'Wednesday' Season 2 Will Introduce a Dozen Spooky, New Characters to Nevermore Academy—Including Another Addams
Since the Netflix hit Wednesday opened the doors of Nevermore Academy, fans of the macabre comedy have been waiting with anticipation for another semester in Jericho. Executive-produced by Tim Burton and inspired by the Addams Family, the series follows 15-year-old Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) as she investigates a complex mystery at her school—involving a mysterious serial-killing monster and a centuries-long history of animosity between the outcasts and the normies.
The eight-episode season broke numerous records upon its debut and has become Netflix's most-watched show ever, so it's no surprise that the Addams family and the rest of the cast will be back for another installment. The show's creative team has already teased some of their plans, including answers for several cliffhangers at the end of season 1. Read on for everything we know about season 2 of Wednesday.
Has 'Wednesday' been renewed for Season 2?
Yes! Several months after Wednesday premiered in November 2022, Netflix announced that it was set to return on January 6, 2023.
At the time, co-showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough shared a statement with Tudum. "It’s been incredible to create a show that has connected with people across the world. Thrilled to continue Wednesday’s tortuous journey into season two," the duo said. "We can’t wait to dive head first into another season and explore the kooky spooky world of Nevermore. Just need to make sure Wednesday hasn’t emptied the pool first."
The show also released a clip where Wednesday herself acknowledged the viral buzz, thanking viewers for the "pure torture" of being "mimicked millions of times across the internet." The video then shows crowds cheering on the series as the famous TikTok sound of Lady Gaga's "Bloody Mary" plays. "Honestly I wish I cared a little more," Wednesday adds.
A photo posted by netflix on
When will 'Wednesday' season 2 come out?
After a long delay, filming on Wednesday season 2 is finally underway! Netflix confirmed that production began by sharing a teaser on May 7, 2024.
This news follows a November 2023 report from Deadline that revealed that the series' production would move from Romania—where season 1 was filmed between September 2021 and March 2022—to Ireland. Deadline also reported that Wednesday was one of Netflix's priority series to get going following last year's Hollywood strikes.
With the news that filming has begun, it seems likely that new episodes could arrive on the streamer as soon as summer or fall 2025.
Who in the 'Wednesday' cast will return for season 2?
Wednesday has a huge cast full of characters we already love. (Raise your hand if you would fight for Enid!) Netflix has confirmed that several fan favorites will return for season 2, including Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair), Joy Sunday (Bianca Barclay), Victor Dorobantu (Thing), Moosa Mostafa (Eugene Ottinger), and Georgie Farmer (Ajax Petropolus). As for Wednesday's family, all of the Addams—Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams), Luis Guzmán (Gomez Addams), and Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley Addams)—have been upgraded to series regulars, with Fred Armisen (Uncle Fester) returning as a guest star.
The streaming giant has also confirmed that Percy Hynes White, who played Xavier Thorpe in season 1, will not return for season 2. Fans had been questioning whether he would make an appearance in the next installment since he was accused of sexual assault and subsequently denied the allegations in January 2023.
As for the two big bad characters of the season, season 1 ended with the chance that Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan) or Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci), or both, could return, since they were captured rather than killed in the season finale. Ricci has not been confirmed to appear in season 2 (though we're still hoping for a cameo), but Tyler will officially be back, as Hunter Doohan appeared on the season 2 cast list that Netflix shared in early May 2024.
There's also the question of Principal Weems' fate, as fans have been shocked that Gwendoline Christie's character didn't make it out of the season finale alive. Unfortunately, it seems that the glamorous educator really is dead, with co-showrunner Miles Millar telling Variety that Weems' death was an impactful way to end the first season.
"I think for us, it really had landed with Wednesday, the emotional impact of that death, he told the outlet. "We wanted this world where people you care about die, so that there is a cost and a sacrifice that this story takes on her. She was incredible."
Though the showrunners are pretty solid on Weems being dead, there is a chance that the show could find a way to bring her back (after all, the finale did include a resurrection). We'd certainly be okay with suspending disbelief if it meant another season with Christie.
Plus, even Ortega has said she can't believe the actor's gone forever. "Girl, I don't even believe that one," Ortega told TV Guide in an interview. "I can't. I love Gwendoline Christie too much. I refuse to accept that as the truth."
Christie also gave her thoughts on her character's fate, telling TV Guide, "I feel like Larissa Weems would never be dominated by something as commonplace as death."
"I was really devastated when I read that," she continued. "However, I was energized when I knew that a lifelong desire of Christina Ricci stabbing me in the neck would be realized."
Which new cast members are joining 'Wednesday' season 2?
Wednesday was always an ensemble show, but season 2 takes this to the next level with a dozen(!) new faces joining the cast. Netflix revealed the full cast in a new teaser clip posted on May 7, where Thing delivers scripts for season 2's first episode to several doors labeled with cast names, before completing his journey at Jenna Ortega's room.
