Netflix’s latest Wednesday official trailer gives us a much better look at the Addams Family spin-off. Well, not sure if it we can call it a spin-off, given that it’s not spinning off of any particular iteration of The Addams Family franchise. A franchise that has seen many versions, from live-action movies and shows to even animated ones. The Wednesday official trailer, however, is about a Netflix series from Tim Burton. The new trailer reveals a very key change in the Wednesday Addams that we’ve seen so far. One that’s for the better.
Wednesday is all about the adventures of Wednesday Addams, from the quirky and morbid family that we’ve all come to know and love. After getting expelled from a more traditional school. Wednesday is sent to Nevermore Academy, which is far more ghoulish and terrifying, completely in line with the Addams Family tone. The series is about Wednesday going around this new school, solving crimes, very much like Nancy Drew, but with a more Addams family vibe to it.
The Wednesday official trailer gives us a more straightforward look at the story. Something is afoot at this new school, and Wednesday plans to uncover it. The trailer features new looks at all the regular Addams Family characters, along with Wednesday (Jenna Ortega). There’s Morticia Addams (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez Addams (Luis Guzman), of course. But this trailer also introduced Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen), looking as awesome as always.
The new Wednesday trailer also gives us the first look into Christina Ricci’s character, Ms. Thornhill, who seems to be a bubbly teacher or person of authority in this new school. Ricci is the actor who played Wednesday Addams in the original live-action film franchise. It seems her guest appearance in the show will not be gratuitous, but rather an actual role.
One thing though that the Wednesday official trailer reveals, that is most interesting, is the change to the lead character. Wednesday Addams in the movies and other versions has always been an interesting supporting character. One that had her own side adventures, but was never fully invested in the main story. She would pop in here and with some outrageous gag or bit, usually tormenting her brother.
It was more shock and awe than contributing anything meaningful to the main story. So I’d always wondered, how they would make a show around her, having her actually commit to the story and move the plot forward. The Wednesday trailer makes it very clear.
It seems that Wednesday herself either narrates or voices over the story in the show. In the trailer, she quickly establishes that she isn’t indifferent to the opinion of others about her. But rather, she likes that people dislike her. This immediately sets into motion the fact that she cares about something. And this caring is what will drive the plot forward as she investigates all the odd things happening at this new school. Even odd by Addams’s family standards. Maybe even, more so.
Wednesday premieres on Netflix on November 23, 2022.
