Wednesday: All About Netflix’s Addams Family Series
Wednesday is a Netflix Addams Family reboot starring Jenna Ortega and will premiere on November 23, 2022.
When it was first announced that Tim Burton was going to bring some version of The Addams Family to the small screen, it was thought that the series would naturally revolve around the entire creepy clan. While the Netflix series is sure to include the entire Addams Family, we now know its main focus will be on Wednesday Addams, daughter of Gomez and Morticia. Here’s what we know so far about the Wednesday series.
SEE THE FIRST TRAILER FOR NETFLIX’S WEDNESDAY
It was tough to know what to expect when it came to Netflix’s Wednesday and just what kind of tone the series would take. The first teaser trailer began to clear up any confusion on that front and we got a somewhat shockingly violent look at what’s in store for this character.
In it, we see Jenna Ortega’s titular character decide to take a group of high school water polo bros to task over their treatment of her brother. It doesn’t end well for that group with Wednesday dropping a whole school of piranhas into the pool and having them go to work.
The rest of the series looks like a well-done and very polished take on this character, family, and the world in general. Ortega’s Wednesday enrolls at a school that appears to fit her proclivities a bit better and the show looks like it carries just the right weight of humor and darkness.
WEDNESDAY IS A NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The bidding for the new Tim Burton-led Wednesday series was won by Netflix. Not only did Netflix’s Original Series leader Ted Biaselli jump in attempts to get the series but he made sure they weren’t going to lose out to anyone, especially after he heard the Wednesday pitch from Al Gough and Miles Millar.
“When we first heard Al Gough and Miles Millar’s pitch for Wednesday we were struck, like an arrow from a crossbow, right in our hearts. They nailed the tone, the spirit, and the characters, but gave us a fresh way into this story,” Biaselli explained via Empire. “We then got the call that visionary director and lifelong Addams Family fan Tim Burton wanted to make his television directorial debut with this series. Tim has had a history of telling empowering stories about social outsiders like Edward Scissorhands, Lydia Deitz, and Batman. And now he brings his unique vision to Wednesday and her spooky classmates at Nevermore Academy.”
THE WEDNESDAY SERIES’ PLOT WILL HAVE HER GOING TO NEVERMORE ACADEMY
For anyone who has followed The Addams Family in either its TV series, feature films, or animated forms knows the weirdness that encapsulates Wednesday Addams. First and foremost, she is obsessed with death. She tries to learn about death by experimenting relentlessly on her brother Pugsley. For the most part, though, her appearance has been of a young girl. This may change in the upcoming series.
While she still may be young, we will see a more teenage version of her for the Wednesday series. This Wednesday Addams will be going to school at Nevermore Academy. She may also be something of a detective. As Gough and Miller have put it together, the series is described as a sleuthing mystery that follows Wednesday’s time at Nevermore. It will carry many supernatural elements as well as Wednesday’s attempts to hone her emerging psychic abilities.
The story also looks to include Wednesday trying to stop a monstrous killing spree that has taken over the small town surrounding Nevermore. Wednesday’s family comes into play as she also tries to solve a supernatural mystery that included her parents many years ago.
To add to her list of things to do, Wednesday will also have to navigate life in school with her sometimes equally strange classmates.
JENNA ORTEGA IS WEDNESDAY
In May 2021, it was announced that Jenna Ortega (Scream) had been cast as Wednesday Addams. Ortega’s resume includes Iron Man 3, Insidious: Chapter 2, and Saving Flora on the feature film front but she has also been involved in numerous TV series. These include Stuck in the Middle, Jane the Virgin, You, Elena of Avalor, and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, LUIS GUZMAN, AND FRED ARMISEN ARE IN THE CAST
There are a number of higher profile names in Wednesday, rounding out a cast that really gives a strong impression of the series overall. Catherine Zeta-Jones will play Morticia Adams and Luis Guzman will play Gomez Adams, the parents to Wednesday. We see them briefly in the teaser clip as they all ride in the car together to Nevermore.
And Fred Armisen will play Uncle Fester, Gomez’s brother. You can see the first looks at him as well, offering a comedically creepy interpretation of the character. It’s easy to see from the casting which direction this series will take for Netflix and could offer plenty of dark laughs.
CHRISTINA RICCI WILL PLAY MARILYN THORNHILL
She won’t be playing the title character of the Wednesday series, but Christina Ricci will definitely be making at least a few appearances in the show. The news came in March, 2022 that Ricci would be appearing as an important, recurring character on Wednesday. While that role is being kept secret for now, it has been made clear she will not be playing the titular character.
JOHNNY DEPP HAD BEEN RUMORED FOR THE SERIES
Any time Tim Burton’s name is mentioned when it comes to making movies, another big, specific, name seems to always follow. So, when the Wednesday series was announced, Johnny Depp’s name immediately came up. Apparently, the embattled actor has been lobbying for the part of Gomez Addams and was actually negotiating with Tim Burton.
Netflix, though, looks to be following in Warner Bros. footsteps (they fired him from Fantastic Beasts) by telling Burton he can’t have Depp as Gomez. Tim Burton definitely has some sway, but we aren’t sure if even he has enough to convince Netflix.
WEDNESDAY ADDAMS WAS FIRST INTRODUCED IN 1964
Before there was ever talk of Tim Burton creating a Wednesday series, Charles Addams brought Wednesday Addams and her seriously creepy family to life in 1938. At the time, not one of the family members was given a name. They were barely given any story at all for when they appeared, it was a one-panel comic.
Wednesday got her name when Addams brought the family to their TV series in 1964 when they all received their names. The series ran for three seasons and also led way for various reboots and animated series as well as the aforementioned feature films.
Along with Wednesday’s death obsession and her never-ending experiments on her brother, Wednesday is also very fond of spiders. In the TV series, where she was said to be a six-year-old, she had a pet spider named Homer. She also had a penchant for headless dolls, always carrying around with her Marie Antoinette.
It is not known which, if any, of these personality traits will accompany Wednesday in her adventures at Nevermore but seeing as though they are what make Wednesday tick, some will surely follow.
THE WEDNESDAY SERIES WILL PREMIERE ON NETFLIX ON NOVEMBER 23, 2022
The original thought was that Wednesday would hit Netflix for the Halloween holiday, but that isn’t going to be the case. Instead, it will on the streamer on November 23rd and all eight episodes from Season 1 will debut at once, per Netflix’s typical scheduling with these things.
