I spent a good chunk of my Thanksgiving holiday binge-watching Netflix’s Wednesday, an eight-episode series about Wednesday Addams going away to Nevermore, an Edgar Allen Poe-themed boarding school. Jenna Ortega is an absolutely brilliant Wednesday. I seriously love her!! I had qualms about whether or not a stand-alone series about Wednesday would work, and while I do think there are some smaller characterization issues, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did work. Wednesday is fleshed out as someone with more nuance – a goth kid, through and through, but someone who can open up and have a bubbly, giggly werewolf BFF. Wednesday’s friendship with Enid, her roommate, was the emotional heart of the show, honestly.
While the series ends on a great note, tying up many threads and marking the end of certain characters, there was definitely enough left open for a second season. So is that happening? From what I can see, it’s an open question – the showrunners have been talking about how they’d like to explore more with the other Addams Family characters, but they’ve also talked about how they left certain questions unanswered in the first season on purpose, to leave room for more shenanigans in a second season.
Personally, I would love to see them do a second season back in Nevermore, focused on Wednesday and the other kids at the school. I think they did enough world-building to stretch it out for another two seasons at least. The biggest thing that bugged me about Wednesday’s characterization is that I think a goth kid like her would be too anti-establishment to repeatedly go to the town sheriff for help. I feel like Wednesday would be very “ACAB” and convinced that she could figure out everything on her own. The structure of the series as historical/supernatural/murder mystery is good though – I’m just saying that Wednesday should be less reliant on cops and institutional power structures.
Photos courtesy of Netflix.
Ooh! We binged this over the weekend as well and absolutely loved it. Netflix released numbers for it yesterday and it beat Stranger Things 4!!!! So I definitely think it will get a second season. Sandman didn’t get anywhere close to Wednesday numbers and that got a second season. So the announcement is coming.
We had the same problem with her going to the police throughout the series. SPOILER ALERT 🚨 – After we finished the show we think they did it that way bc who the villain is.
Watched it over the holiday with two teenagers. We loved it! I was so skeptical going into it, but was pleasantly surprised. Jenna was perfect in the role.
I wish they had dropped Wednesday into a traditional high school instead of a supernatural one.
She was in one… In the first episode.
Spoiler Alert! I, too, hope, it’ll get second season. Enjoyed it, every one of main characters. Tyler’s emotional transformation in his attitude to Wednesday – from symphathy to disdain or even hate, wasn’t convincing enough to me. Also, his relationship with his father… Maybe, they left it for the second season?
It was a great show! Jenna was fantastic and I also loved the casting of Catherine ZJ and Luis Guzman. Also fun to see Christin Ricci back in that world.
I am a huge fan of Luis Guzman! I would be so excited to meet him
I loved it and watched the whole season in a day 😂
The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes was that it was “too CW”, but the adult reviewers all missed the point that they weren’t the primary audience. It was the first show that my teen has binge-watched in 2 years, and he’s crushing on Jenna Ortega.
I partially binged while I was prepping Thanksgiving dinner. I had a few characterization quibbles, but thought it was great fun. And I wasn’t upset that a show about a teenager was actually targeted at teens.
Yup, I was avoiding it because of the bad reviews but you’re absolutely right that they were comparing it to the original series or 90’s movies without understanding the intended audience. This one is for the zoomers and my daughter loves it.
We are only halfway through and love it! We do spend way too much time drawing parallels to the Harry Potter universe, though. Anyone with me in petitioning Tim Burton to make a family drama with Wynona Rider and Christina Ricci as sisters and Helena Bonham Carter as the matriarch? No? Just me?
Well the movie Mermaids has Winona and Christina as siblings with Cher as their mother. I prefer Cher to HBC.
Oooh good hear – haven’t watch it yet but its on my list.
I’ve always wanted a backstory show/movie about Morticia and Gomez – not that would be fun.
Is Cousin It in it – or is he still glued to Keen’s head?
Still glued to Keen’s head.
