Follows Wednesday Addams’ years as a student, when she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a killing spree, and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents.
A standout in the sludge of Netflix’s original series, “Wednesday: Season 1” shines as a unique, coming-of-age perspective of the titular character from “The Addams Family” as she navigates the terrifying world of Vermont and uncovers a local murder mystery.
The show centers around Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), a cynical, gothic high school student, who upon sending piranhas out to hurt the boy’s polo team for bullying her brother, Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), is sent to her mother, Morticia’s (Catherine Zeta-Jones), high school where she attended twenty years before, Nevermore Academy. The night before her trek to the Academy, a hiker is killed in the forest surrounding the school in Vermont. Fearing for their daughter’s safety, Morticia and her husband, Gomez (Luis Guzmán), send Wednesday off with the disembodied hand Thing (Victor Dorobantu), who’s meant to protect the teen.
Upon her arrival at Nevermore Academy, she meets Enid (Emma Myers), her polar opposite roommate, whom she doesn’t get along with, and Bianca (Joy Sunday), a popular girl who fights with Wednesday after she sticks up for Rowan (Calum Ross), who was a victim of Bianca’s bullying, and Tyler (Hunter Doohan), a kind barista who agrees to help plot Wednesday’s escape from Nevermore. However, the principal of the Academy catches her and brings her back to the school premises, where she begins to have visions of the murders occurring in the town.
This show shocked me with how stellar it was due to its reputation of being a show for young teenagers. It’s unlike any other Netflix original, and it’s clear that the show’s creators, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, had a good heart going into it and didn’t create the show just for the Netflix money. The references to the original “The Addams Family” and “Addams Family Values” will generate a nostalgia rush for early Addams Family fans, with even Christina Ricci, the original actress for Wednesday Addams in 1991 and 93, making frequent appearances on the show.
My hopes are high for season two, which was renewed in January 2023. What I want for season two is more appearances from Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays Morticia Addams, who shined brightly in her short appearances in the first season. All in all, “Wednesday” excels in season one and leaves a lot to be anticipated for the next season.
Now available on Blu-ray™ and DVD
