Does a brand-new trailer mean that the new season of Wednesday is finally ready to hit Netflix? We have all the details.
Sneak Peek! Here’s What You Need to Know About Wednesday Season 2
Published on Oct. 07, 2024
Oh, that Wednesday Addams. She’s creepy and she’s kooky, mysterious and spooky. Alas, she also hasn’t been seen in new episodes of her smash series since November 2022. The good news? There will be dancing again at the Nevermore Academy with a new season of Wednesday.
On Sept. 19, Netflix released the first behind-the-scenes look at the much-anticipated second season of Wednesday that included cast members Luis Guzman, Emma Myers, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joy Sunday and Thing welcoming viewers to the set. “This season is going to be bigger and more twisted than you could ever imagine,” Zeta-Jones teases. There’s also a snippet of Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) shouting, “Fight!” with a fist thrust in the air on stage in what seems to be a rally.
No doubt viewers would, um, kill for more. After all, when Wednesday premiered in 2022, the supernatural-tinged series quickly became one of Netflix’s most-watched English-language shows of all time with more than 400 million hours watched in its first few weeks. Executive-produced by Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Batman), it supplied a fresh and Gen Z–friendly spin on the classic TV series The Addams Family—with the Emmy-nominated Ortega dazzling as the sardonic and macabre teen. (The show itself won four Emmys for its first season.) And while Wednesday did crack the murder mystery at her new boarding school in the finale, fans are still left with questions.
We’ve got answers! Most of them, anyway—including when new episodes will drop. Here’s everything you need to know about Season 2 of Wednesday.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more entertainment news, humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
When will Wednesday Season 2 premiere?
The new season of Wednesday will premiere sometime in 2025. The extra-long wait is due to the actors and writers strikes in 2023, which delayed a return to production. But in May 2024, cameras finally started to roll in Ireland. That’s a change from Season 1, which was shot in Romania; the change was primarily made because Ireland has a tax credit for TV and movie filming.
The legendary Burton, fresh from working with Ortega in the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, will direct four out of the eight episodes. “He loves the show, and he loves working with Jenna,” says Alfred Gough, who co-created the series with Miles Millar. “When he loves something, this is the thing; he’s not cynical at all.” Filming is reportedly set to wrap in November.
What will the new season be about?
Ortega, who’s also taking on Wednesday executive producer duties this season, dropped a few hints during her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice press tour. “Every episode has one strong, kind of outstanding scene or factor, which is kind of nice,” she says. “This season just feels like we’re getting a little bit more of an opportunity to do the things we wanted to accomplish in the first one, maybe just didn’t have the resources or faith.”
To that end, the show will focus on its genre roots. “We want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more because it is so lighthearted,” she told Elle Fanning during an Actors on Actors interview. “And I think a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don’t want to take yourself too seriously.” That means that any potential romance between Wednesday and her Nevermore Academy pals is DOA. “We’re kind of ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great,” she added. (She also told co-star Emma Myers last year, “I feel like she’s off boys for awhile.”)
Viewers should also expect major developments with those Season 1 cliffhangers. On the (semi–spoiler alert) list? The whereabouts of classmate Tyler (Hunter Doohan), who turned out to be the monstrous and murderous Hyde; the reveal of the stalker who sent that threatening text to Wednesday’s new phone; and the identity of Nevermore’s new principal.
Who will be in the new season of Wednesday?
A new photo from the set confirmed the Wednesday cast of characters—and it’s a sprawling one. “We felt like we just touched the surface with those characters, and the actors are so amazing in those roles,” said Gough.
Ortega returns as Wednesday Addams (duh), while Catherine Zeta-Jones (her mother, Morticia), Luis Guzman (papa Gomez), Isaac Ordonez (brother Pugsley) and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Deputy Santiago) have all been upped to series regulars. A slew of classmates—played by Emma Myers (who’s pitch perfect as Enid), Joy Sunday (Bianca), Hunter Doohan (Tyler), Moosa Mostafa (Eugene) and Georgie Farmer (Ajax)—will also return, as will Victor Dorobantu as Thing and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester.
But wait—there’s more! Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) will appear as a new series regular, as will Bill Piper (Scooper), Evie Templeton (Return to Silent Hill), Owen Painter (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Noah Taylor (Law & Order: Organized Crime).
