Heizer, Ross Butler, Devin Druid, Timothy Granaderos, Amy Hargreaves, Mark Pellegrino, Tyler Barnhardt, Jan Luis Castellanos, Deaken Bluman, Gary Sinise
Where to watch Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A gripping, highly bingeable teen mystery that starts with real momentum and strong emotional hooks, but it becomes increasingly uneven and sensationalized as it goes on. The first season is the essential one; later seasons are more divisive and less rewarding.
Best for
Viewers who like dark teen dramas with mystery structure
People interested in trauma, guilt, and social fallout stories
Binge-watchers who want a propulsive, twist-driven series
Skip if
You want a sensitive, consistently grounded treatment of mental health
You prefer lighter teen drama or a hopeful tone
You lose patience with escalating melodrama and repeated shock twists
Overview
13 Reasons Why is built to be impossible to stop watching. Its first season is a sharp, emotionally charged mystery with a strong hook, effective cliffhangers, and a clear sense of dread that made it a major conversation show. The performances and atmosphere do a lot of heavy lifting, and the series initially feels like a serious look at how cruelty, silence, and rumor can compound into tragedy.
Worth noting
The problem is that the show keeps expanding beyond the premise that made it work. As it continues, it leans harder into soapier plotting, procedural mystery mechanics, and increasingly implausible turns. The emotional intensity remains, but the writing becomes more uneven, and the handling of sensitive subject matter drew substantial criticism for good reason.
Bottom line
If you watch it, the first season is the main event and the most defensible entry point. After that, the appeal becomes more about completionism and teen-drama momentum than about quality. It’s a show with real impact, but also one that often confuses escalation with depth.
Recommended similar titles
2019 · Curator 9.7/10 (306.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A darker, more stylized teen drama about trauma, identity, and self-destruction, with a similar intensity and cultural conversation factor.
2018 · Curator 1.5/10 (9.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
If you want the glossy, twisty, high-school soap side of 13 Reasons Why, this delivers fast pacing and escalating secrets.
2017 · Curator 7.5/10 (249.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A bleak, bingeable coming-of-age story with emotional damage, dark humor, and a strong sense of momentum.
2010 · Curator 5.8/10 (190.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, Max
A foundational teen mystery series with secrets, cliffhangers, and the same compulsive, serialized watchability.
2020 · Curator 8.0/10 (95.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Much lighter in tone, but it shares the high-school perspective and emotional coming-of-age focus with stronger warmth.
2019 · Curator 7.8/10 (404K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A smart, character-driven teen series that handles adolescent pain and desire with more humor and compassion.
2018 · Curator 8.0/10 (138.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
For the dark, psychological, small-town mystery atmosphere and trauma-centered storytelling, this is a strong adult counterpart.
2021 · Curator 9.3/10 (221.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A mystery with emotional weight, grief, and community fallout, anchored by a strong investigative spine.
2017 · Curator 9.3/10 (245.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A prestige drama about secrets, abuse, and social pressure, with a glossy surface and serious undercurrents.
2016 · Curator 0.7/10 (1.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
If the appeal is emotional mystery and serialized intrigue, this offers a stranger, more ambitious version of that pull.
2006 · Curator 9.2/10 (79.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A more humane, emotionally rich high-school drama that understands adolescent pressure and community consequences.
2003 · Curator 1.4/10 (595 ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, Max
A soapy teen drama with strong character attachment, emotional cliffhangers, and long-form relationship arcs.
Topics
teen drama, mystery, dark tone, coming-of-age, psychological, melodrama, bingeable, trauma, high school, controversial
Open 13 Reasons Why (2017) on Curator TV