Wednesday is bringing the darkness everyone loves to Netflix. And everyone loves The Addams Family! Their cheerfully gothic presence gave every alternative teenager (and adult) a reason to be happy about being different. They drove a hearse around town. They could be seen at the beach in full black attire. They would walk into a restaurant and order a plate of spaghetti and eyeballs. All while keeping the nonchalant expression that told the world all this was perfectly normal. It was everyone else who was strange.

There was a vampiric mother, a sword-fighting father, a cousin who was just a pile of hair, and certainly, everyone’s favorite daughter: the expressionless and sadistic Wednesday. While The Addams Family was born in 1938 in a New Yorker cartoon by Charles Addams, most will know them from their live-action films in the '90s or the more recent animated movies in 2019 and 2021. And now they return to the screen with Wednesday at center stage.

The new Netflix series just dropped a first look at the frightful main character and Thing, the sentient hand who has always been a family member. Though it's just a teaser, it’s enough to get fans excited to hear the director is none other than the master of the macabre -- Tim Burton.

Wednesday recently had some big announcements at New York Comic Con. The show released its official trailer, giving fans their first look at Nevermore Academy, the strange boarding school for supernatural children where the series will be taking place. The trailer also showed us the new Uncle Fester, along with his special powers. We also got a look at who Christina Ricci will be playing. The trailer answered many of the big questions fans had coming into the premier. We also finally got a specific release date.

Updated October 2022 by Ted Bajer: If you're excited about Netflix's Wednesday, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with additional info from New York Comic Con 2022.

Wednesday: The Plot

The Addams Family typically has fairly predictable storylines. They mostly feature a slice of the odd life that they lead. But some of the most popular movies have been strange turns focused on specific characters, like the 1991 movie when Uncle Fester was secretly replaced by someone planning to evict the Addams Family. That’s what we’ll be getting with Wednesday.

The new series will look at this terrifying girl in a new light. Mostly, we’re used to seeing her incessant intellectual torture of her brother, Pugsley. Wednesday would craft horrible traps, design ghastly experiments, and generally use Pugsley as some type of tortured, but strangely willing, guinea pig. But this series promises much more than just the devious designs of Wednesday Addams.

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This time, Wednesday will be going through adolescence as she journeys through this coming-of-age story. Teddy Biaselli, the director of YA/Family series at Netflix, says this about what the writers have in store:

“When we first heard Al Gough and Miles Millar’s pitch for Wednesday we were struck, like an arrow from a crossbow, right in our hearts. They nailed the tone, the spirit and the characters, but gave us a fresh way into this story. The upcoming eight-episode series is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday’s years as a student at the peculiar Nevermore Academy.

Wednesday's attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago - all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships of the strange and diverse student body.”

So, it looks like we will see Wednesday experience some growth and change (and incredible psychic powers), and also, we’ll get to see a little detective work from the dark genius. It’s exciting to hear that this won’t just be a regular Addams Family story, but we’ll get something new and familiar.

Wednesday: The Cast & Crew

Wednesday Uncle Fester Fred Armisen
Netflix

The cast includes some fantastic stars, familiar faces from other popular programs, and some members of the Addams Family from previous show incarnations. Wednesday Addams' return to the screen will be portrayed by Jenna Ortega, who played Young Jane in Jane the Virgin and Lorraine in X. She is a good choice for the role given her experience in horror films like the most recent Scream movie and the Foo Fighters’ Studio 666.

And naturally, we have the amazing Tim Burton directing. Described as a lifelong fan of The Addams Family, Tim Burton is known for being an auteur who writes and directs films that are creepy and a little offbeat while still being warm and cheerful. You’ll, of course, know his work in Edward Scissorhands, the more modern versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.

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Another face you might recognize on Wednesday is Catherine Zeta-Jones (The Mask of Zorro, Traffic), who plays Morticia Addams opposite Luis Guzman's (Boogie Nights, Traffic) Gomez. It is bound to be an interesting romance, as always, and at least the height difference will be accurate. Isaac Ordonez (A Wrinkle in Time) will be Pugsley, but unfortunately, we won’t see that much of him. He’s only in two episodes.

Victor Dorobantu, who is making his acting debut as a hand, will play Thing. Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones will be Larissa Weems, the principal of Nevermore Academy. And Christina Ricci, famous for playing Wednesday in the '90s, was finally revealed as Ms. Thornhill, a teacher at the academy. In the trailer, she introduces herself to Wednesday and her roommate. Her performance is one of the most anticipated parts of the series.

We also got to see Uncle Fester, who will be played by the legendary Fred Armisen. While Wednesday is alone in the woods, a dark figure appears behind her. She goes to stab him with her sword, but he grabs it mid-stab. He sends a small electric shock down the blade, disarming Wednesday. And when he finally removes his hat, we see the charming, hairless face of Uncle Fester. He invites Wednesday for a little "in cognito" ride in a motorcycle sidecar painted like a dalmatian. Fans can't wait to see him in the series.

The series is certain to be something to see. The cast list includes many other actors playing roles such as Wednesday’s school friends or possible rivals. Emma Myers is Enid Sinclair, who will be Wednesday’s roommate. Joy Sunday is Bianca Barclay, a popular kid who is also a siren. Hunter Doohan plays Tyler Galpin, a “townie” who becomes Wednesday’s friend. And Naomi Ogawa plays Yoko Tanaka, a popular vampire at the school. It will definitely be the Halloween Netflix special everyone will want to watch.

Release Date

A scene from Wednesday
MGM Worldwide Television and Digital Distribution

Wednesday is set to release on Netflix on November 23, 2022.