Since its premiere in 2017, “13 Reasons Why” has been highly controversial. Many people have accused the show of glorifying suicide and otherwise mishandling its hefty topics. While some aspects of the show may not be perfectly executed, it is my firm belief that the show itself is a pioneer and a masterpiece.

While some aspects of the show may not be perfectly executed, it is my firm belief that the show itself is a pioneer and a masterpiece, let me explain why.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet a playwright by the name of Brian Yorkey while attending a dress rehearsal for a musical he had written called “If/Then”. I was not prepared for how good the music was, and some of the themes throughout the musical were really in-depth and hard-hitting.

The story was not as on the nose as “13 Reasons Why”, but it definitely pulled on the heartstrings and took the audience from laughing to crying and back again. 

Brian Yorkey is the writer for “13 Reasons Why”, tasked with bringing Jay Asher’s book onto the screen for a wider audience. My previous experience and knowledge of Yorkey’s work meant that I had a different context than most going into the show that shaped my view of “13 Reasons Why” from the first day I watched it.

I watched the entire first season before learning about the controversy surrounding the show, and I firmly believed it to be a pioneering work. There are two sides to that coin, however, and this is where I believe the controversy stems from.

Nothing in history has ever been done completely correctly on the first try; however, without that initial work, humanity would not have progressed to where it is today. 

“13 Reasons Why” is a steppingstone, and a necessary steppingstone in this day and age. Suicide rates have gone up by 33 percent in the past twenty years and Grand Junction in particular has one of the highest suicide rates in Colorado. 

These rates need to be addressed, and one way to do that is to raise public awareness. More shows need to address these topics, and each time one does, it will do so better than previous shows. 

In order for more shows to start, however, there had to be a well-known show that did it first. “13 Reasons Why” is a necessary step in this transition. As one of the first of its kind, I believe “13 Reasons Why” to be a brilliant work of the modern era, raising awareness for one of our country’s biggest issues.