Following the cinematic success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton and Jenna Ortega went back to work on the second Wednesday season for Netflix. Unfortunately, our favorite Outcast will not join us for this year’s spooky season, but the series is making serious progress on bringing Nevermore Academy back to TV screens with arguably the most celebrated outsider who has conquered the four quadrants, and the fact that is happening with Burton’s TV debut is even more (loathsome and) delicious.
Indeed, the first wretched outing of “Little Storm Cloud” (credit to Gomez) still sits atop Netflix’s Top 10 series (English) in streaming TV history, which proves that misery thrives in company, so let’s not waste any more horrible time in rolling out the latest clues on what’s in store from our destructive and dour heroine or as she looks toward her next mystery:
Plot
No doubt existed that Wednesday would return for more morose madness when the show took off like a shot in November 2022. Fortunately, Tim Burton knows (as with the aforementioned Beetlejuice sequel) that certain things must be kept constant with sequels, so it’s a relief that Ortega has assured Netflix viewers that Wednesday “never really changes,” yet although she still will never blink, there will be substantial changes to the series in the second season after the resolution of the Hyde mystery.
For starters, filming moved from Romania to Ireland, where (as recently revealed to Screenrant by action-unit director Vic Armstrong), filming is “two-thirds of the way through, and having a great time.” Next up, Wednesday will learn to develop more human connection, which will largely revolve around her relationship with Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who will be growing more accustomed to her daughter’s abilities. And showrunner Al Gough told Hollywood Reporter that Wednesday will also perhaps edge even further into being comfortable with female friendship after taking the big leap of hugging.
From there, expect a new central mystery for Detective Wednesday and further threats for Nevermore Academy, but not everything will be so serious (even though it is). In a new behind-the-scenes video from Netflix, Wednesday is shown playing with dolls in her own special way (with a knife) before showing off more fleeting “twisted” glimpses with Ortega declaring, “If we showed you any more, your eyes would bleed … I’m not that generous.” We do, however, receive a peek at the show’s newly built sets in Ireland. Luis Guzman’s Gomez is here with the “little storm cloud” greeting, and Emma Meyers greets the world in a pre-Enid moment from the makeup chair.
Additionally, both Ortega and Meyers gave Wednesday and Enid their own spin on a viral TikTok trend with the stony-faced Ortega in costume. Fortunately, those two patched things up near the tail end of the first season, so more roommate misery can continue unabated.
Ortega has also moved into producing for this second season, and she promises more “horror” in this season along with (as relayed by Vanity Fair) a new “thing now where Wednesday just kind of appears. She is a little bit of a jump scare herself.” The horror vibes will be strong as the show takes a turn into alluding to an Edgar Allan Poe short story, “The Masque of the Red Death,” but don’t expect this to take the same turn as Mike Flanagan’s recent The Fall Of The House Of Usher interpretation of that story because, as Ortega reminds everybody, “[T]here’s six-year-olds watching.”
Cast
Jenna Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Luis Guzman will return as Wednesday, Morticia, and Gomez Addams, respectively. Fred Armisen is presumably busy filming his Uncle Fester spin off and does not appear on this season’s roster, but Thing is back, and we will meet a so-far unseen member of the fam, who will hopefully be Cousin Itt. Thank goodness that Emma Meyers is back as Enid, and several actors join the cast this season. They include Owen Painter, Evie Templeton, Billie Piper, and Noah Taylor while those leaving regular-cast status include Percy Hynes, White, Naomi J Ogawa, and Jamie McShane.
Speaking of Percy Hynes White’s absence following sexual assault allegations, Ortega has remarked that this led to “a weird redirect, but we’re introducing so many different characters that I think it kind of will get lost.”
Will we also see a new principal at Nevermore Academy? That would be Steve Buscemi with Gwendoline Christie’s administrator out of the picture.
Release Date
Wednesday will hate every moment of her 2025 return. Netflix has yet to warn the world of her specific arrival date.
Trailer
Enjoy this spooky previous announcement while a trailer still lurks in the woods.