Wednesday
Wednesday
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Wednesday

"The wait has been torture."

8.3
Yr 2022
Status Returning Series
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Mystery Comedy
Your Verdict
Unrated

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Series Brief

Overview

Smart, sarcastic and a little dead inside, Wednesday Addams investigates twisted mysteries while making new friends — and foes — at Nevermore Academy.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 74 /100

Wednesday received largely positive reviews from television critics, with near-universal acclaim directed at Jenna Ortega's performance in the titular role. Reviewers widely agreed that Ortega perfectly anchored the series, bringing deadpan wit, edge, and enough underlying humanity to keep the morbid character compelling and rootable across a multi-episode arc. Many critics also praised the show's dark, witty humor and stylishly spooky aesthetic.

However, the show drew criticism for its narrative framework, with several reviewers noting that its central murder mystery could feel convoluted and weighed down by generic high school tropes and CW-style teenage melodrama. While detractor reviews argued that these conventional subplots and fanfiction-esque romances missed the subversive essence of the Addams Family, most agreed the series succeeded as an entertaining, crowd-pleasing spin-off.

“Starring an astonishing Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Season 1 of Netflix’s 2022 series Wednesday is quite the spooky delight.”

“Wednesday strikes exactly the right balance of being prickly and overtly hostile and a-emotional while still being a compelling lead with just enough humanity to make her someone you’re still able to root for.”

“A convoluted mystery, generic hijinks that miss the point of the Addams Family entirely, and shockingly out-of-touch ideas about race, gender, and sexuality make Wednesday a missed opportunity.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Netflix Standard with Ads
UK • CA • US
Netflix
US • UK • CA
Why fans love it

The gothic aesthetic serves as the ground rather than just the window dressing for this adaptation. By placing a character defined by emotional detachment into the social pressure cooker of Nevermore Academy, the series leans into an intimate look at the transition from childhood to adolescence. It finds humor in the clash between the macabre and the mundane, turning typical school politics into a setting for dark fantasy.

