“Wednesday” premiered on Netflix on Nov. 23, and within a week, the show rose to number one in this week’s Netflix Top 10 list. This series was filmed in Romania for 8 months with notorious director Tim Burton leading its production.
This phenomenal spooky recreation of “The Addams Family” (1991) is a backstabbing story. This series predominantly focuses on Wednesday Addams in a coming-of-age tale mixed with a Nancy Drew-esque twist.
“Wednesday” follows Wednesday Addams’ quest against her school system. Other students end up bullying her brother, Pugsley. Once Wednesday gets wind of it, it’s over for those bullies. Eventually, her actions get far too out of hand, causing her parents to send her to Nevermore, a school for “freaks.” Morticia and Gomez, Wednesday’s parents, had previously attended this school in their youth and believe that this is the one school that can handle her.
Initially, Wednesday attempts to run away from Nevermore, bBut she quickly changes her mind when a series of mysterious killings peaks her interest and she becomes determined to get to the bottom of it.
Senior Misty Marahatta drew comparisons between the new series and the inspiration behind it. “The show captures all the aspects of the original movie, and all the actors portray their characters really well. My favorite part of the show is the dance scene, and she dances exactly how she did in the movie. Overall it is a good show, and it catches the viewer’s attention very easily,” she said.
Some audiences were surprised that Burton has taken on another series because he has not directed a series in 40 years. Burton’s last productions were “Faerie Tale Theatre”(1982-1987) and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”(1985-1989).
The show wouldn’t have been possible without the writers of the series, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and their adoration for Burton’s odd ideas for Wednesday’s Character.
Actress Jenna Ortega stars as the antihero Wednesday. She leaves the audiences impressed with her accurate depiction of Wednesday while also making a modern depiction. Previously, Ortega has starred in “Stuck in the Middle” (2016-2018) on Disney Channel and “The Fall Out” (2021), which is one of her most popular movies.
What may catch fans of the series by surprise is the fact that Ortega never even auditioned for the role of Wednesday nor was she ever originally going to. It was Burton and the two other directors who had a vision and saw Ortega as the perfect actress to play this version of teenage Wednesday.
Ortega wasn’t too surprised when it came to her being casted as Wednesday. Growing up, she was often compared to Wednesday from the ‘90s version in “The Addams Family” due to her sarcasm. “People never know whether or not I’m being serious,” she stated in an interview with Ariana Romero. “My sense of humor is a bit awkward at times, and maybe a bit too dark.”
Freshman Vella Batdorf, a devoted fan of Ortega, immediately knew she wanted to watch “Wednesday.” She said, “I really enjoyed the Netflix series, ‘Wednesday.’ The suspenseful mystery was exciting, and I love that it brought the Addams family into more modern times.”
Batdorf continued, “I felt like it definitely depicted teenagers fairly well, and it brought up important themes like being yourself and friendship without being too in your face about it. All in all, it is definitely a show I would recommend to all highschoolers that enjoy mystery shows!”
Now, the cast also includes some other fantastic actors. For one actress, it is not her first rodeo in the Addams Family. Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the 1991 film, came back to play Marilyn Thornhill, a teacher at Nevermore.
Despite this opportunity, Ortega wanted to make this character her own.
Ortega prepared a lot for the role of Wednesday by taking cello and fencing lessons twice a week. As well as perfecting her posture, Ortega wanted to make Wednesday presence assertive and very particular to make her distinct.
Wednesday’s is quite socially awkward, assertive, and self centered. Which can be seen through her posture and facial expressions throughout the series. Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the series couldn’t have been more perfect.
