Wednesday, by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar

Expelled from “normie” school and now stuck in the deeply weird Nevermore Academy, full of more deeply weird classmates, Wednesday Addams just wants to leave.

Title: Wednesday

Creators: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar

Streaming service: Netflix

Format: Live-action TV series

Genre(s): Comedy, Mystery, Horror

Release date: 2022

Rating: TV-14

Starring: Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams

Plot summary: Following her latest expulsion from a “normie” school, a resentful Wednesday Addams is shipped off to Nevermore Academy, her parents’ old boarding school for outcasts like werewolves, sirens, and vampires. But Wednesday is an outcast even at a school meant for outcasts. Cold and moody, she resists getting to know others, including the principal, her court-mandated therapist, and her fellow classmates. Especially her extremely chipper new roommate, Enid.

The one person Wednesday does want to know more about, though, is the mysterious culprit behind a series of murders in the surrounding town of Jericho, Vermont. Her growing psychic powers – inherited from her mother – might help her solve the case.

Critical review: This was another show that was popular among my friends this past fall, but I am notoriously slow at getting around to watching anything new! I enjoyed my time watching it! However, I will admit I was even more curious to know about the history of the tense relationship between Wednesday and Morticia than about the murder mystery that was unraveling. Still, the multitude of mysteries is sure to keep audience members hooked.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Christina Ricci (and surprised her guest appearance hadn’t been spoiled for me). I think this would also be a fun show for teens to watch with their families, especially if their parents grew up with Ricci’s Wednesday! Jenna Ortega pays homage to Ricci’s version in many ways, but also makes the character her own.

Tim Burton served as an executive producer and a director of multiple episodes, which comes across in the aesthetics of the show. For example, the Addams’ family’s goth look is contrasted with Enid’s splashy colors or the golden coziness of the surrounding small town, which made for a visual treat. Nevermore students are played by a great cast, and Jenna Ortega delivers a stunning and complex performance as Wednesday; her coldness melts into something a little warmer by the end of the pilot.

Related programming ideas: Wednesday attempting to escape the confines of Nevermore Academy is an excellent set-up for a Halloween escape room at the library. Although I came up with the idea independently, I did some research and found that librarians at the Des Moines Public Library in Iowa have also imagined the same (and executed it!), so I would likely reach out to them for additional ideas if I were to propose it for my own library.

Brief trailer: Expelled from “normie” school and now stuck in the deeply weird Nevermore Academy, full of more deeply weird classmates, Wednesday Addams just wants to leave. She’s weird, too (some have even called her creepy), but she far prefers to be weird alone. Before she can go, though, she finds herself wrapped up in a murder mystery plaguing the school and the surrounding town. Her growing psychic powers – inherited from her mother Morticia – might help her solve the case.

Actual trailer:

Potential challenges: The Harry Potter franchise has been challenged for promoting “witchcraft, the occult, and anti-family themes” (H, 2021). As another franchise with supernatural/paranormal characters, and an emerging family conflict, Wednesday could also be challenged for the same reasons.

Reason for inclusion: As a character, Wednesday might appeal to other teens who feel like an outcast in social settings. As a show, Wednesday will certainly appeal to teens who like elements of horror or fantasy in the media they consume.

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