The second season of the acclaimed Netflix series started production in May.
Wednesday is coming back for a spooky second season!
The acclaimed Netflix series, starring Jenna Ortega as the titular Wednesday Addams, was renewed for a second season all the way back in January 2023. Following some strike-related production delays, it seems things are finally getting underway.
Season 1 of Wednesday featured a mix of storylines for the heroine of the Addams Family spinoff. She navigated a new school for outcasts, Nevermore Academy, juggled a love triangle between Tyler (Hunter Doohan) and Xavier (Percy Hynes White) and investigated a murder mystery.
The season earned multiple major nominations, including nods at the 2023 Emmy Awards for Ortega's leading role, director Tim Burton and Outstanding Comedy Series.
Here's everything we know about Wednesday season 2:
PLOT
Ortega is adding a producer title to her credits for season 2 -- allowing her to take part in the creative process and help in shaping the upcoming storylines.
In her Variety "Actors on Actors" conversation with The Great's Elle Fanning, which came out in June 2023, she opened up about having a hand in the show's evolution in season 2.
"With a character like Wednesday, who is so beloved, I didn’t want to get her wrong. So I tried to have as many conversations as possible. On set, with the writers and Tim [Burton]. We'd decide what works and what doesn't. In preparation for a second season, we wanted to make sure that we could start the conversations earlier," she said, crediting the character for forcing her "out of [her] shell." "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."
While not much is known about the plot of season 2, Ortega has said that the upcoming episodes will move away from romance -- "ditching" season 1's love triangle altogether -- and prioritize horror.
"It's still coming together, but we've decided we want to lean into the horror more. 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," Ortega said. "We're ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great. We're going to get bolder, more dark."
CAST
Ortega was the only cast member seen in the official season 2 announcement in January 2023, however, as production began, fans got a closer look at all the returning stars and new cast members.
In a December 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wednesday creators Al Gough and Miles Millar said that they hoped future seasons of the show would explore the bond between Wednesday and her mother, Morticia, as well as her friendship with her polar opposite roommate, Enid Sinclair -- and both Catherine Zeta-Jones and Emma Myers were tapped to return in those respective roles, with Zeta-Jones being upped to a series regular for season 2.
Other returning characters included the rest of Wednesday's family: dad Gomez (Luis Guzmán), brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), and Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen). Guzmán and Ordonez also were bumped to series regulars for the new season. Unfortunately, however, George Burcea announced that he wouldn't be returning as the family's butler, Lurch.
As part of Netflix's Tudum fan event in June 2023, Myers and some of her co-stars shared in a special video that season 2 will also introduce a new member of the Addams family -- though they couldn't say who. (Cousin Itt, perhaps?)
The other Wednesday stars who are set to return for the new season include Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo -- bumped to series regular -- Joy Sunday, Hunter Doohan, Victor Dorobantu, Moosa Mostafa, Georgie Farmer, and Jamie McShane.
In April 2024, it was announced that Steve Buscemi and Thandiwe Newton will be joining the season 2 cast. Buscemi will star as Barry Dort, the new principal of Nevermore Academy -- replacing Gwendoline Christie, whose principal character, Larissa Weems, was killed in the season 1 finale. Details about Newton's casting, first announced by Variety, are being kept under wraps for now, though a video shared to the Wednesday social media account in May 2024 announced that her character was named Dr. Fairburn.
In May 2024, it was also announced that Doctor Who star Billie Piper would be joining the season 2 cast as a series regular, named Capri. Other new series regulars announced at the time were Evie Templeton, Owen Painter and Noah Taylor.
New guest stars for the upcoming season include Joanna Lumley as Grandmama, as well as Christopher Lloyd, Frances O’Connor, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo and Joonas Suotamo.
PRODUCTION AND RELEASE
Wednesday's second season was officially announced in January 2023 though production was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
In May 2024, the show's official social media pages announced that production had begun in Ireland, where the show moved after shooting season 1 in Romania.
The announcement featured a clip of Thing "delivering" scripts to Ortega and some of the new cast members. It also revealed the title of season 2's first episode: "Here We Woe Again."
SPINOFF NEWS
In December 2023, Bloomberg reported that Netflix was in the early stages of developing a Wednesday spinoff centered on Uncle Fester.
According to reports at the time, Amazon MGM Studios, which produces the series and owns rights to the characters, is fully on board to expand the Addams family's live-action universe.
Wednesday season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.
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