Netflix has recently released the TV series, Wednesday. It’s a coming-of-age show directed by Tim Burton that follows the iconic daughter from the classic Addams Family franchise.

The story starts with Wednesday getting expelled from school for pouring live piranhas into a pool full of water, her revenge on the water polo boys for bullying her brother, Pugsly. Wednesday’s parents, Gomez and Morticia, enroll her in a private boarding school for outcasts, Nevermore Academy. She soon learns that she has psychic abilities that will allow her to solve the recent murders in town. 

When asked her opinion on the teen sitcom, freshman Wynne Kha says,” It’s great that they did a reboot of the show[…] Having Wednesday as a modern teen can help other teenagers connect with her or the film industry.” Wednesday’s character is very unique and is a wonderful example of not only breaking out of social norms but also one’s boundaries to grow. “It has a lot of great actors as well. I know some of them are controversial right now, but I think it’s a good show.[…] Hopefully, they’ll do a season two. And I love that they took the old Wednesday and put her in the new show as one of the teachers. That was nice, and Tim Burton is a great director as well,” says Kha.

The show stars Christina Ricci, the former Wednesday Addams, as Marilyn Thornhill, Wednesday’s botanical science teacher. During an MTV News interview, Ortega revealed that she never talked to Ricci concerning the main character. According to Ortega, “I think when [Ricci] was on set, neither one of us said Wednesday once to each other. I don’t think she wanted to get in the way of my performance and feel like she was overbearing… I felt like I didn’t want to pull up something that she did 30 years ago. For the sake of my own benefit, but two, I didn’t want to rip her off and I didn’t want to be too much like her.”

 Ortega also mentions how the characters are in completely different settings. Ricci’s Wednesday was set in a bright and happy setting to contrast the family’s dark and brooding appearance but shows how internal morals and uniqueness are more important than superficial happiness.  Ortega’s Wednesday is set in a world with monsters like sirens, vampires, werewolves, and regular humans called “normies”. The new show not only showcases the outcast of the Addams Family but literal racism between humans and monsters. Since the show focuses on Wednesday instead of the entire family like Ricci’s, Ortega’s take on Wednesday is much more in-depth and complex. 

I find that Wednesday is a must-watch show, especially for fans who had watched earlier movies and sitcoms. Many plot twists and comedic scenes keep the watcher entertained. The show also presents a small love triangle between Wednesday, a fellow psychic student named Xavier Thorpe, and the normie son of the police officer, Tyler Galpin. I don’t “ship” or romantically pair these characters with Wednesday at all. I believe that Wednesday can be a strong female character without the aid of a man by her side. There is a soft side of her that comes out because of these two love interests however and it’s a small refresher from her usual goth behavior.