Jenna Ortega plays the lead with a stoic rigidity that makes her few moments of vulnerability carry significant weight. The show highlights an introspective side to the iconic comic strip character that remains rarely explored. Rather than defaulting to typical genre tropes, the story lingers on the internal logic of an outsider navigating hostile terrain. It is a calculated take on teenage social dynamics, filtered through a lens of cynicism and dry wit.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 24
Longest run 16 eps
Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega
as Wednesday Addams / Goody Addams
16 episodes
Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
as Barry Dort
8 episodes
Emma Myers
Emma Myers
as Enid Sinclair
16 episodes
Hunter Doohan
Hunter Doohan
as Tyler Galpin
16 episodes
Riki Lindhome
Riki Lindhome
as Valerie Kinbott
8 episodes
Joy Sunday
Joy Sunday
as Bianca Barclay
16 episodes
Moosa Mostafa
Moosa Mostafa
as Eugene Ottinger
16 episodes
Georgie Farmer
Georgie Farmer
as Ajax Petropolus
16 episodes
Show 67 more
Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams 10 episodes Owen Painter as Slurp / Isaac Night 8 episodes Percy Hynes White as Xavier Thorpe 8 episodes Billie Piper as Isadora Capri 8 episodes Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo as Sheriff Ritchie Santiago 14 episodes Victor Dorobantu as Thing 15 episodes Noah B. Taylor as Bruno Yuson 8 episodes Evie Templeton as Agnes DeMille 8 episodes Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams 10 episodes Naomi J. Ogawa as Yoko Tanaka 8 episodes Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams 10 episodes Christina Ricci as Marilyn Thornhill 10 episodes Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester 4 episodes Jamie McShane as Sheriff Donovan Galpin 11 episodes Gwendoline Christie as Principal Larissa Weems 12 episodes Joanna Lumley as Grandmama Hester Frump 4 episodes Iman Marson as Lucas Walker 5 episodes Max Pemberton as Dalton 1 episode George Valentin Burcea as Lurch 3 episodes James Clay as Ethan Hanson 1 episode Caroline Lawrie as Martha 1 episode Johnna Dias-Watson as Divina 8 episodes Cezar Grumăzescu as Coach Vlad 4 episodes Simon Furness as Grumpy Farmer 1 episode Islam Bouakkaz as Carter 3 episodes Morgan Beale as Jonah 3 episodes Daniel Himschoot as Hyde Monster 6 episodes Tommie Earl Jenkins as Mayor Noble Walker 3 episodes Sophia Nomvete as Connie Jorgensen 1 episode Murray McArthur as Fabian 1 episode William Houston as Joseph Crackstone 2 episodes Nitin Ganatra as Dr. Anwar 1 episode Edward Kennedy as MC Blood Suckaz 1 episode Lucius Hoyos as Young Gomez 2 episodes Oliver Wickham as Young Larissa Weems 1 episode Karina Varadi as Young Wednesday 2 episodes Ismail Kesu as Young Sheriff Walker 1 episode Ichiro Yuki as Kenichi Tanaka 1 episode Rina Mahoney as Janet Ottinger 3 episodes Georgia Goodman as Sue Ottinger 2 episodes Oliver Watson as Kent 13 episodes Haley Joel Osment as Kansas City Scalper 2 episodes Joonas Suotamo as Lurch 6 episodes Emily Ring as Young Wednesday (Aged 7) 2 episodes James Payton as Carl Bradbury 2 episodes Valeriu Pavel Dan as Tell Tale Barista 6 episodes Gracy Goldman as Gabrielle Barclay 5 episodes Ceola Dunne as Josephine Wilks 3 episodes Kyle Hixon as Deputy Ryken 6 episodes James Stockdale as Roland (Caliban Boys) 2 episodes Flynn Gray as Omar (Caliban Boys) 2 episodes George Nhat Hoang Pham as Gerald (Caliban Boys) 4 episodes Lisa O'Hare as Arlene 2 episodes Adonai Sugrue as Tien 2 episodes Christopher Lloyd as Professor Orloff 4 episodes Heather Matarazzo as Judi Spannegel 5 episodes Thandiwe Newton as Dr. Rachael Fairburn 3 episodes Eneni Anthony as Roz (Willow Hill Guard) 2 episodes Shaq B. Grant as Wilbur (Willow Hill Guard) 2 episodes Gwen Jones as Young Morticia Addams 2 episodes Liv Spencer as Varicose 3 episodes Aaron De Lacey as LOIS Patient 1939 (Teenage Frankenstein) 2 episodes Frances O'Connor as Francoise Galpin 5 episodes Andrea Gatchalian as Sofia 2 episodes Calum Ross as Rowan Laslow 4 episodes Derek Miller as Dwayne (Willow Hill Guard) 2 episodes Charlotte Moloney as Siren Prefect Student (uncredited) 3 episodes
Production Board

Crew

Director of Photography
P.J. Dillon David Lanzenberg John Conroy
Editor
Dan Briceno Ana Yavari
Key Hair Stylist
Sevlene Roddy
Makeup Artist
Dorothy Campbell Helen Bailey
Choreographer
Iona Macarie
Set Decoration
Rob Hepburn Neville Gaynor
Costume Supervisor
Claudia Littlefield Adina Bucur Tom Hornsby
Hairstylist
Marica Falso Nirvana Jalalvand
Assistant Costume Designer
Charlotte Child Connor Dalton Bobby Soutar
Costume Design
Colleen Atwood
Production Design
Philip Murphy
Stunt Double
Milena Brewster
Associate Choreographer
Jemima Brown
Director
Angela Robinson James Marshall
Key Makeup Artist
Elaine Hopkins
Creator
Miles Millar
Hair Designer
Francesco Pegoretti
Supervising Art Director
Shane McEnroe
Assistant Director Trainee
Chloe O'Reilly
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Wednesday overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

witch friendship teenage girl gothic dark fantasy goth girls academy intimate adoring based on comic strip spin off halloween
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
November 23, 2022
Status
Returning Series
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
10,846