Netflix’s teen series “Wednesday” is returning for more episodes after a wildly successful, viral first season.
The show, which stars Jenna Ortega as the iconic character Wednesday Addams, was renewed for season two in January 2023.
Season 2 will lean more into horror and focus less on Wednesday’s love life
Amid investigating mysteries on season one, Wednesday also found herself in a love triangle with two of her peers at Nevermore Academy: Xavier Thorpe (Percy Hynes White), the brooding psychic artist, and Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan), a barista at Weathervane Cafe and the son of the town’s sheriff.
Ortega previously voiced her dissatisfaction with the love triangle during an episode of the podcast “Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard,” saying that it made “no sense” for a character like Wednesday.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in March 2023, Ortega again downplayed her character’s romances. “I think we want to up the horror aspect of it a little bit and then get Wednesday out of her romantic situation and just let her be her own individual and fight her own crime.”
She shared similar comments during a conversation with Elle Fanning for Variety’s Actors on Actors, published in June 2023.
“We want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more,” Ortega said, “because it is so lighthearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don’t want to take yourself too seriously.”
“We’re ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great,” she added.
Ortega reiterated that season two will be more horror-focused while speaking to E! News at the postponed 2023 Emmys in January 2024.
“There are some really, really good one-liners,” Ortega said, also teasing more action. “I think each episode will probably feel a little bit like a movie, which is nice.”
Ortega elaborated on the difference between seasons one and two in an interview with Vanity Fair published in February.
“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,'” she said.
“Every episode [of season two] that I’ve read so far is like that,” Ortega continued. “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.”
Ortega will serve as a producer on season 2
Ortega famously (and controversially) changed script lines and vetoed a flash mob scene on season one of the series.
She’ll have even more of a saying in decision-making for season two.
“When I went into ‘Wednesday’ I really put my foot down and made it clear that everything that I had to say mattered and was heard,” Ortega said in a comedy actress roundtable interview for The Hollywood Reporter. “And as the show went on, we all got a better feel for one another and it’s become a really collaborative experience, and I feel really lucky to be able to be in the room early next season and be talking about scripts and giving notes.”
Ortega also told Fanning that adding a producer credit to her work on “Wednesday” was a “natural progression” because she’s a “hands-on” person.
“With a character like Wednesday, who is so beloved and such a legend, I just really didn’t want to get her wrong,” she explained. “So I try to have as many conversations as possible.”
Ortega continued: “In preparation for a second season, we wanted to get ahead of the curve and make sure that we could start the conversations earlier. And I’m just so curious. I want to see the outfits, new characters that are coming in, scripts, and they were gracious enough to let me put the producer hat on.”
Another Addams family member is expected to appear
Season one included appearances from Gomez (Luis Guzmán), Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), and Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen). All three characters will return in season two.
During Netflix’s “Tudum: A Global Fan Event” in June 2023, cast members Ortega, Doohan, Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair), and Joy Sunday (Bianca Barclay) confirmed that someone else from the kooky family will also show up — but it’s unclear who.
Steve Buscemi and Thandiwe Newton are joining the cast
Variety reported that the “Miracle Workers” star and “Westworld” actor will both appear in season two of “Wednesday.” Buscemi and Newton have since been added to the official cast lineup. Newton’s role is unclear, but Buscemi will reportedly play the new principal of Nevermore Academy after previous headmistress Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie) was killed off during season one.
Season 2 will be released in 2025
Season two development was paused during the writers’ and actors’ strikes. After both strikes were resolved, Deadline reported that season two of “Wednesday” will be filmed in Ireland.
Production kicked off in early May and Netflix unveiled the cast in a video shared that month. Most recently, fans got a behind-the-scenes look at season two as part of Netflix’s Geeked Week.
Season two will debut in 2025, but it’s unclear when exactly.
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