Wednesday: Season 2 (2025) Cre: Alfred Gough & Miles Miller

Instagram post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DSKyd4FjShv/?igsh=emFqdnVla3BtcWVt

When this Netflix original series, created by Alfred Gough and Miles Miller, and based on the characters of the iconic 'Addams Family', debuted on Netflix in 2022, it was incredibly popular, and brought a new generation of eyes onto a set of characters that others have loved and watched for years and years. I had enjoyed it quite a lot, being a big fan of the 90's films, but when it came to this season, I was a little less excited. What's more, I definitely needed the season-opening recap, having waited over two years for this second season to come out.

In regards to the visuals of the series, I thought it was a bit of a mixed bag. The costume design, as well as the hair and make-up, was very good. I really enjoy this show's aesthetic, generally speaking. I also really loved the brief use of stop motion - it was very becoming of the series producer; Tim Burton, and it looked absolutely wonderful. However, the CGI for the Hydes still looked awful. They were stuck halfway between cartoonish and half-baked - it made them look like they were animated twenty years ago.

The story was not as compelling as the previous season, but I still enjoyed the strange and wacky adventures that the characters went on. It turned out to be a very good idea to bring the new character of Agnes into the mix, in my view. She brought a fresh and fun dynamic to the two established key characters of Wednesday and Enid. I definitely preferred the more focused series arc for the first season, but I quite liked some of the ideas that were tried this time around, specifically in regards to how it grew Wednesday as a character at the school.

Speaking of whom, Jenna Ortega's casting as Wednesday Addams has to go down as one of the best castings of a television series ever. She is perfect for the role, both in regards to her look and delivery. It really feels like she understands the character, enjoys playing her, and thrives when on-screen as them. I know a lot of people adore Christina Ricci's version of the character, and rightly so, but I really think Ortega's is just as good, but in a slightly different way.

I wasn't as much of a fan of Emma Myers this season as I was last, but I still enjoyed general quality of her acting. I definitely preferred her performances in the second half of the season - I thought they felt much more like the acting she had provided in season one. Evie Templeton was my series standout, not just for her general performance, but because of how well she was able to show her character's personal evolution throughout the series.

The other Addams family members, played by the returning Katherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, and Isaac Ordonez, all proved to be as entertaining as ever. I was particularly pleased with Ordonez, who was much improved from his performance in the previous season. I also think Zeta-Jones deserves credit for her wonderful depiction of the iconic Morticia Addams. I liked the dynamics explored between the trio of Hunter Doohan, Frances O'Connor, and Owen Painter, more than I liked their individual performances, necessarily. O'Connor in particular was enjoyable when working with the other two actors, particularly Doohan.

There were more fun performances from the supporting cast, including the introduction or the ever-entertaining Steve Buscemi, who was both a pleasant surprise and a fun addition to the series. I also enjoyed the slightly underutilised presence of the talented Billie Piper, as well as the returning faces of Fred Armisen, Moosa Mostafa, Gwendoline Christie, and Joy Sunday.

Overall, whilst there were some issues, mainly surrounding the writing, I still thought this was a successful season of television. This show has really captured the sense of fun that is so closely associated with the Addams family, and continues to be one of the more enjoyable and more accessible shows on Netflix. I do think the writing needs to improve a little bit for the third season, but from a general entertainment point of view, I'd say this was a successful season of silly and spooky television.