Wednesday Season 2 premiered on Netflix on August 6, 2025, with a darker tone, an expanded cast, and a divided critical reception.
She’s still deadpan. Still allergic to joy. But there’s a shift. Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams isn’t just fighting monsters this time around. She’s fighting to stay at the center of her own story.
And depending on who you ask, she might be losing that battle.
Ortega, Overshadowed
When Wednesday debuted in 2022, Ortega was the undeniable axis of the show. This time, she’s still the face of it, but no longer the gravitational pull.
While critics like Rotten Tomatoes highlight her “consistently entertaining performance,” others, argue that her screen time has been trimmed to make space for Addams family expansion.
She opens the season with a recap of her summer (visions, serial killers, the usual), but once she arrives back at Nevermore, it’s clear the spotlight has widened.
Her storyline, while still carrying the supernatural thread, now shares oxygen with Pugsley, Morticia, Gomez, and a new cast of students and staff.
Reddit users were quick to notice. One wrote, “She’s barely in her own show now,” while another countered, “Honestly? It feels more like an Addams Family series, and I’m into it.”
It’s a bold shift. Perhaps a strategic one. But it also risks fracturing the very thing that made Season 1 resonate: a singular, tightly coiled character trying to outrun her emotions and her legacy.
A Family Affair (and a Crowded One)
New year, new blood. Season 2 brings a flood of fresh faces: Steve Buscemi as the obsequious new principal, Billie Piper as a cryptic music teacher, and Joanna Lumley as Grandmama Frump, Morticia’s mother and Wednesday’s reluctant soft spot.
Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), now gifted with electrokinesis, joins the academy. And the school’s social map still includes Enid, Eugene, and a new goth admirer named Agnes DeMille.
According to Netflix Tudum, the writers set out to expand the family’s footprint intentionally. “This year, we bring the family to Nevermore,” said Tim Burton.
Whether that move adds richness or just noise depends on your appetite for Addams-adjacent subplots. The performances are strong. Buscemi is a scene-stealer. But when everyone’s strange, no one feels special.
Where’s the Dance Scene?
Season 1 had the instantly iconic “Goo Goo Muck” dance. Season 2? Not so much. Critics have flagged a swordfight with Morticia in the woods and a claymation ghost story as standouts, but nothing has broken the internet yet.
Chris Bacon’s soundtrack slips in clever pop-rock covers, and a Bruce Springsteen needle drop sparks a flicker of viral potential.
Still, the absence of a singular cultural moment is noticeable. One fan on Reddit put it bluntly: “More memeable, less memorable.”
Wednesday’s aesthetic – black lace, monotone menace still dominates TikTok. But TikTok hasn’t responded in kind.
Mysteries, Murders, and Misfires
The core mystery this time involves a string of deaths caused by a murder of crows. It’s a macabre wink if there ever was one.
Wednesday’s visions become more vivid and threatening, including one that shows Enid’s potential death.
It’s a personal stake that should feel urgent, but often gets buried beneath side quests and lore dumps.
There are also new psychic elements, bloodline hierarchies, and increasingly literal witch parallels. For some fans, that’s an evolution. For others, it’s tonal whiplash.
The IGN review calls it a “run-of-the-mill supernatural school show” that misunderstands its source material. The Washington Post is gentler but still questions whether this magical world adds or detracts from the original’s camp charm.
Wednesday has always had her own magic. Giving her actual powers may be one twist too many.
Fans vs Critics—Who’s Right?
The show is still a streaming hit. That much hasn’t changed. But critics are sharply divided.
Radio Times and Daily Telegraph call Season 2 “murderously enjoyable” and “mayhem in the best way possible,” praising its confidence and visual flair.
Others like Hollywood Reporter and Los Angeles Times say it lacks the crispness and novelty of its predecessor.
Reddit, as usual, offers a split-screen of sentiment. Some viewers appreciate the broader Addams world: “It’s less YA, more family dysfunction, and I love that.”
Others long for the mystery-forward tone of Season 1: “It’s too much camp, not enough bite.”
This tension, between evolution and dilution defines the season. And it’s why this review, like the show itself, may leave you in two minds.
What’s Next?
Season 2 is split in half. Part 1 dropped on August 6. Part 2 will arrive on September 3, 2025.
Wednesday Season 3 is officially happening, and the creators are already teasing a deeper descent into the Addams Family’s darkest corners.
According to co-showrunner Alfred Gough, the next chapter will continue expanding Nevermore’s world while digging into family secrets and psychic abilities.
Miles Millar adds that we’ll be seeing more Addams Family members and uncovering hidden truths about their legacy.
So yes, expect more visions. More matriarchs. And probably more murders.
And maybe, just maybe, another viral moment.
Final Verdict
For a show named after a girl who avoids connection, Season 2 makes a crowded case for shared storytelling. Ortega still holds the centre, but the camera wanders, often charmingly, occasionally aimlessly.
Despite the tonal whiplash and ensemble sprawl, there’s enough gothic playfulness, sharp casting, and visual flair to keep the show engaging. Just don’t come expecting the same intimate mystery of Season 1.
Rating: 7.5/10.
The Addams Family now feels less like a haunted house and more like a crowded subway car…strange, dark, and full of unexpected guests. Whether that’s thrilling or claustrophobic depends on where you sit.
And as Part 2 approaches, one question lingers like a crow on the windowsill: Is Wednesday still the main event, or just another passenger?
