Wednesday: Season 1 (2022)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Gnash 'Wednesday'

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Wednesday is as good an idea for a spin-off series as any, and it worked like gangbusters. It all began with Charles Addams's single-panel cartoons that debuted in The New Yorker in the 1930s. Then came the fun, black-and-white TV series that ran from 1964 to 1966. After that were two live-action movies, The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993), and two animated movies, The Addams Family (2019) and The Addams Family 2 (2021). Of those films, only Addams Family Values was any good, and that was partly thanks to Christina Ricci's uncanny performances as Wednesday Addams, easily stealing the film from her older co-stars. That was the first glimpse anyone had of the potential of this snide, scowling, and devilishly clever character. But who could fill Ricci's shoes?

Jenna Ortega began acting at ten and broke out as a star in the making at twenty, with appearances in three horror movies, Scream, Studio 666, and X. She had what it took for the role. Her Wednesday is just as funny and smart, but more nuanced, thanks, of course, to being the main character in eight hour-long episodes, rather than a supporting character in a 90-minute movie. She's mesmerizing, and never wears out her welcome. It also helps that Tim Burton — the perfect person for the job — came on as director of the first four episodes, giving the show his trademark visual touch and macabre sense of humor.

It begins as Wednesday gets herself in trouble at school after attempting to murder some bullies, and is expelled. Her parents Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, perfectly cast) and Gomez (Luis Guzmán, also perfectly cast, and looking more like the cartoon Gomez than anyone ever before) decide to send her to their alma mater, Nevermore Academy. Disembodied hand Thing is sent along to keep an "eye" on her. Wednesday is not happy, and perhaps worse, has been plagued with weird visions of the future that she can't understand or control. And there's a monster on the loose at the school, murdering folks left and right.

The show, created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Shanghai Noon, Spider-Man 2), introduces a batch of new characters that fit right into the Addams groove, including Wednesday's perky, perpetually cheerful roommate Enid (Emma Myers), who is also a werewolf; the sinister Principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie); therapist Dr. Valerie Kinbott (Riki Lindhome) — providing a terrific foil for Wednesday to outwit — and love interest Tyler (Hunter Doohan), a relatively normal teen who works at a coffee shop. Even Ricci has a role, as botany teacher and dorm mother Ms. Thornhill. Thing is played by magician Victor Dorobantu, a terrific-looking effect.

Overall, Wednesday is gleeful fun, not exactly a masterpiece, but a fresh new take on an old franchise. Warner Bros. Home Video and MGM have released the eight Netflix episodes on a great-looking two-disc Blu-ray set. There are, unfortunately, no bonus features. Given that the show is permanently available on Netflix, the main customers for this release would be those who don't subscribe to the streaming service, or those who put more trust in physical media (and might need an emergency binge-watch when the internet is down). Recommended.