Ohhh no, cousin It would *never* agree to be on keen’s head.
We get some of Morticia and Gomez’s backstory in the show.
Is this the first time Wednesday’s teen years have been portrayed?
A show in which the unskilled teenage characters actually go to the adult, trained police for help instead of acting like they are Nancy Drew? Now *that’s* a subversion.
I think Wednesday was the only character properly fleshed out in the entire series but Jenna Ortega did such an incredible job that the show was still very watchable. Like, I would have loved to get more into the minds of other characters and what made them tick but it was very clear how Wednesday felt about them so it solidified their places in the story.
One part of the show that was really uncomfortable: a white character telling a Black character they don’t know what it’s like to be unseen.
I’d like to see more of the Sirens and Werewolves next season. The parents day episode introduced a lot of potential for new plotlines.
I am sure Netflix will greenlight a second season but there may be a slight delay because we all know Jennie’s Agent is gonna want her to get PAID. She carried the show and it was a star-making performance. So whatever they are paying Millie for Stranger Things they need to pay Jennie for Wednesday. I hope they have more of Uncle Fester in season two. He was hilarious as a felon on the run type character
There were things I loved about the show but the overall plot and the final episode were lacking. The characters and character development were solid. Enid was great. The show will get a second season. It did well.
The streaming numbers look great for a second season. That being said, I can’t believe anyone would want their show picked up by Netflix given their history. It’s practically a death sentence.
The other streaming services really aren’t even better, they are all having money problems and canceling shows. I think showrunners just need to have a plan for two or three seasons if they work with Netflix.
I did not think I would like this but I LOVED it! I usually stick to shows that are continuing ed to my degree in “Law and Order” but my spouse was watching while I was reading and i could not stop watching!! I worried about casting but it was wonderful! Also … Luis Guzman is a perfect Gomez but the teeth they gave him were overkill.
Has anyone seen Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? Am I stretching it or are these two very similar shows?
I cound’t stop thinking about Sabrina’s first season while watching it tbh, this one obviously is better.
Netflix slow-rolled the second season of the Sandman, which had a very devoted cult following. I think the days of release-day renewal are done for Netflix. That said, the show was great! It’s kinda too bad they released it after Halloween (can you imagine all the cute Wednesday costumes??), but I enjoyed watching it over the holiday weekend!
I disliked Catherine Zeta Jones as Morticia. Anjelica Huston set the bar so high. And it took me a minute to warm up to Jenna as Wednesday because Christina Ricci was perfection. I did settle into it by the 3rd episode and ended up really enjoying it.
I love it, I love it, I love it! Of course, Raul Julis, Anjelica Huston and Christina Ricci (along with OG Uncle Festr) will always be THE Addams family for me,
But I am so, so happy that finaly there is something I can watch with my 7 year old son and we can both enjoy it!
Honestly, although no one can beat Raul Julis and Anjelica Huston , I do think this Gomez and Morticia were a little undewhelming, but Wednesday is great: she is whip smart, she has standardad teenage woes-coupled with teenage-parent dinamic which is to be expected qt that age, but the family is clearly loving amd dedicated to each other-while all of theđ being totaly original and following the beat of their own drum. As Ricci said:every generation needs its own Wednesday and I am glad my son got this one! Just….a breath of fresh air, in the current landscape.
I loved so many things about Wednesday. I think it was very smart of Tim Burton to direct the first several episodes to get the series off on strong footing. Jenna Ortega is a good actress and original. Her dance scene was incredible. It was a fun series and it was for once not telegraphed who the killer was (I kept changing my mind). Gwendolyn Christie was heaven recreating Tippi Hendren from the Birds! So fun! I hope it comes back for a second season.
Netflix greenlights second seasons if the debut season stays top 10 for at least 4 weeks and preferably binge watched. At least for really expensive series like The Sandman as this was confirmed by it’s creator. I plan to watch Wednesday and seems like it had a big budget too.
Started well, but became “action” show and got boring, but I’m no kid.