Unless you have been living under a tombstone, it is almost certain you have heard of the notorious “Addams Family.” Originally a 1930s Charles Addams cartoon in the New Yorker, Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, and Pugsley have since been portrayed in countless movies, books, and television shows. From the mind of Tim Burton, a television show about a teenage Wednesday Addams debuted on Netflix in late November. Jenna Ortega stars as the title character, and high profile actors Catherine Zeta Jones and Luis Guzmán are featured as Morticia and Gomez, respectively.
As a lifelong “Addams Family” fan, I must admit I was a bit weary going into this, since I was so let down by the recent feature length animated films. As creepy as it sounds, The Addams Family resonated a lot with me growing up. Being half Mexican/Hispanic, using English, Spanish, and ASL (something that is consistent within most “Addams Family” stories) in my upbringing, as well as a shared fascination with the macabre, I felt right at home with those creepy and kooky characters. Therefore, I was a bit nervous to see a new iteration of The “Addams Family” for fear that it would disappoint. But Tim Burton, in combination with the show’s talented writers, produced incredible representation of these classic characters.
Jenna Ortega, who has notably been seen in the new Scream movies and shows such as You, Stuck in the Middle, and Jane the Virgin, does a fantastic job of capturing Wednesday’s haunting nature. In episode four, “Woe What a Night,” Ortega choreographed her own dance to “Goo Goo Muck” by the Cramps, which has become popular on TikTok. She recently explained on Twitter that she took inspiration from 1980s goth club dancing styles, as well as a clip of Wednesday dancing from the 1960s sitcom. The best aspect of Oretega’s portrayal, however, is her psychotic half smile, where you can see the devilishness in her eyes clear as day. While she makes the role her own, her performance is also a love letter to all the Wednesdays that came before her.
The show begins with Wednesday being expelled from her “normal” school because she unleashed piranhas on the school bullies (the water polo team). Upon her expulsion, she is sent to Nevermore Academy, a school for “outcasts, freaks, and monsters.” Her assigned roommate is Enid Sinclair, a preppy werewolf, and they eventually begin an unlikely friendship. The plot is driven by an ongoing murder investigation that has the Addams’ at the center of it, as well as Wednesday’s newfound psychic visions. There are monsters, magic, a Twilight-esque love triangle, and of course, the dry and dark humor that is associated with the Addams Family. What’s not to love? Chritina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the movies The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and who is arguably the most well known Wednesday to this day, is featured in the show as “normie” teacher, Ms. Thornhill.
Since The Addams Family television debut in 1964, this is the first time we have seen Latinx actors as Wednesday, Pugsley, and Uncle Fester. Gomez has been coded to be Hispanic since the original TV show, and since then, we have seen Puerto Rican actor Raúl Juliá play him in the live action films, as well as Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac voice him in the animated features, but Wednesday is the first time we have seen that heritage reflected in the kids. This is really big, not only for the representation of Latinx actors in the media, but also because Burton is notorious for only casting white actors in his films. All of this in mind, simply casting a woman of color as the lead on Wednesday does not fix the racial biases in his work. For example, the only black characters in the show were the bullies, until their miniscule redemption arcs in the last episode. Unfortunately, like many directors, Burton has done questionable things in his art. I was pleased to see that this show went beyond just casting Latinx actors as the characters, and made sure to incorporate Mexican culture into the show. There are several times where Wednesday is seen listening to music in Spanish on her phonograph, most notably “La Llorona” in episode one. At one point, Wednesday brings up her family’s year round celebration of Dia De Los Muertos. It is even addressed that one of Wednesday’s earliest ancestors in colonies was from Mexico.
Overall, the show was a perfect mix of classic “Addams Family,” and modern horror-comedy. Although this may be a big statement to make, it almost had a similar feel to Harry Potter in the way the story ran, the sets, and the dynamics between characters. Wednesday has been incredibly well received by audiences, becoming the most watched English language TV show in a week on Netflix, even surpassing Stranger Things. I personally enjoyed Wednesday a lot, and I look forward to a possible season two.