The new creepy, yet kooky, show “Wednesday” is not only smashing records with audiences on Netflix, but it also snagged two Golden Globes nominations – including best television musical/comedy series.
The new Netflix original young adult series, which premiered on November 23, follows the adventures of spooky teenage goth Wednesday Addams as she navigates her new high school surroundings. Jenna Ortega stars as the stoic, morbid teen in braids who is not only fascinated by the darker parts of life, but finds herself in the middle of a monster mystery plot. Four out of the eight episodes are directed by Tim Burton, who also serves as executive producer.
The series, which is based on a 1938 cartoon in the New Yorker, has now accrued one billion hours viewed after debuting 341.2 million streamed hours from Nov. 21 to 27 (its debut week), and 411.29 million hours viewed from Nov. 28 to Dec. 4. The record makes “Wednesday” the only English-language series to have ever logged more than 400 million hours in a single week, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Hollywood Foreign Press (HPPA) is equally enamored with the series. The show is nominated for two Golden Globe awards: Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy series, and Ortega is up for Best Television Actress — Musical or Comedy.
As the show approaches its one-month anniversary, let’s talk about the new Netflix show that is breaking records – and if it is really worth all of the hype.
The series introduces viewers to the mysterious Wednesday Addams as she seeks vengeance against her younger brother Pugsley’s bullies– a move that gets her expelled and sent to Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts like her and the rest of the Addams family. The school just so happens to also be Wednesday’s parents’ Morticia and Gomez Addams’ alma mater, and where the couple fell in love.
While attending Nevermore Academy, Wednesday attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, find a murdering monster that’s on the loose, and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago.
The addictive Netflix show has officially taken over TikTok with posts that range from Wednesday’s now-iconic Rave’N dance scene, behind-the-scenes clips posted by the cast, and edits of all the characters – so jumping on the “Wednesday” bandwagon wasn’t hard.
Fans of the Addams Family would be excited to know that many of the iconic Addams Family characters made appearances in the show, including Morticia, Gomez, Pugsley, Uncle Fester and, a fan favorite, Thing! Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday Addams back in the 90s, even has a role in this adaptation as Ms. Thornhill, Wednesday’s teacher.
Ortega excellently played the perfect Wednesday. She is morbid, eerie and funny in all the best ways. She revealed in a recent interview that Burton never wanted Wednesday to blink. She obliged, finding time to blink while other actors performed their lines. This small detail added to Ortega’s already great performance.
Meanwhile, the costume department truly did a phenomenal job with the wardrobe for “Wednesday.” The Nevermore student uniforms fit the show perfectly, and Wednesday got the all-black version of the uniform. In fact, Wednesday wore many beautiful outfits, all in black of course, from the iconic “Wednesday” dress, her catsuit for the Poe Cup Race and let’s not forget the absolutely beautiful dress she wore to the Rave’N school dance.
While on the topic of the Rave’N dance, Wednesday’s iconic routine on the dance floor has been trending all over TikTok, a performance that Ortega choreographed specifically for her character. In an interview with Variety, Ortega shared that she came up with the sequence just a few days before the memorable dance scene was shot. She mentioned being inspired by ‘80s archival footage of goths in dance clubs, and die-fans also noticed a move that was a nod to a scene from the 1960s Addams family television show.
People have been editing the now-viral 15-second dance on TikTok to a snippet of “Blood Mary” by Lady Gaga, another fan of the dark comedy series. Sometimes users even copy Wednesday’s look down to her signature fashion sense and makeup, which makes for added entertainment to the already alluring dance videos.
To add to the fun, Lady Gaga even did the dance too!
The show is full of fun characters you’ll learn to love, from Wednesday’s sunny and colorful roommate Enid to the two boys Wednesday finds herself stuck in a love triangle with, Xavier and Tyler.
The show definitely has something for everyone. From crazy plot twists to a fun mystery. It has tons of romance, comedy and a bunch of easter eggs for Addams Family fans.
Now that winter break is right around the corner, you have plenty of time to sit down and watch this spooky and kooky show!