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* George Burcea as [[Lurch (The Addams Family)|Lurch]], the Addams Family's butler
* George Burcea as [[Lurch (The Addams Family)|Lurch]], the Addams Family's butler
* [[Fred Armisen]] as [[Uncle Fester]], Wednesday's uncle and Gomez's brother
* [[Fred Armisen]] as [[Uncle Fester]], Wednesday's uncle and Gomez's brother
* [[William Houston (actor)|William Houston]] as Joseph Crackstone, the town's fascist, bigoted forefather
* [[William Houston (actor)|William Houston]] as Joseph Crackstone, the town's forefather


==Episodes==
==Episodes==

Revision as of 01:01, 26 November 2022

Wednesday
File:Wednesday Netflix series poster.png
Promotional poster
Genre
Created byAlfred Gough
&
Miles Millar
Based onCharacters created
by Charles Addams
Starring
Theme music composerDanny Elfman
ComposerDanny Elfman & Chris Bacon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
ProducerCarmen Pepelea
Cinematography
  • David Lanzenberg
  • Stephan Pehrsson
Editors
  • Jay Prychidny
  • Ana Yavari
  • Paul Day
Running time47–59 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)

Wednesday is an American coming of age supernatural comedy horror television series based upon the character Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character, with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Fred Armisen, and Christina Ricci appearing in supporting roles. Four out of the eight episodes are directed by Tim Burton, who also serves as executive producer.

Wednesday premiered on November 16, 2022, and was released on Netflix on November 23 to generally positive reviews by critics, who praised Ortega's performance,[1] but criticized it for its similarities to CW dramas.[2]

Premise

After being expelled from high school, Wednesday Addams enrolls at Nevermore Academy, a school for monstrous misfits once attended by her parents, Gomez and Morticia. Struggling to fit in with her contemporaries and coming to grips with her psychic abilities, Wednesday becomes witness to several murders committed by a strange monster, which she decides to investigate.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, a gothic teenager who possesses psychic powers. She is sent to Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts due to causing mischief at her previous enrollments.
    • Karina Varadi as Young Wednesday
  • Gwendoline Christie as Larissa Weems, the principal of Nevermore Academy and a former student who was roommates with Morticia Addams. She has shapeshifting powers.
    • Oliver Wickham as Young Larissa Weems
  • Riki Lindhome as Dr. Valerie Kinbott, a therapist who sees Wednesday on occasion
  • Jamie McShane as Donovan Galpin, a small town sheriff who is suspicious of Nevermore Academy and Wednesday specifically
  • Hunter Doohan as Tyler Galpin, Sheriff Galpin's son who works at a coffee shop and has a romantic interest in Wednesday
  • Percy Hynes White as Xavier Thorpe, a student of Nevermore Academy who has the ability to make his art come to life
  • Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair, Wednesday's colorful werewolf roommate who attempts to become her friend, despite Wednesday's lack of interest
  • Joy Sunday as Bianca Barclay, a successful student of Nevermore Academy who is a siren and Xavier's ex-girlfriend
  • Georgie Farmer as Ajax Petropolus, a gorgon
  • Naomi J. Ogawa as Yoko Tanaka, a vampire
  • Christina Ricci as Marilyn Thornhill / Laurel Gates, a botany teacher at Nevermore Academy and secret member of the Gates family
  • Moosa Mostafa as Eugene Otinger, a student who has the power to control bees

Recurring

  • Victor Dorobantu as Thing, a sentient disembodied hand and relative of Wednesday who is sent by her parents to watch over her at Nevermore Academy
  • Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo as Ritchie Santiago, a deputy who works with Sheriff Galpin
  • Calum Ross as Rowan Laslow, a student of Nevermore who possesses telekinetic powers and causes trouble for Wednesday
  • Iman Marson as Lucas Walker, Mayor Walker's son
  • Johnna Dias Watson as Divina
  • Oliver Watson as Kent
  • Cezar Grumăzescu as Coach Vlad
  • Tommie Earl Jenkins as Mayor Noble Walker

