The Addams Family franchise has taken on many forms over the years, from TV adaptations to much-adored nineties live-action films, and it has even been transformed into a double bill of animated movies in recent years. In 2022, the franchise gets updated for the TikTok generation, with a coming-of-age drama series from Netflix. The series is created by Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands), Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Burton, who hasn’t made any major appearances in the TV industry for decades now, directs the first half of the series, laying the foundations for this teen-centric murder mystery. And it is a welcomed return for the Hollywood director, who crafts an exciting new world for Wednesday to inhabit, one that will appease both Harry Potter fans and The Addams Family devotees too.
Wednesday focuses on the misadventures of our titular Addams. The teenage daughter of parents Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzman) is played by Jenna Ortega (Scream and You). The series opens with Wednesday being expelled from her current school and finding herself shipped off to Nevermore Academy, her parent’s old stomping ground, and a high school specifically for supernatural outcasts. At Nevermore, Wednesday must live in her mother’s shadow and try to get by, although she is clearly an outcast amongst outcasts.
Wednesday finds herself intricately linked to a string of murders at Nevermore and an unsettling drawing that predicts an apocalyptic end for the academy. She takes it upon herself to investigate these horrific crimes, hoping to solve the case before the killer strikes again. The first season is both charming and cheeky, with some great alternative performances from the Addams family members. But will Netflix be forthcoming in renewing this odd little coming-of-age tale for a second season?
Will there be a season 2 of the Netflix series Wednesday – renewed or canceled status
January 7th, 2023 Update:
It has been confirmed by Netflix that there will be a Season 2 of Wednesday, which is hardly a surprise given the records it broke.
November 16th, 2022 Update:
At this moment in time, Wednesday has not been renewed for season 2 by Netflix.
The series plays out like a tick list of popular commodities in the entertainment industry. You have an adaptation of a successful franchise, the supernatural teen angle, a murder mystery to solve, and of course the other subgenres that are rife in a coming-of-age drama: romance and comedy. The creators seem to have compiled all the most popular genres together into one show in the hopes of this becoming a runaway success. Netflix are clearly hoping for great things from the series and as long as the figures are promising, Wednesday is assured a second season. I think this mixture of teen drama and supernatural mystery will work wonders. They have another hit on their hands it would seem.
Does the series warrant a second season though? Yes, I think there is still plenty of this world to explore. We haven’t seen much of the other Addams family members just yet either and with Wednesday at high school, there are many more directions the narrative can go in. I imagine each season will address a separate semester at Nevermore. I would not be surprised if Netflix renew this show very shortly. As always, we’ll keep you posted on any updates in the pending renewal of Wednesday.
