Ramp up The Cramps' Goo Goo Muck to top volume, and bring your best Wednesday Addams dance moves - season 2 is on the way! Let's look at when that release date might be here...
Fans of Wednesday have been waiting with baited breath for a renewal date for Tim Burton's Addams Family spin-off, especially as Netflix are prone to culling series with abandon. It would have been a huge shock if they had put the show on the chopping block, especially as the audience reaction to it has been immense, and it's been one of their top performing shows of all time - in less than a month of its release date, it was the second-most watched English-language Netflix series the streamer had seen in history. Now a collective sigh of relief has made its way around the world, with news that sharp talking, unblinking, hug hating protagonist Wednesday Addams will be back for a second outing. Read on for all the speculation surrounding the potential season 2 release date, and everything else we thought you should know.
We all know who plays the lead character in the show, but we have everything you need to know about Wednesday Addams actress, Jenna Ortega. Some striking locations featured in the series, and Wednesday filmed in one of Europe's most Gothic cities - we breakdown exactly where, and if the sites can be visited. For a recap of series 1 before season 2 arrives, our Wednesday ending explained answers any questions left over from the season finale.
When is Wednesday season 2 coming out?
Current speculation puts the potential release date of Wednesday season 2 at mid 2024. Filming for season 1 took eight months on location in Romania, and a similar production timeline allowing for filming and post-production edits, places a second season at approximately 12-14 months in the making.
Netflix shared news of the renewal to their Twitter account on January 6, with a video, captioned with "Wednesday has been officially renewed for Season 2!" The start of the video depicts images of Wednesday from the series, with a voiceover from Jenna Ortega saying "over the past few weeks I've been hunted, haunted, and mimicked millions of times across the internet. It's been pure torture. Thank you." The video then cuts to a montage of action from the series, and clips of the epic fan reaction to the series around the world.
Wednesday has been officially renewed for Season 2! pic.twitter.com/ekqlxP9ueWJanuary 6, 2023
Speaking to Netflix Tudum, season 1 co-showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough spoke of their excitement for season 2. They said "We can’t wait to dive headfirst into another season and explore the kooky, spooky world of Nevermore. We just need to make sure Wednesday hasn’t emptied the pool first."
They added "It’s been incredible to create a show that’s connected with people across the world. We’re thrilled to continue Wednesday’s torturous journey into Season 2." Weighing in on the creepy texts Wednesday received in the closing moments of the show, Millar said "[The stalker proves] that threats remain out there… to both Wednesday and the school. Not all not loose ends have been tied up neatly as she thinks they have."
Despite the Netflix habit of cancelling popular shows, the dismissing Wednesday would have been a very odd choice, considering it accrued 1.2 billion hours of views in the first 28 days, with over 182 million households thought to have streamed the series since its premiere.
The show is also a social media phenomenon, with #WednesdayAddams showing over 22 million views on TikTok, and millions of searches for the infamous Wednesday Dance on YouTube. The Cramp's Goo Goo Muck and Lady GaGa's Bloody Mary now adorn Spotify playlists after their association with the dance caused a surge in popularity. Originally released in 1962 by Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads, Goo Goo Muck was a 1981 cover for The Cramps.
Thanks to Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the 80’s. Helped me out on this one. https://t.co/zlxlv1JUW4November 25, 2022
How many seasons are in Wednesday?
There has yet to be an announcement about how many season Wednesday will run for. However, it's been reported that producers want at least three or four seasons.
Showrunner Miles Millar spoke to Variety about the future of the show. He said "For us, it’s always looking at the future, and when we sit down to create a show, it’s looking at multiple seasons, ideally. That’s never expected, but that’s the anticipation that hopefully the show is successful."
He clarified "So you always lay out at least three or four seasons worth of potential storylines for the characters. It can evolve and change. Often, you want to see which characters or cast pop and who you like to write for. So you want to keep it open and organic enough to change it and evolve. We certainly have a pretty clear runway of what we want to do in future seasons."
What will Wednesday season 2 be about?
Wednesday showrunners have said they want to explore and complicate the existing character's relationships in season 2.
In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, showrunners Gough and Millar expanded on this, saying "We wanna sort of explore and sort of complicate all of those relationships going forward. The school was closed when they left, which gave us the most possibilities for season two, and I think that’s something that we’re excited to explore."
It appears that Enid's character will remain a solid focus for season 2. Gough and Millar added "the show also is really about this female friendship, with Wednesday and Enid really being at the centre of that. The fact that they really connected with audiences, it has been really gratifying. So, we’re excited to explore now that Wednesday’s dipped her toe into the friendship pool, what’s that gonna look like? It’s like, she hugged. That was her big arc for the season, right? So it’s like now, we do that."