Guest

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe"Tim BurtonAlfred Gough & Miles MillarNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Wednesday Addams, a high-school student, finds her brother Pugsley tied up in a locker. She sees a psychic vision of his bullies whom she attempts to kill in revenge but gets expelled. Her parents, Morticia and Gomez, decide to enroll her in Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts. Meanwhile, a hiker is killed by an unknown creature near Nevermore. Wednesday's parents release Thing, a sentient disembodied hand, to watch over her. She meets her roommate Enid, her complete opposite, and duels with Bianca, the popular girl, after she bullies another boy, Rowan. Later, Wednesday is nearly killed by a falling gargoyle but is saved by Bianca's ex-boyfriend Xavier. After escaping her court-ordered therapy session, Wednesday meets Tyler, who agrees to help her escape from Nevermore. However, she is apprehended by principal Larissa Weems and taken back to the school. Later, Tyler and Wednesday meet at the local fair, and Wednesday gets a vision of Rowan's death. Rowan attempts to kill her but is murdered by the monster.
2"Woe Is the Loneliest Number"Tim BurtonAlfred Gough & Miles MillarNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Wednesday manages to convince a skeptical Sheriff Galpin that the perpetrator of the murders is in fact a monster. Suddenly, Rowan reappears unharmed. Wednesday doubts her sanity and decides to investigate the murders herself. She roams the campus inquiring about Rowan and is told that he has been expelled. Meanwhile, Weems grows worried about Wednesday's visions, keeping close tabs on her. She confronts a defensive Rowan as he leaves the school and sends Thing to follow him. Rowan is revealed to be Weems who has shapeshifted into him, and Thing loses them. Wednesday has visions of a book belonging to an old students' society. In her search for the book, she overhears Bianca planning to rig the upcoming student tournament. Wednesday joins Enid to defeat Bianca and win the tournament. Later, Wednesday discovers a hidden library within the school, where she is captured.
3"Friend or Woe"Tim BurtonKayla AlpertNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Wednesday finds herself tied up and surrounded by members of an elite students' society, including Bianca and Xavier. Wednesday frees herself and leaves the library, taking one of the books with her. Weems orders Wednesday to play in the school's band at an upcoming town ceremony. A drawing in the book leads her to an exhibition at a local fair, where she notices the painting of a girl she had seen in her visions. In the forest, Wednesday envisions the girl—believed to be an old ancestor of hers—ready to be executed by Joseph Crackstone, the town's forefather who is dead set on killing all misfits, but she is able to escape. Wednesday is ambushed by the monster, which she discovers to be human. Back in town, Wednesday crashes the ceremony and is scolded by Weems. While investigating a crime scene in the forest, police find a camera that managed to capture photographs of the monster.
4"Woe What a Night"Tim BurtonKayla AlpertNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Wednesday and Thing break into the coroner's office to copy the files of the monster's victims. In trying to identify a pattern, she finds that each victim has had bodyparts surgically removed. Wednesday becomes suspicious of Xavier and follows him into his art studio, where she discovers several drawings of the monster, leading her to the monster's lair. There, she retrieves one of its claws and gives it to Sheriff Galpin to match its DNA. Wednesday and Tyler attend a local dance together. Meanwhile, classmate Eugene, who is privy to Wednesday's investigative work, witnesses a cloaked figure detonating the monster's cave. The dance is interrupted by the mayor's son, who triggers the building's fire sprinklers in revenge of Wednesday disrupting the town ceremony. Wednesday senses that Eugene is in danger and heads into the forest, only to find him gravely injured by the monster.
5"You Reap What You Woe"Gandja MonteiroApril BlairNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
