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NCIS will soon launch its twenty-second season, and unlike with, say, Law & Order: SVU, none of this procedural’s starting team remains. Both Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly, however, will return soon for the NCIS: Tony & Ziva spin off, and we will soon learn more about Leroy Jethro Gibbs‘ history, which includes a formative tragedy, but let’s set that aside for now.

Additionally, it’s worth remembering that NCIS began as a spin off to JAG, which acted as a springboard for Mark Harmon’s Gibbs and Donald “Ducky” Mallard. Sadly, actor David McCallum passed away a few years ago, and Mark Harmon left NCIS during Season 19. Still, fans remain fond of the character who began his primetime TV run as an enigma, whose complicated history was somewhat revealed in various flashbacks with the younger Gibbs portrayed by Mark Harmon’s real-life son, Sean Harmon. Origins will now feature a different actor as young Gibbs, although both Mark and Sean are onboard for producing duties. And fortunately, for those who have had enough of geographically-based spin off titles, the franchise is taking a character-based approach from the start, so let’s explore what we can expect.

Cast

TV Line has published exclusive photos of Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Kyle Schmid as Special Agent Mike Franks (portrayed by Muse Watson in NCIS), who the publication also features in the below video. Although Stowell doesn’t exactly resemble how Mark Harmon looked at that age (shoutout to Summer School), he’s pulling off a “younger Gibbs vibe” for sure:

Plot

NCIS: Origins will begin in 1991, over a decade before we meet Gibbs’ later career colleagues, including Ziva (who replaced Kate), Tony, Abby, and more. Additionally, viewers will arrive at this spin off while already knowing about the death of Gibbs’ wife and daughter (who we already know that he took vengeance for) as well as his fraught relationship (first revealed in the “Heartland” episode of NCIS) with dad Jackson, and presumably, we will receive even more texture on why Gibbs spends his later career keeping everything close to his sleeve. Additionally, the first episode’s title has been revealed to be “Enter Sandman.”

As Screenrant has noted, this almost certainly refers to Gibbs’ time in Operation Desert Storm. Perhaps we’ll find out he listened to Metallica a few times, too, you never know. Curiously enough, a Season 7 NCIS episode also featured a character named Navy Captain James “Sandman” Powell, although that’s probably mere coincidence, and this episode will have plenty to do with Gibbs’ tours as a Marine sniper.

Perhaps we will eventually meet young Ducky, and it would be a (Naval) crime to leave him out of this show, particularly because NCIS revealed that the lovable medical examiner and Gibbs were first acquainted in 1980. However, this dynamic hasn’t been confirmed for Origins‘ first season, unlike the appearance of Special Agent Mike Franks as a regular character. Actor Kyle Schmid spoke with TV Insider to discuss the “edgier” tone of this spin off:

“I think 1991 in Los Angeles is a very poignant point in history with a lot that happened. We’re going to be able to explore all of that with phenomenal directing. I think with a younger and edgier cast, it will make for an edgier show in the process. This is super exciting because we have phenomenal actors who really get to dig into this stuff that I’m hoping will blow the doors wide open.”

Additionally, the show’s CBS description clarifies that we’ll meet up with Gibbs “as a new special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office.” We’ll follow as “[h]e takes his place on a gritty, ragtag team” with Franks in charge.

CBS has done a pretty good job of keeping a lid on specifics, but we will not have to wait much longer to see different shades of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Release Date

NCIS: Origins will premiere on October 14, and a full season order is on tap.

Trailer

This teaser does a fine job of showing us the older Gibbs, presumably fishing in Alaska, while living up to its name in teasing what’s to come.

When you are extremely famous, you will get some strange autograph requests. Caitlin Clark is no stranger to being asked to sign things as she’s become one of the most popular athletes in the country in recent years, and I have no doubt that across her time at Iowa and now in Indiana with the Fever, she’s gotten some strange requests for things to sign.