Adding even more information, they said "Then, the other thing that’s really interesting is to continue to explore the Wednesday-Morticia mother-daughter relationship as well. Which now that Morticia knows about the power, it has given her sort of an idea of how that’s going to go. How is their relationship going to evolve?"
Is Wednesday moving to Prime Video for season 2?
There were rumours that Wednesday could move to Prime Video, but these appear to have been debunked.
The Independent began the speculation by pointing out that the series is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) product. They argued that with Amazon and MGM closing a £7.06bn merger last year, Amazon could claim the rights to Wednesday. While fans of the show jumped on this piece of information in a panic, IndieWire calmly stepped in to dispel the rumours and let fans get on with being excited about an impeding season season.
They reported that an insider close to the series told them a Wednesday deal between Netflix and MGM was airtight long before Amazon purchased MGM. The speculation states that the contract between Prime and MGM never gave Amazon exclusive rights to MGM content, meaning Wednesday can stay firmly where it is. Also, with the show being such a smash hit for the streamer, Netflix appear unlikely to hand over what must be a massive money spinner without a fight.
Wednesday season 2: Cast
Although a season 2 cast is yet to be confirmed, speculation is rife that most original cast members are set to return.
Rowan, Mayor Walker, Valerie Kinbott, and Principal Weems all died and are therefore not expected to return - however in the world of Wednesday, anything could happen. After being caught as the Hyde puppeteer, Christina Ricci may not return as Marilyn, and as the Hyde himself, Tyler (Hunter Doohan) probably won't return either. With none of this set in stone, fans will have to wait and see. However, you may find the following cast in season 2:
- Jenna Ortega (Jane The Virgin, You) as Wednesday Addams
- Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, Ocean's 12) as Morticia Addams
- Luis Guzmán (Narcos, Code Black) as Gomez Addams
- Isaac Ordonez (A Wrinkle in Time) as Pugsley Addams
- Victor Dorobantu as Thing
- George Burcea (The Outtake, Comrade Detective) as Lurch
- Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Saturday Night Live) as Uncle Fester
- Emma Myers (The Glades, The Baker and The Beauty) as Enid Sinclair
- Percy Hynes White (Between, The Gifted) as Xavier Thorpe
- Joy Sunday (Dear White People, Bad Hair) as Bianca Barclay, a siren
- Georgie Farmer (Evermoor, Treadstone) as Ajax Petropolus
- Naomi J. Ogawa (Skylines, Assassin) as Yoko Tanaka, a vampire
- Moosa Mostafa (The Last Bus, Nativity Rocks) as Eugene Otinger
- Jamie McShane (Southland, Bloodline) as Sheriff Donovan Galpin
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jenna Ortega spoke about her hopes for her character in season 2. She said "I kind of want her to be darker. I want her to get more in the nitty-gritty of things and not play things so safe, because there are a lot of lines about her saving the school and doing whatever, but for me, her main drive with the monster is of a competitiveness. Kind of, 'Man, how's this guy doing this?'" She concluded by adding, "I think I want it to continue down an antihero stream rather than a typical hero."
Gwendoline Christie also spoke to Digital Spy about the possibility of her character returning. She said "We haven’t seen her put in the ground, have we? I feel like Larissa Weems would not really be prepared to entertain or be dominated by anything as commonplace as death." Let's hope the iconic Principal isn't just stringing us along, and the writers really do find a way to bring her back from the dead.
Wednesday season 2 renewal: Cast and fan reaction
Jenna Ortega appears overwhelmed by the reaction to Wednesday.
When the news broke the show had been renewed, she shared the Netflix renewal video with the caption "Thanks to everyone who made this upcoming season possible. This has all been pretty surreal." She previously shared a picture of the premiere to her Instagram page, saying "Don't even know if there's right words. Thanks to everyone for watching."
Thanks to everyone who made this upcoming season possible. This has all been pretty surreal https://t.co/cIeJLr9qwhJanuary 6, 2023
Catherine Zeta-Jones was also quick to share the video, along with the caption "So there you have it!!!! The best news! I mean the bestest best news. WEDNESDAY!!!!!! P.S. Wednesday nearly smiled…it’s that good."
A fan replied to the news shared by Ortega, saying "I am so glad there's a season 2. I loved the Addams family when I was a kid. I normally don't watch stuff like this but you are just excellent and so is the series I think you're a wonderful actress keep up the great work, all the best to you."
I am so glad there's a season 2. I loved the Adams family when I was a kid. I normally don't watch stuff like this but you are just excellent and so is the series I think you're a wonderful actress keep up the great work all the best to youJanuary 11, 2023
Another fan added "It's such an awesome show. All of you, from acting to costume, directing, and writing, have done an amazing creation. Christina Ricci brought Wednesday in a child/ pre-teen to life. You brought Wednesday to a new level of teen that is mind blowing, they complimented each other."
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