Tim Burton’s grim but imaginative rendition of the Addams family’s eldest daughter, Wednesday Addams, captured audience imagination unlike any other.
Wednesday became Netflix’s most popular English-language TV series for a long time, staying perched firmly in the Global Top 10 for twenty weeks in ninety-three different countries after the release of the much-awaited Season 1. While this happened back in November 2022, fans have stayed invested in the morbid but relatable Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) and her adventures with the supernatural to date. The enthusiasm for Season 2 of Wednesday has only increased since then.
For those who want a recap, Season 1 began with a bang. Wednesday is seen releasing piranhas in her school swimming pool to avenge Pugsley’s bullying, and predictably, she is expelled. She then enrolls in the Nevermore Academy for outcasts such as herself, which is when her misadventures begin. Stuck with a roommate who is her complete opposite, Wednesday is compelled to make friends (Tyler, Xavier, and Enid) as well as enemies (Bianca and the Sheriff) in her new school. However, she also becomes caught up in the war between the townies and outcasts, with her inherited psychic visions guiding her in her quest to find the serial killer who has been targeting hikers. Through twists and turns, Wednesday discovers family secrets, Nevermore’s mysteries, and becomes the one to challenge an ancient foe, Crackstone, who can destroy the entire outcast community. Season 1 ended on a huge cliffhanger, with Wednesday gaining a new stalker and Tyler being revealed as the Hyde who was killing wantonly. Wednesday was renewed for Season 2 in January 2023.
What Will Wednesday Season 2 Be About?
“I mean, in the first season we had episodes that really stood out visually, like the dance episode was a really big one for people and that setting was very particular and it felt like Prom Night, a little bit, or Carrie. Every episode [of season two] that I’ve read so far is like that. It just stands out on its own as a very memorable scene or bit or setting, which I think is what I’m most excited for because to pull that off for eight episodes is, I think, really incredible and really lucky.” – Jenna Ortega to Vanity Fair .
Seeing how well Wednesday seemed to fit into the morbid goings-on at Nevermore Academy, it only makes sense that Season 2 will go back to the school of outcasts. Netflix confirmed this, and the renewal video, with a voiceover by Jenna Ortega, also promised “More Misery Is Coming” and more “torture” in Season 2 of the global phenomenon. However, the cast and creators of the show have kept the actual plot under tight wraps, so not much is known about the events of Wednesday’s upcoming chapter. Netflix has disclosed the episode title of the Season 2 premiere, which will be called “Here We Woe Again”, written by Al Gough and Miles Millar, and directed by Tim Burton. While Wednesday defeated Joseph Crackstone, there were many unresolved questions left in the season finale, and fans have many dark theories about Season 2.
Of the many loose threads, the greatest was the fate of Tyler, Wednesday’s boyfriend, who turned out to be the formidable Hyde. While he was captured, the last frames of Season 1, Episode 8, “A Murder of Woes,” depicted Tyler seemingly escaping law enforcement. Slippery Ms. Thornhill, who had been controlling Tyler the entire time, could also possibly return to the fray to put more obstacles in Wednesday’s path. The Addams family daughter also took the help of her ancestor, Goody, to defeat her enemy, and it seems as though Goody (a dubious character) may still reside within Wednesday, thus potentially creating problems for her. Even popular Bianca’s mother blackmailed her daughter at Nevermore, and she will undoubtedly give her a hard time in the upcoming season. While Principal Weems has seemingly died, fans of Gwendoline Christie are also hoping to see her again. However, all of this is conjecture as very little about the plot of the big-budget Wednesday Season 2 has not been revealed.
Who Is Returning (And Who’s New) In the Cast of Wednesday Season 2?
“We are thrilled that the entire Addams family will be enrolling in Nevermore Academy this season along with a dream cast of icons and new faces.” – Gough and Millar in a statement.
Predictably, the inimitable Jenna Ortega returns as the titular Wednesday to lead Season 2, joined by Emma Myers (the joyful werewolf Enid Sinclair), Victor Dorobantu (Wednesday’s partner-in-crime Thing), Joy Sunday (secret Siren Bianca Barclay), Moosa Mostafa (dorky Eugene), and Georgie Farmer (the Gorgon Ajax). Several other cast members have been upgraded to series regulars, including Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams), Luis Guzmán (Gomez Addams), Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley Addams), Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Deputy Ritchie Santiago), so fans can expect to see more of the Addams family and their dynamics in Season 2. Viewers who enjoyed Uncle Fester are in for a treat, as Fred Armisen returns as a guest star. Sheriff Donovan Galpin (Jamie McShane) is also set to guest star, and his onscreen son Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin) will also be back. Percy Hynes White is not reprising his role as Wednesday’s friend and romantic interest, Xavier Thorpe, after sexual assault allegations against the actor came to light in January 2023.
Most excitingly, Wednesday Season 2 has new additions to the cast that sound extremely promising. These were announced in a cast reveal video by Netflix, led by Thing. Heavyweight Steve Buscemi joins the show as Barry Dort, Billie Piper as Capri, Joanna Lumley as Grandmama, and Thandiwe Newton as Dr. Fairburn. Other new cast members include Evie Templeton, Owen Painter, Noah Taylor, Frances O’Connor, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo, Joonas Suotamowill, and original Addams Family actor Christopher Lloyd, who played Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1991). This expansion of the Wednesday Universe will surely add more flavor to the exciting supernatural world of Nevermore Academy.
Where Is Wednesday Season 2 Filming?
Wednesday is set in the town of Jericho, Vermont, but that is not where it is shot. Season 1 of Wednesday was shot largely in Romania, in various estates and castles for seven months, but Season 2 sees a drastic location change. Season 2 is being shot in County Wicklow, Ireland, reportedly due to logistical and practical issues.
While the sets and locations in Romania were apt for the goth drama, they were not the easiest to shoot in. It is said to be the largest shoot in the country in terms of budget. Jenna Ortega marked the beginning of filming through an Instagram post, which she captioned: “We’ve begun season two. @wednesdaynetflix.” Fans are excited to see if this will impact the appearance of Season 2, and if so, how different the beloved Tim Burton series will look with Ireland as its canvas.
What Is Wednesday Season 2’s Release Date?
We’re definitely expanding on the supernatural world. Our show had all sorts of werewolves and vampires and da-ta-da. And I think we expand on that a little bit. – Jenna Ortega in Vanity Fair .
Owing to the Hollywood labor strikes of 2023, almost every TV show faced massive delays and halts in filming. Wednesday was no exception, and the delayed filming has moved Season 2’s release date to 2025. These 2023 delays have had a long-lasting impact on several shows and movies that saw delays of two to three years. Seeing how the previous season had a seven-month-long filming schedule and took eight more months to finally stream on Netflix, it is obvious that Season 2 will have a similarly long and winding schedule, and if it follows a similar pattern, fans can expect a release in August or September 2025.
The show requires a lot of VFX work and has many moving parts, so this makes sense. While fans will have to wait a little longer to see the dark and broody Wednesday Addams return to the screen, the amount of effort and work being put into the show, coupled with Ortega’s own admission about the brilliance of each episode, Wednesday Season 2 promises to be worth the wait. It will stream on Netflix.
Source: cbr.com