However, at the Fever’s charity golf outing this week, Clark had a new first when it comes to autograph asks, as a Fever fan presented Clark with their two-week-old baby and asked for an autograph. The best part is when they asked Clark if they wanted to hold her, and she had the initial reaction that many would in that situation of being terrified to hold the very tiny baby that cannot even hold up its head. She did ultimately hold the baby and then signed her onesie, opting not to go the Ricky Bobby route of putting sharpie to forehead.

Clark was asked if that’s the youngest fan she’s given an autograph to, and confirmed it was before asking if signing someone’s ultrasound counted. Being famous seems pretty wild, but Clark always handles it like a pro and that later in life that baby is going to have quite the picture to look back on.

Usher’s travel plans have been temporarily been paused. Yesterday (August 14) “Superstar” singer postponed the opening night of his Past Present Future Tour in Atlanta, Georgia. Unfortunately, for ticket holders, the show was pushed back. Sadly, it didn’t stop there.

Today (August 15), Usher took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal that all of his Atlanta performances at State Farm Arena have been rescheduled due to an injury he sustained.

“Earlier this week, I suffered an injury to my neck while rehearsing to provide my fans with the greatest USHER show of all time,” he wrote. “My hope was that with physical therapy and medical treatment, I would be to overcome the injury and be ready for opening night. Unfortunately, the injury has not healed yet, and my doctors have instructed me not to perform any shows this week.”

The shows previously scheduled for August 14, 16 and 17, have been move to December 9, 10, and 12. According to Usher’s post, he should be cleared to hit the stage by his Washington, DC on August 20.

View Usher’s updated Past Present Future Tour schedule below.

Usher’s 2024 Tour Dates: Past Present Future Tour

08/20 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
08/24 — Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
08/27 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
08/30 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
09/02 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
09/03 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
09/06 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
09/07 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
09/12 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
09/17 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
09/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Intuit Dome
09/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Intuit Dome
09/28 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
09/29 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
10/04 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
10/07 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center ATX
10/11 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
10/12 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
10/17 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/18 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/22 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
10/26 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
10/28 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/29 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
12/09 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena (rescheduled from 8/14)
12/10 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena (rescheduled from 8/16)
12/12 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena (rescheduled from 8/17)

Three years ago, the NFL world lost a giant when John Madden died at age 85. The legendary coach and broadcaster was one of the most recognizable faces and voices the sport has ever had, and his legacy lives on in his namesake video game franchise (with the Madden ’25 releasing on Friday).

Madden’s life is fascinating, and he will be the focus of a new biopic from director David O. Russell. As for the actor playing Madden, that would be none other than Nicolas Cage.

“Nicolas Cage, one of our greatest and most original actors, will portray the best of the American spirit of originality, fun, and determination in which anything is possible as beloved national legend John Madden,” said Russell in a statement, via The Hollywood Reporter. “Together with the ferocious style, focus, and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the feature will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s.”

I’m not sure there is a stranger, but more exciting sentence you could tell me than “Nic Cage is going to play John Madden in a movie.” I cannot wait to see how that works, exactly, as I cannot imagine it in my head, but I do know that Cage, as only he can, will be absolutely going for it. As for the subject matter of the movie, it will be focused on the beginning of the video game franchise, rather than Madden’s coaching or broadcasting career, per THR.

But this is not a biopic of the man in the typical way, nor a sports drama, a genre Russell took on with boxing movie The Fighter. Rather, Madden is in part, according to sources, a video game movie. It’s the origin story of Madden NFL, one of the biggest video game franchises of all time.

We’ll see how that story adapts to the big screen, but the Madden franchise unquestionably changed the sports video game marketplace forever, so it is an intriguing story for the film to dive into.

The 2024-25 NBA schedule got released on Thursday, and while we knew how many times each team would play each other, we now know when, where, and how we’ll be able to watch all 82 games for all 30 teams.