32 years ago, Gomez is arrested on suspicion of killing Garrett Gates at Nevermore. At present time, the Addamses visit Wednesday for parents' weekend at Nevermore. A family therapy session is cut short when Wednesday confronts her parents about the suspected murder. Meanwhile, Sheriff Galpin learns that the coroner has committed suicide after admitting to fabricating Gates's autopsy report. Galpin concludes that Gomez is guilty and arrests him. In prison, Gomez reveals to Wednesday that Gates was killed by accident. Wednesday and Morticia dig up Gates's grave to find that he had been poisoned but are caught by police and arrested for the night. Later, they confront the mayor, who reveals that Garrett intended to poison the entire school. The mayor agrees to release Gomez after admitting to covering up Gates's motive. Back at Nevermore, Weems reluctantly admits to covering up Rowan's death by means of shapeshifting in an effort to evade controversy at the school.
6"Quid Pro Woe"Gandja MonteiroApril BlairNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Wednesday attempts to summon Goody, an old ancestor and fellow psychic. During a surprise birthday party, Wednesday has a vision of Goody, who instructs her to seek out the Gates' mansion. There, she witnesses the mayor as he is leaving the building and sneaks into his car. After arriving back in town, the mayor is run over and severely injured. Weems locks down the school and forbids Wednesday to leave campus. With Tyler and Enid's help, she escapes and returns to the Gates' mansion. There, they discover that Laurel Gates, Garrett's relative long believed to be dead, might still be alive. They find the severed bodyparts of the monster's victims in a cellar but are forced to escape after being ambushed by the monster. Wednesday leads Galpin to the cellar, only to find it empty. At Nevermore, Wednesday convinces Weems not to expel her in order to be able to further pursue her investigation. At the hospital, an unknown figure kills the mayor.
7"If You Don't Woe Me by Now"James MarshallAlfred Gough & Miles Millar and Matt LambertNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
At the mayor's funeral, Wednesday notices a lurking figure and chases it into the forest. The figure is revealed to be Uncle Fester, who explains to Wednesday that the monster she has been investigating is a Hyde. Together, they retrieve a diary from the hidden library revealing that a Hyde must always have a master. Later, they track and follow Xavier, who they witness meeting up with Dr. Kinbott, Wednesday's therapist, in the forest. After returning from a date with Tyler, Wednesday finds her dorm ravaged, the diary stolen, and Thing gravely injured. Research into Laurel Gates reveals that she is both alive and the master of the Hyde. Wednesday initially suspects Dr. Kinbott, but she is killed by the Hyde. Police arrive to arrest Xavier, who Wednesday believes to be the creature. Wednesday decides to enter a relationship with Tyler but suddenly has a vision of him being the Hyde.
8"A Murder of Woes"James MarshallAlfred Gough & Miles MillarNovember 23, 2022 (2022-11-23)
Wednesday and her classmates lure Tyler into the forest, where they kidnap him. Seeking a confession, Wednesday starts torturing Tyler. Disagreeing with her methods, her classmates alert Weems and Wednesday is arrested. At the police station, Tyler finally confesses to being the monster. Fed up with Wednesday's behavior, Weems expels her from Nevermore. Wednesday visits Eugene at the hospital, who tells her that the figure he saw at the monster's cave wore red boots, matching Ms. Thornhill's. Using her shapeshifting powers, Weems and Wednesday get Thornhill to confess her true identity—Laurel Gates. However, Gates is able to kill Weems and subdue Wednesday. Using Wednesday's blood, Gates resurrects Crackstone and leaves Wednesday to die, but Goody appears to heal her. Enid, having finally transformed into her werewolf form, defeats the Hyde while Crackstone breaches Nevermore in his pursuit to destroy the school. After a struggle, Wednesday manages to destroy Crackstone and kill Gates. Xavier is released from prison, and Wednesday departs Nevermore for the holidays.

