Snap, Snap: Get a Glimpse Inside Nevermore Academy with These New “Wednesday” Photos

In May 2021, Netflix officially announced that YOU star Jenna Ortega will play the titular character of their new Tim Burton-directed series, Wednesday. The live-action series will follow Wednesday Addams, the only daughter of Gomez and Morticia in the iconic The Addams Family franchise, during her time at the Nevermore Academy. As she discovers her psychic abilities, she also prevents a killing spree that has terrorized the town. She's also on a mission to unpack a supernatural mystery involving her parents 25 years ago.

Here's everything we know about Netflix's new series, Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega. From its cast and plot to its release date, we've got you covered with all the details.

When does Wednesday come out on Netflix?

It's official — Wednesday is dropping on Netflix just in time for Thanksgiving on November 23, 2022.

According to Variety, the first season of the series will consist of eight episodes. Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice) directs and produces the series, while Al Gough and Miles Millar serve as showrunners and executive producers. The Addams Family has taken over the media landscape for many years as a TV series in the 1960s, a live-action film series in the 90s, and recent animated film adaptations. They're all based on the characters created by Charles Addams in the 1900s.

Who has been cast in Netflix's Wednesday?

On May 19, 2021, Netflix officially announced that 19-year-old actress Jenna Ortega will take on the iconic role of Wednesday Addams in their Tim Burton-led series. Of course, the streamer shared the news on a Wednesday because... why wouldn't they?

This won't be Jenna's first time working with Netflix, as she played Ellie on the second season of YOU, and lends her voice to the animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. As for Wednesday's iconic parents, Gomez and Morticia, Netflix revealed the actors who bring them to life in an exclusive report by Vanity Fair on August 16, 2022. Oscar-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones will take on the role of Morticia, while Puerto Rican actor Luis Guzmán is set to play Gomez. Wednesday's "hapless" brother, Pugsley, will be played by newcomer Isaac Ordonez.

Meanwhile, Fred Armisen will play fan-favorite character Uncle Fester.

What is Wednesday about?

The new series will follow Wednesday, the daughter of Gomez and Morticia Addams, as she navigates high school and her psychic abilities. Netflix's official synopsis is as follows:

According to showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, they wanted the beloved characters in Netflix's series to mirror Charles Addams' '60s cartoon rather than the '90s film adaptations. "[Gomez is] also incredibly debonair and romantic, and I think he has all those classic ingredients of the Gomez that we've seen come before, but he brings something also very different," Miles told Vanity Fair. "That's something that was very important to the show—that it didn't feel like a remake or a reboot. It's something that lives within the Venn diagram of what happened before, but it's its own thing. It's not trying to be the movies or the '60s TV show. That was very important to us and very important to Tim."

Alfred also dished that in the new series, Wednesday has an interesting dynamic with her mother, Morticia, as she tries to step out of her shadow. "The relationship that kind of hangs over the season is really Wednesday's relationship with Morticia," Alfred Gough said. "How do you step out of the shadow of a mother as glamorous as Morticia?"

When it comes to Wednesday and Pugsley's relationship, Alfred and Miles reveal that she protects him from bullies as she wants to be the only person who can torment him. "She will defend him to the end against bullies or anything else, but she has license to do what she wants. She's protective of him in a very Wednesday way," Miles told Vanity Fair. "Every family is weird, and this one happens to be extremely weird, but they love each other, and that's ultimately what it's about. They always have each other's backs, and that's unconditional love."

Are there any trailers for the Wednesday TV show?

Yes! On October 8, 2022, Netflix premiered the official trailer, and it's SO good. In the short clip, Wednesday Addams goes on a mission to uncover the truth about her new school, Nevermore Academy. We're also introduced to new characters, while iconic family members like Uncle Fester and Cousin It make an appearance.

On August 17, 2022, Netflix dropped a teaser trailer, and we finally got to see Jenna Ortega in all of her teen angst glory. In the trailer, it's revealed she transferred to eight different schools in five years before she gets skin-crawling revenge on athletes who bullied her brother, Pugsley. While they swim at their school's pool, Wednesday drops two bags of deadly piranhas into the water.

The first teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated series hit the internet on June 6, 2022. In it, we see Jenna snap into character as Wednesday (heh, see what I did there?).

Are there photos from Wednesday?

Also yes! Ahead of the series' November 23 release, Netflix has released a collection of new photos. We catch glimpses of Nevermore Academy in all its haunting glory, Wednesday as she navigates her new school and classmates, and Morticia and Gomez gazing into each other's eyes. One image is a callback to the trailer, in which we see Wednesday toss two bags of piranhas into her former school's swimming pool. See the new photos from the streaming service below.

What has the cast said about the series?

In a new featurette from Netflix, fans received a sneak peek into the making of the Tim Burton-directed series. Jenna sat down to discuss the role of Wednesday, and what went into making the character her own. “It was really important to me that I did something different, even though she’s been done so flawlessly in the past,” Jenna said. “She’s a bit more socially awkward. There’s a confidence there, but it’s more concealed.”

“Wednesday is technically a Latina character, and that’s never been represented,” Jenna continued. “So for me, any time that I have an opportunity to represent my community, I want that to be seen.”

Showrunners and executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar described Jenna as “the one” when detailing their casting process, while Catherina Zeta Jones — who portrays Wednesday’s mom, Morticia Addams — applauded Jenna’s ability to take her own personal characteristics, such as her “dry sense of humor” and incorporate them into Wednesday.

“I watched the movies when I was younger, and Wednesday’s somebody that I always was compared to my entire life,” Jenna shared. “I honestly was so nervous to do this part because I just want to do her justice.”

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