One of the most iconic fictional families has returned. The Addams family is known for their love of the grotesque and their satirical unawareness. Wednesday is a series about one of the younger Addams, Wednesday, as she navigates a new school. Season one of Wednesday came out in November of 2022; season two came out in August of 2025. The original Addams family was created by the cartoonist Charles Addams, first appearing in comics. They have since then been featured in multiple movies and shows, and even a Broadway production. The family is made up of parents Gomez and Morticia and their two children Wednesday and Pugsley. They have a deep loyalty to one another and don’t care what people think of them. Wednesday is the most recent addition to the wide Addams family collection.
Starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Wednesday is an ongoing Netflix series that currently has two seasons, each with eight episodes. In season one, Wednesday begins attending Nevermore – a school for the outcasts of society – after getting into some trouble at her old school. Many of the outcasts have different abilities. There are werewolves and sirens and outcasts with other strange gifts. Wednesday herself has psychic abilities. The plot follows Wednesday as she uses her ability to solve some strange murders occurring in the nearby town of Jericho.
The character Wednesday is eccentric just like the rest of her family. The show portrays Wednesday’s teenage years. Her peculiar personality is the best part of the series. Wednesday is a writer and loves all things morbid. She possesses traits that most would consider negative. Showing little to no emotion, she dislikes people and always needs to be in control. With her signature black outfits and aversion to modern technology, Wednesday doesn’t try to conform to any social norms. Ortega did a great job playing such a cold and serious character. Wednesday hardly blinks in any scenes and each of her actions look meticulous. Despite acting so serious, Wednesday is a very humorous and entertaining character. Other members of the quirky Addams family appear in the show as well, including Thing, who is a disembodied hand.
The Addams are not the only unique characters in the series. While at Nevermore, Wednesday shares a room with her complete opposite: a happy, colorful, and extroverted werewolf. They eventually become friends, and their opposing personalities make them a great duo. The mysteries in each season are very enthralling. Some aspects are predictable, but for the most part the plot is new and unexpected. Nevermore has a dark and slightly gloomy atmosphere, perfect for an Addams. It looks like an old gothic castle, similar to the mansion that the Addams live in.
Wednesday is a great show to watch in the fall with Halloween close by. It deals with the supernatural and has some horror, but it’s not very scary. Wednesday is a recent show, so the characters aren’t completely accurate to their originals. In the 1991 movie The Addams Family, the Addams act very unaware to the fact that people find them strange. It’s a big change in Wednesday, where they embrace being considered abnormal. Wednesday does have some references to the movie. The actress who played Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family appears in the series as a teacher at Nevermore. Wednesday may be a fresh take on such a familiar family, but their nonconforming values remain the same. Excellent for lovers of mystery and comedy, Wednesday is one of the best new series out there.
