On Nov. 23, the new series Wednesday was released, bringing the ghoulish mysteries of comedy and horror based on the classic Addams family to Netflix. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the show portrays how emotionless, dark, and cold Wednesday is as she attends a new school. Wednesday doesn’t immediately get along with some of her schoolmates, but she does discover her own psychic powers that help her uncover the mysteries of the school. The main character, Wednesday, is played by actress Jenna Ortega, and some of her co-stars include Gwendoline Christie as Larissa Weems (school principal), Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair, Riki Lindhome as Dr. Valerie Kinbott, Jamie McShane as Sheriff Donovan, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams, and more.
“I thought it was a great show on Netflix. I really enjoyed watching it and found it to be a cool subject that was interesting, funny, and suspenseful,” said sophomore Mailynn Betanco.
The release of Wednesday has taken the entire world by storm, reaching the number one spot on Netflix and amassing a record-breaking total of more than 340 million hours of viewing time within the first week of its release. This obscene amount of hours is equal to about 39,000 years in total. This record even beats Stranger Things Season 4, which held the original record of 335 million hours watched. Globally, Wednesday has reached the top 10 in more than 93 countries.
In the pivotal Rave’N Dance scene in the show, Wednesday gets down on the dance floor with some of her signature moves. After a fan edited the scene to the Lady Gaga song “Bloody Mary,” the dance quickly went viral. However, in the actual dance scene of the show, Wednesday dances to the song “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps. Unbeknownst to some, the dance that Wednesday dances to was choreographed by Jenna Ortega herself.
“I think that the show is fairly good so far, but I’m not finished yet. The plot seems interesting, but it feels like they’re trying too hard to be relatable to teenagers and some parts feel kinda awkward and forced,” said freshman Jaime Yeung.
There were three directors who directed the series. The masterminds behind the series are Tim Burton, who directed the first four episodes of Wednesday, Gandja Monteiro who directed the fifth and sixth episodes, and James Marshall who directed the seventh and eighth episodes. Tim Burton is especially known for his distinct art style and creepy films, such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands.
While she was acting as Wednesday Addams, Jenna Ortega tried to stay true to her character as much as she could. When she was filming, she focused intently on her posture, kept her back straight, and moved her arms minimally. Additionally, Jenna failed to realize she was not blinking during a take while they were first filming, and Burton loved it. He then decided that he no longer wanted her to blink thereafter. During filming, Jenna would also focus on what she sounded like when she spoke, so she would get the right tone of the iconic character. Finally, she experimented with different facial expressions to make sure things were filmed correctly.
“I think the show was well written because it has an interesting plot and makes you feel for the characters. There are lots of twists and turns,” said sophomore Julianna Betanco.
Overall, Wednesday has received many positive reviews from critics and fans alike. It has proved itself to be a spinoff with a lot of traction that has introduced the classic Addams characters to today’s audiences.