The most interesting part of the schedule release is seeing the national TV schedule, and finding out what teams ESPN and TNT want on their airwaves as much as possible. There are some teams that are always part of the national conversation, whether they are good or bad (Knicks, Lakers), and others with stars that command a national spotlight (Steph Curry and the Warriors). However, beyond those teams and star names, the big networks are betting on which teams will be good (or at least, interesting) when filling out the schedule. This year, the teams that saw the biggest increase in national TV games are the Timberwolves and Thunder, as the networks reward them for being last year’s top teams in the West in the regular season with a national spotlight. Meanwhile, teams like the Bulls and Heat have seen their national games cut down.

Here, we wanted to take a look at each team’s national TV schedule, broken down by network (ABC, ESPN, and TNT) — with respect to NBATV, a product I enjoy, I don’t really count those as true national games. Unsurprisingly, the teams at the top of the lists for most games on the big national networks are the Celtics (25) and Lakers (25), while the Knicks (24), Warriors (23), Mavericks (22), and Nuggets (22) all appear more than 20 times each.

ABC Games By Team

Celtics: 5
Lakers: 5
Nuggets: 4
Knicks: 4
Mavs: 4
Warriors: 4
Sixers: 3
Suns: 2
Bucks: 1
Thunder: 1
Timberwolves: 1

ESPN Games By Team

Nuggets: 11
Celtics: 10
Lakers: 10
Knicks: 10
Suns: 10
Mavs: 9
Warriors: 9
Bucks: 9
Thunder: 9
Spurs: 9
Timberwolves: 8
Sixers: 8
Clippers: 6
Pelicans: 6
Pacers: 5
Grizzlies: 5
Heat: 5
Cavs: 4
Kings: 3
Magic: 2
Bulls: 2
Rockets: 1
Hornets: 1
Hawks: 1
Pistons: 1
Raptors: 1
Jazz: 1
Nets: 0
Blazers: 0
Wizards: 0

TNT Games By Team

Celtics: 10
Knicks: 10
Lakers: 10
Warriors: 10
Mavs: 9
Timberwolves: 8
Sixers: 8
Nuggets: 7
Bucks: 7
Suns: 7
Thunder: 5
Spurs: 4
Pacers: 4
Cavs: 4
Grizzlies: 4
Magic: 3
Pelicans: 3
Kings: 3
Clippers: 3
Heat: 2
Rockets: 2
Hawks: 1
Wizards: 1
Nets: 1
Blazers: 1
Jazz: 1
Hornets: 0
Raptors: 0
Bulls: 0
Pistons: 0

With the third season of Euphoria on pause until 2025, Hunter Schafer has been building up her resume. Last year, she starred in the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and this year she had a small role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness. But before all of that, Schafer filmed the horror flick Cuckoo in the summer of 2022, her first real movie experience since being cast on Euphoria in 2019.

Dan Stevens, who plays the mysterious hotel owner Herr König, told Vanity Fair that the Cuckoo set was very different from what Schafer is used to. “Her only experience prior to this was working on Euphoria, which is a very, very different experience, and by all accounts, not a terribly pleasant one,” he said. “I think it was refreshing and delightful for her to realize that not every job needs to be like Euphoria.”

While Schafer herself hasn’t alluded to any sort of problems on the set of Euphoria, many cast and crew members have spoken out about the dismal on-set conditions of the HBO show. The third season is expected to go into production next year.

Stevens added, “It was nice to be able to present that and to be a part of that. We can still shoot this incredibly f*cked-up, difficult scene, but everybody’s still friends at the end of the day and nobody needs to have months of therapy afterwards.” It’s not entirely clear if Euphoria really led to months of therapy, but it would not be that far-fetched based on reports.

Schafer hasn’t opened up too much about the upcoming season of Euphoria, mostly because she doesn’t know what’s going on. On a recent episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Shafer honestly admitted, “The real tea is I have no f*cking idea what’s going on, and you can ask literally all of the cast.”

