On the same week that it was reported that Netflix tweaked its search algorithms a year ago to hide French film Cuties and quash a controversy surrounding the movie, it's now been revealed that Netflix has declared that its algorithms are protected by the First Amendment. 

Netflix is being sued in a Northern California federal court by the family of Isabella Herndon. The lead plaintiff, John Herndon, blames his daughter's suicide on her viewing of the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why … which debuted in March 2017 and focused on a young man determined to find out why a high school classmate took her own life. (The Libertarian-targeted Reason was the first to publish the lawsuit.)

The plaintiffs, who do not name Jay Asher, author of the eponymous 2007 source novel for the series, accuse Netflix of not adequately warning viewers about the perils of its show‘s ”dangerous features.“ 

The Herndon's also say Netflix's search and recommendation algorithms--which helped the victim find the show and enticed her to watch it--also aided and abetted her demise. 

Netflix, the plaintiffs contend, used “its trove of individualized data about its users to specifically target vulnerable children and manipulate them into watching content that was deeply harmful for them — despite dire warning about the likely and foreseeable consequences to such children,” the suit contends. 

Netflix has petitioned the court for dismissal of the suit under California's “anti-SLAPP” statute, which permits courts to toss complaints based on protected speech. 

Netflix argues that its ”recommendations fall within the well-recognized right to exercise ‘editorial control and judgement.’ ”

Earlier this week, technology news site The Verge reported that Netflix, responding to conservative-led protestations over the film Cuties, and it's alleged sexualization of minors, removed the film from the “coming soon” and “popular searches” categories, while also excluding it from queries for terms including “cute.” 

The fourth and final season of 13 Reasons Why premieres on Netflix June 5. There are 13 hour-long episodes. 

The season sees high school student Clay Jensen caught in the middle of a series of heartbreaking mysteries set in motion by a friend’s suicide. The characters will graduate from Liberty High. 

The show is based on Jensen and his deceased friend Hannah, who committed suicide. A box of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah shed light on her decision to take her life. 

Jay Asher wrote the novel Thirteen Reasons Why that spawned the series. 

Dylan Minnette, Katherine Langford and Alisha Boe are in the cast. 

Brian Yorkey created the show. He is an executive producer, along with Joy Gorman, Mandy Teefey, Kristel Laiblin and Selena Gomez. 

Season three of 13 Reasons Why began Aug. 23. 

A number of scripted series will make their return with new episodes this week as the summer television season winds down.

Starz’ Power will debut Aug. 25 with its sixth and final season, while on the same day Showtime’s The Affair premieres its fifth and last season. HBO’s Ballers will also bow its fifth season on Aug. 25 along with the fourth season of Hallmark Channel’s drama series Chesapeake Shores.

Also returning this week for its final season is Netflix's controversial drama series 13 Reasons Why, premiering Aug. 23.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services:

Aug. 21 -- American Factory (documentary) -- Netflix

Aug. 21 -- Ghost Hunters (reality) -- A&E

Aug. 23 -- Jawline (documentary) -- Hulu

Aug. 24-- Hitsville: The Making Of Motown (documentary series) -- Showtime

Aug. 25 -- On Becoming a God In Central Florida (comedy series) -- Showtime

Netflix will debut the third season of its drama series 13 Seasons Why on Aug. 23, the streaming service said Thursday.

According to Netflix, the series' season three synopsis is as follows: Eight months after preventing Tyler from committing an unthinkable act at Spring Fling, Clay, Tony, Jessica, Alex, Justin, and Zach find ways to shoulder the burden of the cover-up together while helping Tyler move toward recovery. But when the aftermath of a tumultuous Homecoming game culminates in the disappearance of a football player, and Clay finds himself under police scrutiny, it’s up to a shrewd outsider to steer the group through an investigation that threatens to lay bare everyone’s deepest secrets. The stakes are raised in this riveting third season of 13 Reasons Why, as the consequences of even the most well-intended actions can alter a life forever.

Netflix's 13 Seasons Why is executive produced by Joy Gorman, Mandy Teefey, Kristel Laiblin, and Selena Gomez.

