Everything We Know About Wednesday Season 2
-
Jenna Ortega in Wednesday (Photo: Netflix)Despite the tumult and uncertainty in the entertainment world over the last year or so, one of the unambiguous positives for Netflix has been the success of Wednesday. The Addams Family spin-off/reimagining starring Jenna Ortega as the titular glum dynamo broke viewership records for Netflix in its first two weeks when it premiered last November.
In its first season, Wednesday struggled with the tricky tonal task of transporting the spooky girl who freaked out the normies in public school to the all-spooky Nevermore Academy. Despite these growing pains, Wednesday was a legitimate fan phenomenon, particularly among the TikTok set.
Series producers and co-showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (along with executive producer Tim Burton) now have a second season to look forward to, though like most productions this year, it's been a rocky road to getting started. Where do things stand for the Emmy-nominated series? And when can we expect it back? Here's everything we know so far about Wednesday Season 2.
Where did Wednesday leave off at the end of Season 1?
At the end of the eight-episode first season, Wednesday was able to defeat secret villain Laurel Gates (Christina Ricci), who had resurrected her Puritan ancestor Joseph Crackstone (William Houston) to rid Nevermore Academy of its outcasts. Meanwhile, the Hyde monster that Gates had unleashed was revealed to be Wednesday's love interest Tyler (Hunter Doohan). Hyde was defeated by Wednesday's best pal Enid (Emma Myers) in werewolf form, though in the final moments of the season, as Tyler is being taken away by police in chains and an armored vehicle, we see Tyler begin to Hyde out.
Meanwhile, Wednesday, leaving Nevermore for winter break, got a text from an unknown stalker, complete with a death threat and photos that suggest they've been following her closely.
When will Wednesday Season 2 premiere?
After "How is Thing alive if he's just a hand?," this is the biggest unanswered question at this point — though, now that there's an Instagram channel devoted to viewing the show from Thing's point of view, maybe it won't be a mystery much longer. No release date has been announced yet, but on May 7, Netflix announced Season 2 has begun production in Ireland.
How did the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes delay production on Wednesday Season 2?
The WGA strike delayed script development for the second season, while the SAG-AFTRA strike delayed what had been a planned Fall 2023 start for filming. But with the AMPTP having come to its senses in September and again this November, TV shows are now back in production. According to Deadline, production on Wednesday is tentatively scheduled to begin in April.
Will there be any major changes for Wednesday from Season 1 to Season 2?
The biggest change behind the scenes is that filming is moving from Romania, where Season 1 was filmed, to Ireland. Deadline, which reported the story, cited "logistical" issues with the Romanian location and compared the move to Prime Video's The Rings of Power moving from New Zealand to the UK.
Which Wednesday cast members are returning for Season 2?
Jenna Ortega will be back as Wednesday, as will Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman as her parents, Morticia and Gomez Addams. The latter two have been bumped up to series regulars, along with Isaac Ordonez and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo.
What new characters can we expect for Wednesday Season 2?
Not much is known about the plot of Season 2, but co-showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have hinted there may be more Addams family members on the way. The casting announcements on May 7, 2024 could provide us some insight into who will play the extended Addams family. Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper, Evie Templeton, Owen Painter, and Noah Taylor have joined Season 2 as series regulars, while Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Lumley, Thandiwe Newton, Frances O’Connor, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo (who knows a thing or two about outcast teen stories), and Joonas Suotamo are all set to guest star.
At the Tudum fan event in June 2023, Jenna Ortega said she was crossing her fingers that Cousin Itt would show up in Season 2. Other cast members floated the idea of Wednesday's grandmother appearing on the Netflix show.What storylines can we expect in Wednesday Season 2?
Along with the cast announcements on May 7, Gough and Millar shared a statement: “We are thrilled that the entire Addams family will be enrolling in Nevermore Academy this season along with a dream cast of icons and new faces.” Now, that doesn't mean that Gomez (Luis Guzman) is suddenly going to be the new dance or fencing instructor at Wednesday's school. What's on Netflix actually has info on the new characters in Season 2.
Steve Buscemi will play the new Principal for a single season; he's reportedly "someone who feels like an outcast and doesn’t get along with others but wants to help and try to fix things." Billie Piper will likely take on the role of Capri, a music teacher at Nevermore, who's described as "sophisticated and possess[ing] an air that could intimidate others while having exquisite taste in music." Owen Painter will play Karloff (as in Boris, we wonder?), who has supernatural abilities and a key role in Season 2. And Evie Templeton has been cast as Annie, "a precociously confident girl who is wise beyond her years."
In a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gough and Millar discussed some dynamics from Season 1 that they wanted to explore further in Season 2. "For us," Gough said, "the show also is really about this female friendship, with Wednesday and Enid really being at the center of that. The fact that they really connected with audiences, it has been really gratifying. So, we’re excited to explore now that Wednesday’s dipped her toe into the friendship pool, what’s that gonna look like? It’s like, she hugged. That was her big arc for the season, right? So it’s like now, we do that."
Another vein to be tapped is the rocky relationship between Wednesday and her mother, Morticia, which is expected to evolve now that Morticia knows that her daughter shares her psychic abilities. Also, at the summer Tudum event, cast members Ortega, Doohan, Myers, and Joy Sunday talked about fan theories like Joseph Crackstone’s ring and a possible mystery regarding Lurch (George Burcea) and his past.
Wednesday Season 1 is streaming on Netflix. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.
Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.
TOPICS: Wednesday, Netflix, Al Gough, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Emma Myers, Hunter Doohan, Jenna Ortega, Joy Sunday, Luis Guzmán, Miles Millar