She continued, “I think everyone feels a certain sense of anticipation for if we are supposed to do season 3. Obviously I’m still coming to terms about what’s happened and losing people that we really loved and were a part of this family and everything. If we do go back, that’s going to be tough.”

Cuckoo is now in theaters.

It’s going to be a busy 2025 for HBO. Next year will have new seasons of The Last of Us, The Righteous Gemstones, The Gilded Age, The Sex Lives of College Girls, And Just Like That, and Euphoria (maybe), along with the premieres of It prequel Welcome to Derry and Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. But the most anticipated show — at least for the Carrie Coon and Walton Goggins diehards (me) out there — might be The White Lotus.

Here’s everything we know about season 3 of the Mike White-created series, including plot details and the cast.

Plot

Walton Goggins won’t reveal anything about The White Lotus season 3 (other than the hotel fees), but Mike White has spilled a few details.

The White Lotus creator teased that while “the first season kind of highlighted money” and “the second season is sex,” the Thailand-set third season will be “a satirical and funny look at death and eastern religion and spirituality.” He also told Entertainment Weekly that “it’s going to be a supersized White Lotus. It’s going to be longer, bigger, crazier. I don’t know what people will think, but I am super excited, so at least for my own barometer, that’s a good thing… I’m super excited about the content of the season.”

On the Little Gold Men podcast, Carrie Coon confirmed the premise of the season. “[White] had a season about money; he had a season about sex. And this is his season about death,” she shared. “So here we are in this Buddhist country. It bumps up against some things in my own life right now that are really interesting to think about, and so I’m feeling incredibly gratified.”

Cast

In season 3, the world’s best job belongs to Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Dom Hetrakul, Tayme Thapthimthong, Christian Friedel, Morgana O’Reilly, Lek Patravadi, Shalini Peiris, Aimee Lou Wood, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Nicholas Duvernay, Arnas Fedaravičius, Scott Glenn, and Blackpink’s Lisa (who will be credited as Lisa Manobal).

“It’s pretty new to me, but I think it’s similar to shooting music videos,” the singer told Elle about her acting debut. “I’m excited for my fans to see it.”

We don’t know who anyone is playing, although there will be “a patriarch, a female corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, a country club wife, a misfit, and a yogi.” The one exception is Natasha Rothwell, who is returning as spa manager Belinda from season 1.

Jennifer Coolidge won’t be back for… reasons.

Release Date

As previously mentioned, The White Lotus will return to HBO in 2025, although no exact date has been announced yet.

Trailer

HBO included a brief, heavily-filtered look at The White Lotus season 3 in a “coming soon” video (it’s at the 46-second mark), but that’s it for now.

The final season of the NBA on TNT is upon us, as the NBA will move to NBC and Amazon in 2025-26 (with ESPN remaining as the lead broadcast partner). That means the end of Inside the NBA as we know it, although it’s going to continue in some form with Charles Barkley sticking around through the rest of his 10-year deal, as well as arguably the best NBA production crew in the business.

That means this season will be a celebration of TNT’s lengthy partnership with the league, culminating in a bittersweet goodbye in the Western Conference Finals. Before then, they’ll broadcast 65 regular season games, starting with the opening night doubleheader featuring Knicks-Celtics and Wolves-Lakers. The opening Thursday night slate of the season will be Spurs-Mavs and Thunder-Nuggets, as the West will take center stage.

As for what teams will play the most on TNT, the names at the top come as no surprise, as the Celtics, Knicks, Warriors, and Lakers will all play 10 times each on TNT. The Mavs will play nine games, while the Wolves and Sixers get eight apiece. The Bulls, Hornets, Raptors, and Pistons are the only teams not to make it onto TNT in its last season.

