Tim Burton and the Addams Family seem like a match made in gothic heaven as his filmmaking style is as creepy and kooky as the mysterious and spooky family’s world is. Though each member of the titular family would be an interesting character to do a deep dive into, Wednesday Addams is the one getting an upcoming Netflix series. The Wednesday TV show could be one of Burton’s greatest projects yet.
Netflix made the official announcement about the Wednesday TV show in February 2021 and, more than a year later, it is about to premiere. Let’s explore the many exciting details we know about Wednesday, starting with when it will be available to stream.
Wednesday Premieres On Netflix In November 2022
It may seem a little on-the-nose, to have a show called Wednesday debut its premiere season on a Wednesday. However, we also cannot think of a more appropriate way to introduce the show to those with a Netflix subscription in retrospect.
To be more precise, according to Tudum, the new series will drop on the streaming platform on November 23, 2022, which is the day before Thanksgiving. Perhaps viewers who cannot make time to binge the show the day of can do so with their families after the big meal.
The Wednesday TV Show Is A Coming Of Age Comedy And A Mystery Series
Wednesday will explore what it’s like for the title character to grow up with a strange and unusual family. It will also take her away from Morticia and Gomez, and put her into the Nevermore Academy. Like a gothic Veronica Mars, Wednesday will be solving mysteries at her school and locally – including a killing spree and a crime that affected her parents years earlier – as she also tries to master her newly formed psychic abilities.
When the show was being bid on in 2020, the plan was for Wednesday to take place in modern times, meaning, our hero may have to deal with modern-day troubles involving social media in addition to more timelessly common issues like handling friendships and relationships. If you're worried that the show will make Wednesday lose her edge, don’t. She will very much still be an outsider with a creepy and charming oddness that Addams Family fans love.
Jenna Ortega Leads The Wednesday Cast
In May 2021, it was announced that actor and author Jenna Ortega would take on the Wednesday role at the time she was best known for appearing in Netflix’s hit series You as recurring character Ellie Alves. Previously, she was the star of Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle, during which she also recurred on the Jane the Virgin cast as the title character’s younger self.
The star of HBO Max’s The Fallout has also appeared in two Netflix movies – Yes Day and the sequel to The Babysitter, The Babysitter: Killer Queen. She would continue to build her Scream Queen status with major parts in the fifth installment of the Scream movies, the Foo Fighters-led horror-comedy Studio 666, and Ti West’s old school slasher, X. Those roles alone have us convinced no one could have been a better choice to play Wednesday than Ortega.
Tim Burton Directs The Wednesday TV Show
Tim Burton is the executive producer of Wednesday and, according to Variety, directed four of Season 1’s eight episodes. Burton is no stranger to adapting TV shows for the big screen. In 2012, he made a movie adaptation of the 1960s cult-hit TV show Dark Shadows. The film version starred Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Helena Bonham Carter. Though Dark Shadows is not one of Burton’s most beloved efforts, it showed that he was willing to make bold choices when adapting an otherwise beloved series.
Though Burton has helmed some episodes of TV shows before, and produced animated series, Wednesday will be his live-action television debut in terms of being around for the day-to-day operations and directing. It’ll be fascinating to see how he performs in the television landscape as he is best known for films like Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Big Fish, Ed Wood, and some of the Batman movies. Burton’s vision plus the Netflix platform could allow for a really unique, entertaining, and enjoyable Addams Family reimagining.
Catherine Zeta Jones Will Play Morticia And Luis Guzman Will Play Gomez in Wednesday
In August 2021, the Wednesday TV show cast two important guest star roles – Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones and comedian Luis Guzman (who worked with Zeta-Jones in Traffic) as Wednesday’s parents, Morticia and Gomez Addams. As for other Addams Family members on the Wednesday cast, Isaac Ordonez plays Wednesday’s younger brother, Pugsley, and Romanian actor George Burcea plays the family’s trusted butler, Lurch.
There are a few new characters to look forward to meeting as well. For instance, The Sandman cast’s Gwendoline Christie stars as the Nevermore Academy’s administrator, Larissa Weems, and Wednesday’s roommate (and complete opposite), Enid, is played by Emma Myers from Snapchat’s horror series Dead of Night and the Lifetime original true crime thriller, Girl in the Basement.
The Smallville Co-Creators Will Act As The Wednesday TV Show Showrunners
Tim Burton will be executive producer and director of Wednesday and Al Gough and Miles Millar will also be executive producers and the series’ showrunners. Gough and Millar are best known for being co-creators on Smallville, Into the Badlands, and The Shannara Chronicles.
The creative duo also co-wrote many films, including Herbie: Fully Loaded, I Am Number Four, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The duo has been working together since at least the 1990s, making them one of television's current most successful writing partnerships.
Addams Family Movies Star Christina Ricci Appears On The Wednesday Cast
When Wednesday was first announced, many fans believed it was only fair that Christina Ricci (who played the eldest Addams Family child in two classic movies from the early 1990s) should be involved in some way. Well, it appears that Netflix listened to their wishes.
According to Netflix’s official blog, Tudum, instead of playing an older version of Jenna Ortega’s take on the character like some might have hoped, the Emmy nominee (who had great things to say about the young actor taking over her iconic part at April's Steel City Con) joined the Wednesday cast in the new role of Marilyn Thornhill – a dorm mom at Nevermore Academy. In addition to returning to the world of The Addams Family, the new Netflix show marks Ricci’s first reunion with Tim Burton since he directed her in 1999’s Sleepy Hollow. The Yellowjackets actor revealed to Variety that she was flattered to be asked to star in the series by Burton himself.
With one of the most talented performers of her generation in the title role, one of Hollywood’s most influential macabre masters at the helm, and the return of Christina Ricci, it looks like enjoying Wednesday when it officially premieres on Netflix will be a snap.