The World According to Netflix

TWIN: Netflix has already conquered the U.S. subscription VOD market, now it is setting its sights on beefing up its international presence.

MCN Take: According to Sanford Bernstein media analyst Todd Juenger, Netflix could nearly double its global subscribers to 300 million by 2026, an estimate even he says is conservative.

Read the full story at Broadcasting & Cable.

Netflix Renews '13 Reasons Why' for Third Season, Despite Controversy

TWIN: The third season will commence sometime in 2019, according to Netflix. The controversial series, about a high school girl who commits suicide, has received a torrent of complaints from parents groups since its 2017 debut, claiming it glorifies teen suicide and bullying.

MCN Take: Despite the criticism, the show is one of Netflix’s most popular. The second season, which debuted May 18, drew an average audience of more than 2.6 million viewers, with viewers watching an average of more than four episodes of the 13-episode series during its first weekend, according to Nielsen data.

Read the full story at Multichannel News.

Netflix to Adapt Dolly Parton Songs for Series

TWIN: The country music icon will executive produce an anthology series for which Parton’s songs will supply the plot. Eight Parton songs will be adapted into standalone episodes.

MCN Take: It won’t be the first time a Parton song will be adapted for video – her song "Coat of Many Colors" has been adapted for NBC’s Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors in 2015 and a 2016 follow-up, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors.

Read the full story at The New York Times.

Rock Tells Obamas to Make Money Elsewhere

TWIN: Comedian Chris Rock commented on the reported 8-figure development deal former President Barack Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle, made with Netflix, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he did not want to “live in a world where President Obama is worried about his Rotten Tomatoes score.”

MCN Take: Rock, who signed his own $40 million deal with the streaming service two years ago, said he wanted the former President and First Lady “above that at all times,” adding he wants the Obamas to make money, just not like that.

Get the full story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Netflix Announces 'Orange Is the New Black' Season 6 Premiere Date

TWIN: The sixth season of the Jenji Kohan-helmed drama will drop on July 27, a little more than a year after its Season 5 debut, which depicted a riot at the minimum security women’s prison after one of its own, Poussey, played by actress Samira Wiley, was killed by a corrections officer. In a cryptic trailer for the new season, a wrecked prison cafeteria is shown, followed by a prison bus under the header "To the Max," suggesting that the women could find themselves in the maximum security section of the facility.

MCN Take: Kohan signed a multi-year deal with Netflix in November – she also is behind female wrestling-themed series Glow, whose second season will air June 29. Orange Is the New Black continues to be one of the most popular series on the streaming service.

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Read more at Deadline.com.

Netflix has decided to renew its original series 13 Reasons Why for a third season even as the drama show continues to draw criticism.

The streaming service Wednesday used a YouTube video to announce the renewal of the popular series, which deals with teen suicide and sexual assault. The renewal comes weeks after the May 18 launch of the series’ season two campaign.

The second season of 13 Reasons Why performed well for the streaming service in the first few days after its premiere. The series drew an average minute audience of more than 2.6 million US viewers, with viewers watching on average more than four episodes during the show’s first weekend, according to Nielsen.

Yet the show has received criticism from outside groups who believe that the show glorifies teen suicide and bullying. Advocacy group The Parents Television Council issued a statement condemning the series shortly after Netflix’s renewal announcement: “We condemn Netflix for renewing its teen-targeted suicide drama 13 Reasons Why. The company already potentially has the blood of children on their hands from keeping this series – with its graphic suicide scene, its sodomization of a teen boy and a potential school shooting, among other adult content – on its platform for children to view. The PTC will be participating in the shareholder meeting today and asking Netflix how it justifies keeping this program on the air.”

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings defended the service’s decision to renew 13 Reasons Why during the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting Wednesday, reportedly saying that the series has been successful for Netflix and “Nobody has to watch it.”

Last month, Netflix release a video ahead of the first episode featuring cast members discussing the show’s subject matter and warning that the show many not be suitable to viewers struggling with some of the issues within the show.