Wednesday - season 1 ★★★★½ - Series review

The Addams Family is a part of pop culture for years. Netflix is now getting in on the action with a spinoff focused entirely on the family’s daughter: Wednesday. The series, produced and directed by Tim Burton, is an unexpectedly strong addition to the Addams Family oeuvre, thanks to Burton’s vision and the portrayal of Wednesday Addams by lead actress Jenna Ortega.

In a regular school, the Addams offspring doesn’t fit in. Her morbid worldview doesn’t align with the “normies” who attend there. This leads to her enrollment at Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts where her parents, Gomez and Morticia, also attended. The outcast students of Nevermore and the normies from the local town of Jericho naturally despise each other, but they can’t live with or without each other.

When gruesome murders occur near Jericho, a major investigation is launched. The Jericho sheriff suspects an outcast, and Wednesday takes on the murders to initiate her own murder investigation. This leads to a deep dive into the history of Jericho and her family, all while the unconventional Wednesday tries to survive in a school filled with fellow students.

‘Wednesday’ Official Teaser | ©Netflix

Whodunit Addams Family Edition

With ‘Wednesday’ season 1, you get a glimpse into the life of the peculiar Wednesday Addams. She has always been a fan favorite, and this series only adds to her appeal. The adventures that Wednesday experiences throughout the 8 episodes closely mirror the life of a high school student. But the quest to uncover the monster is a significant storyline, almost turning the series into a ‘whodunit.’

The rest of the well-known Addams Family members make appearances as well. Along with Thing, the walking hand, Wednesday spends her time at Nevermore. Unfortunately, the roles of the rest of her family are less prominent. A few episodes feature Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Lurch, and even Uncle Fester. Supporting roles in this spectacle centered around Wednesday.

Tim Burton meets teen show

Drawing comparisons with other shows is challenging. Tim Burton is known for his unique material, having directed films like Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has applied this same unique perspective to ‘Wednesday’, and it works. His vision and the Addams Family’s image are a perfect fit.

But a teen show? Burton hasn’t ventured into that territory before. ‘Wednesday’ is a vastly improved version of Riverdale mixed with Pretty Little Liars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yet, the comparison between these shows is minimal. The maturity of ‘Wednesday’ is what sets it apart from other series. It’s not a children’s or teen series. The story is dark, and the execution might even be darker. This does justice to everything that the Addams Family and Tim Burton represent!

‘Wednesday’ Season 2

The title role is played by Jenna Ortega, a young actress who has already built up a respectable CV in Hollywood. However, this will be her breakthrough. The stoic expression that Wednesday constantly maintains is powerful, very powerful. Often, Ortega only needs an arched eyebrow to convey a different emotion on her face. Minimal, but precisely in line with the character. She holds her own against the well-known version played by Christina Ricci in the Addams Family films from the ’90s. Ricci also has a delightful supporting role in this series.

Netflix has had some good years. Last summer, the fourth season of ‘Stranger Things’ broke records, and ‘Squid Game’ holds all the international records. But it seems like Netflix has a new flagship series in ‘Wednesday’. In its first week, ‘Wednesday’ season 1 was streamed for over 340 million hours, and just a few days later, it crossed the 400 million-hour milestone. A second season is not officially announced yet, but with these numbers, it’s only a matter of time. Knowing Nevermore Academy, Wednesday has many more adventures in store.