Production

Development

During pre-production on the 1991 film, Tim Burton was assigned to direct, but ended up passing on it due to scheduling conflicts with Batman Returns, resulting in Barry Sonnenfeld taking the job.[3] In March 2010, it was announced that Illumination Entertainment, in partnership with Universal Pictures, had acquired the underlying rights to the Addams Family drawings.[4] The film was planned to be a stop-motion animated film based on Charles Addams' original drawings. Burton was set to co-write and co-produce the film, with a possibility to direct.[5] In July 2013, it was reported that the film was cancelled.[6]

In October 2020, Wednesday was initially announced as an unnamed Addams Family project being helmed by Burton. The series' production would be handled by MGM Television, with Burton as director. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar would serve as showrunners; while Gough, Millar, and Burton would also be executive producers alongside Gail Berman, Jon Glickman, and Andrew Mittman.[7] In February 2021, Netflix gave the production a series order, consisting of eight episodes.[8] In August 2021, Kayla Alpert was added as an executive producer and 1.21, Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, and Glickmania were also producing the series.[9] In December 2021, it was reported that Danny Elfman joined the series to compose the original theme[10] with Chris Bacon as a co-composer.[11] Deemed his "first real foray into television", Burton went on to direct four out of the eight episodes,[12] with Gandja Monteiro and James Marshall directing the remaining episodes.[11] Burton brought on regular collaborator Colleen Atwood as costume designer.[12]

Casting

On May 19, 2021, Jenna Ortega was cast in the titular role.[13] On August 6, 2021, Luis Guzmán was cast to guest star as Gomez Addams.[9] On August 9, 2021, Catherine Zeta-Jones was cast as Morticia Addams in an undisclosed capacity.[14] On August 27, 2021, it was announced Thora Birch, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Georgie Farmer, Moosa Mostafa, Emma Myers, Naomi J. Ogawa, Joy Sunday, and Percy Hynes White had been added to the cast as series regulars.[15] On September 15, 2021, Gwendoline Christie and Victor Dorobantu were cast in starring roles while Isaac Ordonez, George Burcea, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Iman Marson, William Houston, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Oliver Watson, Calum Ross, and Johnna Dias Watson were cast in recurring roles.[16] In December 2021, Birch exited the series, leaving the status of her character, dorm mother Tamara Novak, unclear.[17] On March 21, 2022, it was announced Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film and its 1993 sequel, was cast as a series regular.[18] On October 8, 2022, Fred Armisen was revealed to be portraying Uncle Fester in an unknown capacity, while also confirming Ricci's role as Marilyn Thornbill.[19]

Filming

Filming on the series began on September 13, 2021, in Bușteni, Romania and concluded on March 30, 2022.[20][21] Speaking of her experience while filming the first season, Ortega called her work on the series "very stressful and confusing" due to the production's fast-tracked shooting schedule and "the most overwhelming job I've ever had".[22] Ortega choreographed her dance to The Cramps' "Goo Goo Muck" herself, taking inspiration from Siouxsie Sioux.[23]

Release

Wednesday premiered on November 16, 2022, at Hollywood Legion Theater in Los Angeles.[24][25] Its eight episodes were released on Netflix on November 23, 2022.[26]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 70% approval rating and an average rating of 6.7/10, based on 61 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Wednesday isn't exactly full of woe for viewers, but without Jenna Ortega in the lead, this Addams Family-adjacent series might as well be another CW drama."[2] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[27]

Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph gave Wednesday four out of five stars and called it "an addictively rococo romp that unfolds like a cross between Euphoria and Hotel Transylvania".[28] John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal gave a positive review, commending Ortega's "charismatic performance" and calling the series "often delightful, despite its deliberate darkness".[29] In his "B"-review for The Detroit News, Tom Long deemed the series visually appealing and described Ortega's deadpan as "just as elastic as it needed to be" and her performance overall as "consistently [pushing] outside the caricature enough to keep things lively".[30] Writing for RogerEbert.com, Cristina Escobar similarly praised Ortega's deadpan humor and commended the series' "satisfactory" ending.[31] While finding that the series would not be "what real fans of Charles Addams and his characters are looking for", Mike Hale of The New York Times called the series "tolerable" despite "satisfying only on the level of formulaic teenage romance and mystery".[32] Nick Hilton of The Independent gave the series two out of five stars and criticized the series' tone as "relentlessly quippy Gen Z" and its performances as "more two-dimensional than the New Yorker comic strip in which the characters first appeared".[33]

