The story
Expelled for an act of piranha-assisted revenge, Wednesday Addams is sent to Nevermore Academy, the Vermont boarding school for outcasts where her parents Gomez and Morticia once studied. Deadpan, defiant and in no hurry to make friends, she clashes with classmates and the principal alike – until a newly discovered psychic gift pulls her into a murder mystery in the nearby town of Jericho. Jenna Ortega plays the title role.
Why it matters
Wednesday logged the biggest single week of viewing hours ever recorded for an English-language Netflix series, overtaking Stranger Things 4. With Tim Burton directing half of each season's episodes, it showed how a streaming original could give Charles Addams's macabre family a new lease of life – and a viral TikTok dance.
Notable facts
- Its first week drew 341 million viewing hours, a record for an English-language Netflix series. (source)
- Wednesday's dance, recreated by fans to Lady Gaga's "Bloody Mary", went viral on TikTok and sent streams of the song soaring. (source)
- Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the 1991 film, joined the series in a supporting role. (source)
- It premiered at the Hollywood Legion Theater in Los Angeles on 16 November 2022, a week before its Netflix release. (source)