Director: Tim Burton

Release Date: Nov. 23, 2022

MPAA Rating: TV-14

Starring: Jenna Ortega (Wednesday Addams); Christina Ricci (Marylin Thornhill); Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams); Luis Guzmán (Gomez Addams)

Our Rating: A+

A gothic personality with a pale face and long, dark braided pigtails, Wednesday Addams is the epitome of spooky. Beloved by fans for decades, Netflix has recently released her newest appearance. The show, produced by Tim Burton and starring Jenna Ortega, is a horror comedy called “Wednesday“.

Wednesday Addams’ role is portrayed by Jenna Ortega, a young actress who has starred in productions such as “The Fallout”, “Yes Day”, “Stuck in the Middle”, and “Scream”. Ortega’s performance has gained attention from crowds worldwide, but fans not only recognize Ortega, they also recognize astonishing performances from Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin), Percy Hynes White (Xavier Thorpe), Joy Sunday (Bianca Barcley) and many others.

“Jenna Ortega is really good at acting. She’s extremely good at what she does and she really went all out for the show. She had to learn to do so many things just to play her role as Wednesday and I respect her for that,” freshman Lauren Puig said.

Wednesday’s character in the TV show portrays her as a dark teenager with mortifying thoughts. Expelled from eight different schools in the past five years, with the most recent reason being her attempted murder of her brother’s bullies, Wednesday is eventually sent off to Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts, freaks and monsters that both of her parents attended.

Wednesday’s morbid personality and reputation cause her to often scare people off, teaching her to enjoy solitude. She does not care about what others think of her and while in isolation from others, she finds interest in playing the cello and writing gruesome novels about a teen girl detective. Yet, her most fascinating interest is solving mysteries and uncovering truths around Nevermore Academy. Many have taken Wednesday’s independent attitude as an inspiration and have found themselves trying to be more like her, which says a lot about Ortega’s compelling performance.

There is a reason why the show has a TV-14 rating, but aside from the gore and violence stirred up in the series, those above the age of 14 can appreciate the stellar acting and suspenseful plot incorporated throughout “Wednesday”. Director Tim Burton’s influence on the show also made it remarkable. Indeed, he fully met the high expectations many of his fans had due to the caliber of his other work. Burton has produced many famous films, such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Corpse Bride”, “Beetlejuice”, and “Edward Scissorhands”.

The show’s release date of Nov. 23 was accompanied by an overwhelming amount of social media discourse. Apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter were buzzing with comments and videos regarding the show and its characters. The unexpected plot twists and cliffhangers throughout “Wednesday” have also made the show extremely entertaining to viewers and have left many ecstatic for a new season of the horror-comedy. With this influence, “Wednesday” has become the number one series on Netflix and has earned the title of “most hours viewed in a week of any Netflix TV show” with over 341.2 million hours streamed of the show.

“The show was amazing, and the fact that put the original Wednesday actor, Christina Ricci, in the show meant a lot to me since The Addams Family was my favorite movie as a child,” freshman Lua Lara said.

Christina Ricci, who portrayed Wednesday in the 1991 movie “The Addams Family“, takes on a minor role in the show. This is a thoughtful touch that successfully pays homage to the original source material. Given the immense love that the show is receiving, many cannot wait for the next season and the continuation of the Addams Family and Wednesday’s legacy.