Tim Burton’s “Wednesday” Reimagines The Famous Addams Family Franchise

Many longtime “Addams Family” fans have been interested in the new Netflix series, “Wednesday” which premiered late November. For the first time, the new addition to the franchise re-imagines the family as descendants of supernatural beings. The show is a comedic horror and murder mystery, but from the point of view of an angsty, 15-year-old Wednesday Addams as she attends Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts.

Jenna Ortega, the actress who plays Addams, says to Refinery29 that her character “comes off a little bit sweet at times —There’s something really special about that because initially, in the comic strips, she’s described as this sweet, sorrowful girl who just likes gore.” 

Ortega, who also starred in another popular horror franchise, “Scream,” has been praised by many reviewers for her work in the series.

“Ortega injects complex pathos beneath the stoicism and dry line delivery,” writes Meagan Navarro for Bloody Disgusting.

The director Tim Burton, popular for his Gothic fantasy and horror films, exhibits gore using special effects and computer-generated imagery (CGI). The imagery of monstrous villains and the persistence of dismembered bodies is reminiscent of his previous films such as the “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

However, critics from Horror Fuel were disappointed with the new look, claiming it “has a very CGI, fake appearance.”

There are 8 episodes in the season with each episode having a runtime of 45 minutes and the entire series has an MPA rating of TV-14. While it is unclear whether Netflix plans on producing a second season, Burton is still interested in what he can do with the “Addams Family” brand.

In an interview with TV Times he said, “When I read this [script], it just spoke to me about how I felt in school and how you feel about your parents, how you feel as a person. It gave the Addams Family a different kind of reality. It was an interesting combination.”