TNT Games By Team

Celtics: 10
Knicks: 10
Lakers: 10
Warriors: 10
Mavs: 9
Timberwolves: 8
Sixers: 8
Nuggets: 7
Bucks: 7
Suns: 7
Thunder: 5
Spurs: 4
Pacers: 4
Cavs: 4
Grizzlies: 4
Magic: 3
Pelicans: 3
Kings: 3
Clippers: 3
Heat: 2
Rockets: 2
Hawks: 1
Wizards: 1
Nets: 1
Blazers: 1
Jazz: 1
Hornets: 0
Raptors: 0
Bulls: 0
Pistons: 0

TNT Schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 22:
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m.)
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, Oct. 24:
San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks (7:30 p.m.)
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Oct. 29:
Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7:30 p.m.)
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Nov. 12:
New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m.)
Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Nov. 19:
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics (7:00 p.m.)
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, Nov. 26:
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat (7:30 p.m.)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Dec. 3:
Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks (7:30 p.m.)
Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, Dec. 19:
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Orlando Magic (7:00 p.m.)
Atlanta Hawks vs. San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m.)

Thursday, Jan. 2:
Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7:30 p.m.)
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Golden State Warriors (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Jan. 7:
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks (7:30 p.m.)
Boston Celtics vs. Denver Nuggets (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Jan. 14
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers (7:00 p.m.)
Denver Nuggets vs. Dallas Mavericks (9:30 p.m.)

Thursday, Jan. 16:
Phoenix Suns vs. Washington Wizards (7:30 p.m.)
Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings (10:00 p.m.)

Monday, Jan. 20:
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies (2:30 p.m.)
Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors (5:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Jan. 21:
New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets (7:30 p.m.)
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, Jan. 23:
Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m.)
Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Jan. 28:
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m.)
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Portland Trail Blazers (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, Jan. 30:
Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzlies (7:30 p.m.)
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Feb. 4
Dallas Mavericks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m.)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. LA Clippers (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, Feb. 6:
Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m.)
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Feb. 11
New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers (7:30 p.m.)
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Phoenix Suns (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, Feb. 13:
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (8:30 p.m.)

Thursday, Feb. 20:
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7:00 p.m.)
Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, Feb. 25:
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic (7:30 p.m.)
Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, Feb. 27:
Denver Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m.)
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, March 4:
Golden State Warriors vs. New York Knicks (7:30 p.m.)
LA Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, March 6:
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m.)
New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, March 11:
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers (7:00 p.m.)
LA Clippers vs. New Orleans Pelicans (9:30 p.m.)

Thursday, March 13:
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m.)
Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, March 25:
Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks (7:30 p.m.)
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, April 1:
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks (7:30 p.m.)
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, April 3:
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m.)
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, April 8:
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks (7:30 p.m.)
Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns (10:00 p.m.)

Thursday, April 10:
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers (7:00 p.m.)
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies (9:30 p.m.)

Now is an awesome time to be a Blink-182 fan: Tom DeLonge is back in the group and they’re on tour, playing the hits with their most iconic lineup (also featuring Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker). One fan specifically, though, might be shaking off a bit of embarrassment right now.

As setlist.fm notes, the moment in question went down at the band’s August 13 show in Columbus, Ohio. In a video that has racked up hundreds of thousands of plays on TikTok (watch it here), Blink had invited a fan on stage and handed her a microphone before starting to play “First Date.”

When it came time for the first verse, though, the fan wasn’t even close to getting the words right. It’s tough to hear, but it sounded somewhat like she started singing the words to one of the group’s other hits, “All The Small Things.” After messing up a few more lines, she attempted to hand the microphone back to Hoppus, who happened to be looking elsewhere at the moment.

The band, always good sports and down for a silly time, didn’t seem bothered by the mishap: In an alternate angle, DeLonge appeared to be having a laugh about it. Being on stage with one of the biggest bands of their generation is potentially a nerve-wracking moment, so hopefully the fan was able to laugh it off, too.

After gifting audiences with decades of lugubrious cinema, Tim Burton’s Wednesday made sure that his first TV show celebrated the Outcast of all Outcasts, Wednesday Addams. As it turns out, this particular Nevermore Academy outcast (portrayed unblinkingly by Jenna Ortega) carried mass cross-quadrant appeal, and the show easily became one of Netflix’s top-watched series of all time.

