By now, we’ve all been engrossed in the fantastical life of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s hit show Wednesday.
It’s safe to say, that the macabre life of the teen misfit is something we’re all invested in. It’s done so well on the streaming site that it’s even surpassed Stranger Things as the most-viewed English-language series ever.
Wednesday made its debut back in November 2021, and shockingly, a whopping 400 million hours were spent by fans watching the show in its first week on the site.
Now that’s impressive!
But what’s equally as impressive, if not more, is how actress Jenna Ortega has totally transformed the role into something modern audiences can relate to, while paying homage to the original character.
The Addams Family was originally created by cartoonist Charles Addams, whose cartoon panels were published in The New Yorker in 1938. But it was only in 1964 that the family really came to life in the macabre sitcom of the same name.
Since then, the family has appeared on film, in video games, comic books, and their fictional story has even been turned into a hit musical.
It’s clear the family, and their bizarre ways, resonate with a lot of people. Whether it’s how they comically mock the All-American middle-class nuclear family, or how naive they are to outsiders’ views of them, they really seem to grip an audience.
So it’s no surprise that when Netflix announced Wednesday would be getting her own series, fans were more than a little excited. However, they were also equally as nervous to see how her story would be told.
Taking on the role of Wednesday Addams was no mean feat, Jenna Ortega had to fill some pretty big boots, firstly of Lisa Loring, who took on the role in the television series The Addams Family (1964). Then, more famously, Christina Ricci in the films The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993).
Wednesday, whose name is derived from the Monday’s Child nursery rhyme line: “Wednesday’s child is full of woe,” is characterized by her pale complexion and black pigtails, something that Ortega pulls off magnificently…
And if you’ve seen the show already, you know she’s got the death stare down to a T.
Since binge-watching the first season, fans have been patiently waiting for Netflix to announce that Wednesday will be returning for a second season, but it seems that it might not be returning to Netflix at all.
According to a report made by Deadline last year, Amazon has bought Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for $8.5 billion in a recent merger, and because Wednesday is actually the property of MGM, this could mean we won’t be seeing the second season on Netflix.
The rights for Wednesday may just end up in Amazon’s hands, which means we could see the next season on Prime instead of Netflix, however, nothing has been announced as of yet.
So if you’re a hard-core Netflix subscriber, no need to worry, as the streaming giant might just strike up a deal with Amazon to keep Wednesday where she is.