While some doors belong to returning cast members, four reveal new very exciting cast members: Joanna Lumley as Grandmama Addams, Steve Buscemi as Barry Dort, Billie Piper as Capri, and Thandiwe Newton as Dr. Fairburn.
The clip also teases the title of the season 2 premiere: "Here We Woe Again." (Perfect, no notes.)
There will be even more new faces roaming the Nevermore halls, too. Evie Templeton (Pinocchio) and Owen Painter (Tiny Beautiful Things) are joining two new teen roles, while Noah Taylor (Preacher) will also join as a series regular.
There's also a long list of guest stars, which includes Lumley and Newton, as well as Frances O’Connor (The Missing), Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense), Heather Matarazzo (The Princess Diaries), and Joonas Suotamo (Star Wars: Episodes VII-IX). The series will also follow its tradition of casting stars of former Addams Family projects: Christopher Lloyd, who played Uncle Fester in the 1991 Addams Family film, is also set to appear.
What will 'Wednesday' season 2 be about?
The first eight episodes of Wednesday wrapped up the season's mystery, as our heroine discovered that Marilyn Thornhill (a.k.a. Laurel Gates) and Tyler (who was secretly a Hyde) were behind the deaths plaguing Jericho, as well as a sinister plot to reanimate the town's anti-outcast founder Joseph Crackstone. Both were defeated and Crackstone was sent back to Hades, though Principal Weems died before Wednesday and the Nevermore students saved the academy. The season ends with two loose threads: Tyler's still out there, with a hint that he'll soon escape from captivity; and a stalker is still tracking Wednesday.
Gough and Millar already have big plans for the series, with Millar telling Variety that they planned the series with three or four seasons in mind. "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," he told the outlet. "That’s never expected, but that’s the anticipation that hopefully the show is successful. So you always lay out at least three or four seasons’ worth of potential storylines for the characters."
He added that their plans aren't set in stone, hinting that viewer's opinions on characters could influence their plotting. "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, but we certainly have a pretty clear runway of what we want to do in future seasons," he said.
Gough and Millar teased a bit about Wednesday's possible adventures to TVLine, explaining that season 2 could push Wednesday out of her comfort zone.
"The series is really about a girl who sees the world in black and white, and learning there are shades of gray," Millar told the outlet. "I think like any relationship or any friendship, it can get complicated by other factors. It’s never going to be smooth sailing. And it’s really her learning to navigate the ups and downs of friendship."
There's also the huge question of the stalker who followed Wednesday throughout season 1, before finally revealing themselves in the finale's last scene.
"We know who it is, we can't tease who it is," Millar told TV Guide. "We never take for granted that we're going to get a second season but we certainly have big plans and lots more stories to tell in terms of Wednesday and her friends."
What have the cast and crew said about Season 2?
Gough and Miller have also shared some of their ideas for the show's supporting characters. Miller told TVLine that he's interested in bringing back the rest of the Addams family and futher exploring Wednesday and Morticia's relationship.
"We felt like we just touched the surface with those characters and the actors are so amazing in those roles," he said. "Catherine is, I think, an iconic Morticia. The relationship between Wednesday and Morticia is also essential to the show, and the idea that Wednesday is trying to forge her own path outside the family is so important."
Ortega has also shared her thoughts about an upcoming season, including her theories for who could be the stalker. "I would love for it to be someone completely random," she told TV Guide. "There's this really interesting character who's in the background of some of the shots at the exterior of Nevermore. He's like the janitor [who's] raking leaves. I would love for it to be him just because he was such a cool guy, and I wanna talk to him."
The actress also told Entertainment Tonight that she hopes the show takes Wednesday to darker places.
"I kind of want her to be darker," she shared. "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?' I think I want it to continue down an antihero stream rather than a typical hero."
Sunday, who plays Bianca, has also opened up about her character's cliffhanger with the siren's spiritual leader mother, who wants to take her out of Nevermore because her power is fading. When asked whether Bianca could be absent for much of the upcoming season, Sunday said she was confident the siren has a strong presence on the show.
"That has never crossed my mind. Bianca doesn’t seem like someone who stands in the background at all. I think even if she was forced to leave Nevermore, I don’t think she would really leave. I think she has a lot more strength and fortitude in her," she said.
Will there be any 'Wednesday' spinoffs?
Netflix is seemingly super eager (or a bit desperate) to turn their most popular series into multi-show franchises (with shows like Dead Boy Detectives and Squid Game: The Challenge, for example). As the Wednesday creative team works on season 2, the network is also eyeing the show's future.
In December 2023, Variety reported that Netflix and Wednesday producer MGM Television are in talks to create a spinoff based on Uncle Fester, who's played by Saturday Night Live and Portlandia alum Fred Armisen. The new show is still in early development, so time will tell whether this will set off the streaming giant's inevitable Addams Family Universe.