References

  1. ^ Fuge, Jonathan (November 18, 2022). "Wednesday Reviews Praise Jenna Ortega as the Titular Addams Family Member". MovieWeb. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Wednesday: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Brew, Simon (September 29, 2014). "The huge behind the scenes problems on The Addams Family". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 18, 2010). "Tim Burton's Next 3D Animated Film? Da Da Da Da, Snap Snap: 'The Addams Family'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 19, 2010). "Tim Burton Reunites With 'Ed Wood' Scribes For 'Addams Family' And 'Big Eyes'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  6. ^ Debruge, Peter (July 17, 2013). "Illumination Chief Chris Meledandri Lines Up Originals for Universal". Variety. Retrieved February 17, 2021. At the same time, Illumination has scrapped a Tim Burton-helmed, stop-motion "The Addams Family".
  7. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 22, 2020). "'Addams Family' Live-Action TV Series From Tim Burton Heats Up TV Marketplace". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  8. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 17, 2021). "Wednesday Addams Live-Action Series From Tim Burton Lands at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Petski, Denise (August 6, 2021). "Wednesday Addams Netflix Series Casts Luis Guzmán As Gomez". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  10. ^ "WEDNESDAY Songs - Soundtrack / Music List (2022)". Tune-list. November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (December 16, 2021). "'Wednesday': Danny Elfman To Pen Original Theme & Score For Tim Burton's Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Breznican, Anthony (August 16, 2022). "Meet the New Addams Family From Tim Burton's Wednesday". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 19, 2021). "Jenna Ortega To Play Lead Wednesday Addams In Netflix's Live-Action Series From Tim Burton". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  14. ^ Del Roasario, Alexandra (August 9, 2021). "Catherine Zeta-Jones Tapped To Play Morticia Addams For Netflix 'Wednesday' Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  15. ^ Petski, Denise (August 27, 2021). "'Wednesday': Thora Birch, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane & Hunter Doohan Among 10 Cast In Tim Burton's Addams Family Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Petski, Denise (September 15, 2021). "'Wednesday': Gwendoline Christie Joins Tim Burton's Addams Family Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 9, 2021). "'Wednesday': Thora Birch Departs Netflix's Addams Family Series For Personal Reasons". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 21, 2022). "Christina Ricci To Star In Netflix's 'Wednesday' Series In Return To Addams Family Universe". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  19. ^ Panaligan, EJ (October 8, 2022). "'Wednesday' Official Trailer Reveals Christina Ricci's Role, Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester". Variety. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  20. ^ "Tim Burton's 'Wednesday' Series Officially Begins Filming at Netflix [Exclusive]". Midgard Times. September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  21. ^ "The Addams Family Series 'Wednesday' Officially Wraps Up Filming at Netflix [Exclusive]". Midgard Times. March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  22. ^ Tapp, Tom (October 20, 2022). "Jenna Ortega Felt "Completely Lost And Confused" When She Began Playing Wednesday Addams For Tim Burton". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  23. ^ Flood, Alex (November 10, 2022). "'Wednesday': behind the screams on TV's spookiest new spinoff". NME. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  24. ^ Chuba, Kirsten (November 18, 2022). "Events of the Week: Disenchanted,' 'Glass Onion' and More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  25. ^ "Jenna Ortega, Christina Ricci, more kooky and spooky fashions from Netflix's 'Wednesday' premiere". USA Today. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  26. ^ Lash, Jolie (September 23, 2022). "Tim Burton's 'Wednesday' Netflix Series Gets November Premiere Date". TheWrap. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  27. ^ "Wednesday: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  28. ^ Power, Ed (November 23, 2022). "Wednesday, review: Tim Burton gives The Addams Family a Harry Potter makeover". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  29. ^ Anderson, John (November 22, 2022). "'Wednesday' Review: Addams Family Adolescence". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  30. ^ Long, Tom (November 22, 2022). "Lively 'Wednesday' puts Addams Family's demon child front and center". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  31. ^ Escobar, Cristina (November 18, 2022). "Netflix's Wednesday Combines Teen Angst and Murder". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  32. ^ Hale, Mike (November 22, 2022). "'Wednesday' Review: The Strange Girl Is on the Case". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  33. ^ Hilton, Nick (November 23, 2022). "Wednesday review: For a show about vampires and werewolves, this Gen Z-baiting drama has very little bite". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
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