A speedy second-season green light followed, along with the announcement of an Uncle Fester spin off (starring Fred Armisen). What miserable events can we look forward to? Ortega has assured Netflix viewers that Wednesday “never really changes,” so we can expect much more of the same ingredients that made the first season irresistible. Let’s talk about could come next from our deadpan heroine.

Plot

For months, we’ve been hearing promises that this season will be darker than before, and to expect more “horror,” yet Jenna Ortega — who is promoting her role in Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arriving on Sept. 6 — has now painted a fuller portrait on the vibe to expect from the second season. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Ortega went beyond sparse hints and pointed towards an Edgar Allan Poe short story, “The Masque of the Red Death,” which was adapted into a 1964 movie. However, Ortega did stress that the show will not take a turn into being “the goriest show of all time” because “there’s six-year-olds watching.” Do expect to see the show having fun with the concept of jump scares, however, because “[w]e’re doing this thing now where Wednesday just kind of appears. She is a little bit of a jump scare herself.”

Burton and Ortega do appear to be a match made in hell, but in the best way. Ortega previously revealed how they settled upon Wednesday’s “Kubrick stare,” so it’s not difficult to imagine that the “jump scare” factor should be delicious in execution. Ortega has also moved into producing this season, and her fingerprints will be visible from the ground up, as she told TotalFilm:

“It’s so informative. There’s so many conversations that I had never been a part of before in terms of prosthetics, wardrobe, locations and things like that. It’s exciting. It’s different. It’s stimulating. I’m really fortunate to be in a line of work that I respect. And that’s just another side of it, which I’m curious about, and I would love to know more, and do more.”

The show is currently in the thick of filming in Ireland, rather than previous Romania stomping grounds. This season’s story will focus more on Wednesday developing human connection, including her mom-daughter relationship with Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) after mom realizes the power that is afoot.

Showrunner Al Gough has also spoken about how Wednesday will deepen her introduction into female friendship, which will continue to be unusual for the Addams daughter after moving into the very foreign (to her) act of hugging. Ortega has also suggested that Wednesday will look inward more to examine why “her main drive with the monster was a kind of competitiveness.” However, new dangers will lurk, along with a new central mystery for Detective Wednesday, as Nevermore Academy will remain under threat.

Fortunately, Gomez (Luis Guzman) will still be around with his Addams Dad energy to effortlessly drop nicknames for his “little storm cloud” daughter. Such levity will likely help smooth over any awkwardness around the newfound absence of Percy Hynes White, who Netflix dropped from the series following sexual assault allegations. Ortega has further admitted has resulted in “a weird redirect, but we’re introducing so many different characters that I think it kind of will get lost,” and also, this “world does feel slightly askew anyway.”

Cast

Netflix dropped a handy teaser video that revealed returning cast members that include Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Luis Guzman, and additionally, a not-yet-included member of the family will also make their debut, so cross your fingers for Cousin Itt. Fred Armisen’s name does not appear on the below list, but he’s been occupied with his Uncle Fester spin off.

Steve Buscemi will surface as the new Nevermore Academy principal. Additionally, Billie Piper, Evie Templeton, Owen Painter, and Noah Taylor will make their series debuts with guest stars such as Heather Matarazzo, Joanna Lumley, Haley Joel Osment, Thandiwe Newton, and Frances O’Connor. Those cast members falling off regular status not only include Percy Hynes White but also Jamie McShane and Naomi J Ogawa. Additionally, Netflix has not confirmed whether Uncle Fester will be back on Wednesday this season in addition to Armisen’s ongoing work on the spin off.

Release Date

Wednesday will make her gloomy return in 2025. No specific date yet, but perhaps we can collectively conjure that into existence.

Trailer

Although we probably won’t see a trailer for a few months, Netflix did compile a special “thank you” for the “misery” video that includes references to those dance moves and Wednesday Addams cosplayers: