Tim Burton was at the helm of this version and many people expressed surprise that the two films from the 90’s were not also by Burton. They definitely felt Burtonesque but were actually helmed by Barry Sonnenfeld who, up to that point, has been known primarily as a cinematographer for the Coen Brothers. With Tim Burton helming this new version of The Addams Family, focusing primarily on the daughter Wednesday, people were naturally excited. That excitement increased when it was announced that the Wednesday actress from the 90’s films, Christina Ricci, was going to be a part of the cast in an undisclosed role. The series couldn’t come fast enough.
Wednesday debuted in November, 2022 and was a success. People praised Jenna Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday Addams as well as a return to the roots of characters like Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and Fester (Fred Armisen) and opening the world up to include mythical creatures like werewolves, sirens, mermaids, medusas and more. Changing the setting to a school for these type of creatures made things easier for telling stories beyond the limitations of The Addams Family mansion as well as allowing for a much more diverse cast of characters in this universe than ever before. This would provide fodder for not only this story but any future ones, too. It would also open up some criticisms comparing it unfairly to another school based franchise, Harry Potter. That comparison does Wednesday an injustice as the two franchises are nothing alike.
The series opens up with Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) coming to her brother’s defense when bullies lock him up in a school locker at school. She confronts the bullies in the school swimming pool, releasing piranha causing one of the boys serious injuries. Expelled from school, her parents, Gomez and Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) enroll her in Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts that was also their alma matter. She’s given a roommate, Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers), a werewolf who has yet to fully wolf out and fears she may never be able to fully transform. Enid goes out of her way to befriend Wednesday even though the effort isn’t reciprocated. Wednesday is required to attend therapy sessions as a condition of going to Nevermore but is determined to escape and go on the lam. To help combat this, her parents have left Thing, the disembodied hand, to spy on her. It doesn’t take her long to catch him, however, and force him to work for her, instead.
It’s not long afterwards that a murder attempt is made on Wednesday. The possible culprits are many as she has contempt for her fellow students and keeps them at a distance. A mystery develops over the possibility of the school being destroyed by her very presence; A reluctant relationship develops with Tyler (Hunter Doohan), the local sheriff’s son; Evidence comes forward that purportedly proves Gomez committed a murder when he was attending Nevermore, something the Sheriff always assumed but could never prove; and a monstrous creature is loose in the woods killing people. Add to all this, Wednesday is starting to have visions that add more questions than answers as to what is going on at Nevermore, questions that may involve a family ancestor from centuries in the past.
It is an interesting choice to remove Wednesday Addams from the rest of the family and to focus the drama solely around her. In previous incarnations they were portrayed as a loving family that did everything together. Here, Wednesday obviously has a great bit of disdain for her parents, disgusted by their open affection and rebelling against their parental rules. It makes sense as this Wednesday is older than we’ve ever really seen her before, no longer 10-12 years old but closer to 18. Kids at that age are more likely to rebel against their parents and Wednesday even more so. She is an angry young woman who sees a path in her life much different than that which her parents want. She’s also very independent and only sees other people as a nuisance she has to deal with, or occasionally use as a means to an end. Her arc throughout the course of these eight episodes is to get past this and see those around her as actual people than can help her without her manipulating them into it.
With the added runtime afforded a miniseries over that of a feature film, more time is dedicated to developing the extended cast, especially Enid. Enid plays the roll of dropping exposition about Nevermore, telling Wednesday, and us, the different types of people and what their powers are. This is helpful shorthand early on so that we get a sense of the world being created. This is not like the movies where the only outcasts are the family; there is a whole world of oddities living right next door to small town America. Wednesday should fit right in, yet she chooses to be anti-social and determined to not like anyone. What ultimately drives her to stay at the school is the murders, one of which happens right in front of her early on. The mystery of the creature killing people intrigues her and gives her a reason to stay. Along her journey of discovery she will use and abuse her fellow students, eventually alienating nearly everyone no matter how much they try to be friends with her.
Amazingly there is a romantic triangle subplot that develops over the course of the series. In the first episode Wednesday, while trying to run away from her first therapy session, runs into the sheriff’s son, Tyler, working at a local coffee shop. At first she uses him as a possible means for escape. Later, she will string him along to further her investigation into the murders. Thing plays matchmaker setting them up as dates for a dance. Tyler is attracted to her but she sees him as a tool to use and set aside when no longer needed. The third side of the triangle is Xavier Thorne (Percy Hynes White), a student with the ability to animate his drawings through mind power. He inexplicably has also fallen for Wednesday but she only shows interest in him when he begins to see the creature from the woods in visions at night and starts drawing it.
This series is dark and violent and has a main character with a nihilistic point of view that straddles the line between intriguing and unlikeable. Jenna Ortega walks that fine line never quite falling on the unlikeable side. Her point of view is crystal clear and understandable even if we don’t agree with it. Her off-putting façade is smoothed over by the comedic pairing with the hyper introverted Enid whose love for bright hues stands in stark contrast to Wednesdays “Funeral Parlor fashion sense,” illustrated visually when Wednesday literally divides their dorm room down the middle.
Wednesday is an ongoing series with a second season due next year. It will be interesting to see where a second year will take it, especially if it ventures away from the school, aging the characters up. Even if it goes back to the school for another semester there is a lot that can be done in this setting. It’s a good hook and can easily be used for recurring seasons. Jenna is nearly perfect in this role portraying not only the adolescence angst but also the unspoken vulnerability of her character. Seeing her acting off of Christina Ricci, who is here as the sole normy teacher at Nevermore, is a delight, too. Ricci is still the definitive Wednesday Addams but Jenna Ortega is a close second.
Release Date: November 23, 2022
Running Time: 390 Minutes
Rated TV-14
Starring: Jenna Ortega, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Georgie Farmer, Naomi J. Ogawa, Moosa Mostafa, and Christina Ricci
Directed By: Tim Burton, Gandja Monteiro, and James Marshall
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