Wednesday

Wednesday is a Netflix series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, premiering on November 23, 2022. It follows Wednesday Addams, played by Jenna Ortega, after her parents enroll her at Nevermore Academy, a Vermont school for outcasts. The character originated in Charles Addams’s New Yorker cartoons and became especially associated with Christina Ricci’s performance in the 1991 film The Addams Family and its 1993 sequel. This series gives Wednesday a mystery of her own while expanding the family’s world beyond earlier adaptations. Burton also directed four of the first season’s eight episodes and served as executive producer on Wednesday.

At Nevermore, Wednesday meets her roommate Enid Sinclair, a colorful werewolf played by Emma Myers. She also encounters Xavier Thorpe (Percy Hynes White), a psychic artist, and Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan), the son of Jericho’s sheriff. The investigation begins after Wednesday has visions of a monster attacking students and townspeople. Her clues connect the creature to a decades-old history involving Nevermore, the nearby town of Jericho, and Joseph Crackstone, a seventeenth-century pilgrim whose hatred of outcasts becomes crucial. Wednesday’s detective work is complicated by school rivalries, family secrets, and her reluctant friendship with Enid. The season ultimately reveals the truth.

Christina Ricci appears as Marilyn Thornhill, a Nevermore teacher whose apparent support for Wednesday conceals a connection to Crackstone. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán play Morticia and Gomez Addams, while Isaac Ordonez plays Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley. The family dynamic differs from the 1990s movies: this Wednesday is the protagonist, and the narrative spends more time on her developing relationships and investigations. Her psychic episodes are shown in black-and-white visions, including a pivotal encounter with her ancestor Goody Addams. The series uses The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” for a memorable dance; Ortega choreographed it herself, after Burton encouraged her personally.

Wednesday’s first season became one of Netflix’s most watched English-language series, recording more than 1.02 billion hours viewed during its first three weeks. It also spent six weeks at number one on Netflix’s global English TV list. At the 2023 Golden Globes, Ortega received a nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy, and the show was nominated for Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy. The series was renewed for a second season, with production moving from Romania to Ireland. Rather than retelling an existing film, it establishes a continuing television story centered on Wednesday’s investigation, friendships, and fiercely deadpan voice. Its success revived interest in the Addams character.