Quick Links
The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values are both iconic movies of the early 90s. Created by cartoonist Charles Addams, the hilariously macabre family made their debut in a single-panel comic published in The New Yorker in 1938. The Addams Family is an eccentric aristocratic family that has an obsession with all things morbid and dark, and a complete unawareness of how their unique interests make outsiders extremely uncomfortable. They came to life on television screens in 1964, when the first live-action portrayal of the family aired on ABC. Since then there have been multiple television shows, both animated and live-action that have featured this oddball family, as well as specials such as a crossover with the Mystery Inc gang from Scooby-Doo. A computer animated version of The Addams Family was released in 2019 and was followed up with a sequel in 2021, called The Addams Family 2. These two most recent animated movies were received with mixed reviews, but were moderate successes at the box office.
While there have been many versions of The Addams Family throughout various forms of media, the 1991 and 1993 films directed by Barry Sonnenfeld have becoming the seminal work that has been used to introduce the members of the family.
The family consists of Gomez, the loving father and hopelessly romantic husband most notably portrayed by Raul Julia in the 1991 film. He has an affinity for swordplay, family tradition, and sports his trademark pencil-thin mustache. Morticia is the devastatingly beautiful mother and wife to Gomez. Played by Anjelica Huston (The Witches), Morticia is best known for her quiet poise and hands-off approach to parenting. Uncle Fester, played by Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), is best recognized by his wild eyes, hunched back, and pallid complexion. Pugsley is the youngest son of Gomez and Morticia (until Pubert came along in The Addams Family Values). Other household members include Lurch, the Frankenstein-like butler, played by Carel Struycken, Thing, a disembodied hand, Cousin Itt, a hairy creature with a taste for 70s-style sunglasses, and Granny, Gomez’s mother, played by Margaret Alford.
That leaves one character that hasn’t yet been formally introduced: Wednesday Addams. Played by Christina Ricci, the eldest child of Gomez and Morticia Addams. Wednesday is quiet, like her mother, but has a much stronger proclivity for embracing her dark side. She is constantly inventing contraptions with the intent to “murder” her younger brother Pugsley and eventually newborn brother Pubert. Her lines are always delivered deadpan, as if discussing murder was nothing more than simple facts. One of her most memorable lines is just a simple word. In the 1993 film, Morticia introduces her to another mother, she states that Wednesday is “at that very special age when a girl has only one thing on her mind,” to which the woman responds “Boys?” Wednesday doesn’t miss a beat and simply replies: “Homicide.”
As the inspiration for countless Halloween costumes, Wednesday has become a symbol for everything that is great about The Addams Family. That’s why fans were thrilled to discover that Tim Burton and Netflix decided to collaborate on a new spin-off series, called Wednesday.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming show.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on November 11 with the latest featurettes.
What Is Wednesday All About Anyway?
Produced by MGM Studios and directed by Tim Burton, this horror comedy series will focus on Wednesday as she navigates high school. She seeks to develop her psychic abilities, as well as solving a mystery that has plagued her family since before she was born. We last saw Wednesday when she was a young girl, so taking a jump into her early adulthood will open the door for more slightly-homicidal prowess and new complex relationships that she will have to navigate.
Who's In the Wednesday Cast?
Jenna Ortega will be playing the titular role of Wednesday Addams. Not only does she look the part, but she shares the classic Addams family trait of loving dark and scary things. As the newest addition to the “Scream Queen” team in the latest Scream movie, she has also had roles in horror movies such as Insidious: Chapter 2 and The Babysitter: Killer Queen.
In addition to the aforementioned films, she is also in the Foo Fighters’ horror-comedy Studio 666 and A24’s X. If you want a sneak peek at Ortega channeling some sulky Wednesday vibes, check out her performance as the snarky teenager Ellie Alves in season 2 of the Netflix Original Series, You.
Luis Guzmán will guest star as Gomez Addams and Catherine Zeta-Jones will play Wednesday’s mother, Morticia Addams. Riki Lindhome, best known as an American singer and songwriter in the comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates has been cast as Dr. Valerie Kinbott. Jamie McShane (Sons of Anarchy) will be playing the role of Sheriff Donovan Galpin while Isaac Ordonez has been cast as Pugsley, Wednesday’s younger brother. Fred Armisen will be playing Wednesday's uncle, Fester.
Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) will also make an appearance as a main cast member known as Larissa Weems. Best of all, earlier in March 2022, it was announced that Christina Ricci would be joining the cast as a regular character. Details of her role have been kept under wraps, but she is supposedly playing a new character and will not be portraying an older version of Wednesday.
Is There a Trailer for Wednesday?
Netflix released a quick teaser for the series on June 6, 2022 showing fans their first look at Jenna Ortega as the iconic character, clad in the iconic pigtails and black wardrobe the character is known for. The first teaser trailer for Wednesday, which you can watch in the player above, was revealed on August 17, 2022 (a Wednesday of course), giving fans their long-awaited first good look at Tim Burton's take on the iconic world of the Addams Family as well as an even better look at Jenna Ortega's seemingly perfect portrayal of the pig-tailed sociopathic teen Wednesday Addams. We've seen some clips since then, including one showing off Wednesday's interrogation skills, a featurette exploring Wednesday's origins, and a video where the titular teen mocks the Emmys. We got another trailer on September 21, giving us a good look at Gwendoline Christie's wicked headmistress. Another trailer, released during New York Comic-Con 2022, features Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester. After that, we've also seen a few featurettes, specifically one celebrating Tim Burton's impact on the show, one revealing the opening credits, and the latest, which goes behind the scenes into the creation of Nevermore Academy.
Where Can I Watch Wednesday?
Once it is released, the series will be available to stream on Netflix.
When Does Wednesday Come Out?
Wednesday will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, November 23, 2022. So we're not going to be able to watch the series for Halloween but it should still be fun to extend the spooky season a while longer with this show.