The guest-star list is bustling as well. It includes Thandiwe Newton as Dr. Fairburn and Joanna Lumley as Grandmama, plus Frances O’Connor, Haley Joel Osment and Heather Matarazzo. Also be on the lookout for the ever-quirky Christopher Lloyd, who played Uncle Fester in the ’90s Addams Family movies.
Who won’t be returning?
It’s a wrap for Naomi J. Ogawa (Yoko Tanaka) and Percy Hynes White, who played Xavier Thorpe, one of Wednesday’s love interests. In 2023, allegations of sexual assault were made against Hynes White on social media; he denied accusations, calling the claims “a campaign of misinformation,” but his contract was not renewed for Season 2. Jamie McShane, who played Sheriff Galpin, will only appear on a guest-star basis. And, of course, Gwendoline Christie won’t be back either because—huge spoiler alert!—her character, Principal Weems, got a poisoned syringe to the throat in the finale and died in Wednesday’s arms.
What other shows will tide you over till the premiere?
We know—a year until the new season of Wednesday sounds like torture. But while you wait, there are plenty of excellent TV shows to keep you occupied. Here are five of the best Wednesday-like series.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy basically invented the snarky-teen-takes-the-lead-in-a-supernatural-drama subgenre. In this series, which originally aired from 1997 to 2003, Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as the titular slayer who must juggle monster-killing with the traumas of teendom. Sunnydale High isn’t quite the Nevermore Academy, but it does feature demon principals and werewolf classmates. Also, her love triangle with tormented Angel and bad boy Spike is otherworldly. (Hulu, Disney+)
- The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Like Wednesday, this series—a darker version of the ’90s sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch—chronicles a teen with supernatural abilities. But here, Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) is a witch who leads a double life as a typical high schooler battling evil forces. She must ultimately choose between the two worlds. There’s gore and so much more. (Netflix)
- You: Want more Jenna Ortega in an off-kilter series? Done and done. She doesn’t show up until Season 2, but the intense stalker thriller is well worth the journey. Penn Badgley is Joe Goldberg, a seemingly normal bookstore manager who hides his tendency to ultra-obsess (and often kill) behind closed doors. Ortega plays his teen neighbor in Los Angeles who arrives on the scene after Joe relocates from New York City. The vibe is way darker than a typical Wednesday episode, but fans will appreciate its bone-dry humor. (Netflix)
- The Order: Yup, it’s another Netflix show in which a teen at a new school encounters danger and mystery to spare. College student Jack Morton (Jake Manley) joins a secret society called the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose to learn magic. He soon learns that its dark underworld involves conspiracies and an intense battle between werewolves. The students are a little older than the Wednesday group and the tone is a bit more serious, but it does the (magic) trick. (Netflix)
- I Am Not Okay with This: Though this coming-of-age comedy was a one-and-done, it made an impression among its loyal fans. It centers on Sydney (Sophia Lillis), a 17-year-old who learns that she has Carrie-esque telekinetic powers. To top it off, she must deal with the ups and downs of high school, her sexuality and a complicated relationship with her mother. Sound familiar? (Netflix)
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experience where appropriate. For this story on the new season of Wednesday, Mara Reinstein tapped her two decades of experience as an entertainment journalist, film critic and pop culture expert. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- The Wrap: “Wednesday Behind-the-Scenes Look Teases Bigger, ‘More Twisted’ Season 2”
- Variety: “Wednesday Debuts with Nielsen’s Second-Biggest Streaming Week of All Time”
- Cinema Blend: “Jenna Ortega Revealed Wednesday Season 2 Will Have ‘Incredible Set Pieces’ I Hope One of Them Dives into a Big Season 1 Cliffhanger”
- Entertainment Weekly: “Jenna Ortega Says Wednesday Is Bidding Adieu to Love and Hello to ‘Horror’ in Season 2”
- Variety: “Elle Fanning and Jenna Ortega — Actors on Actors (Full Conversation)”
- Deadline: “Wednesday Season 2: Everything We Know About the Cast, Premiere Date & More”
- TV Line: “Wednesday Showrunners Share Potential Season 2 Plans for Addams Family Series”
