Honestly, if you thought the first season of Wednesday was crowded, you haven't seen anything yet. We’ve been waiting what feels like a literal decade—okay, it’s only been since 2022, but still—for the gates of Nevermore to swing back open. Now that we’re firmly into 2026, the dust has finally settled on the massive production shifts and casting shakeups that transformed the show into something much bigger and, frankly, a lot darker.
Jenna Ortega is back, obviously. She’s not just the lead anymore; she’s basically running the show as an executive producer now. But the real buzz is about the fresh blood. The "New Addams Family Cast" isn't just a few background extras. We’re talking about indie legends, pop stars, and a very specific type of nostalgic stunt casting that feels like a fever dream for anyone who grew up with the 90s movies.
The Principal and the Pop Star
The biggest shocker for a lot of people was seeing Steve Buscemi join the regular roster. He’s playing Principal Barry Dort. If you were expecting a 1-to-1 replacement for Gwendoline Christie’s Principal Weems, think again. Dort is a completely different animal. While Weems was all about optics and keeping the "outcasts" appearing respectable to the "normies," Dort is an "outcast pride" extremist. He’s got this weird, ambitious energy—Miles Millar actually described him as the polar opposite of Weems—and he’s obsessed with purging normie influence from the school. Seeing Buscemi in a purple Nevermore cap is just... it's a lot.
And then there's Lady Gaga.
It’s not just a rumor anymore. She actually shows up as Professor Rosaline Rotwood. Now, before you get too excited, she isn't in every episode. It's more of a high-impact guest spot. She plays a "Raven" from the 1960s with some seriously heavy psychic baggage. It’s a total "look-at-me" role that fits the Tim Burton aesthetic so perfectly you wonder why it didn't happen sooner.
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Familiar Faces in Weird New Places
One of the coolest things about the new Addams family cast is how they brought back the OG Fester. Christopher Lloyd is officially in the mix. But he isn't playing Fester—Fred Armisen is still holding down that fort. Lloyd is Professor Orloff.
In a classic Burton move, Orloff is literally a disembodied head in a jar. He’s been stuck at Nevermore for decades, and he’s basically there to keep an eye on the students and, presumably, make Wednesday’s life a living hell. Jenna Ortega mentioned in interviews that she was legit starstruck working with him, which makes sense considering he’s the reason many of us loved the 90s films.
More Addams, More Problems
The family dynamic is changing because we're seeing way more of them. They aren't just cameos anymore. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán have been upped to series regulars. That means more of Morticia and Gomez’s PDA, which is great, but it also means we're digging into the Frump family tree.
Enter Dame Joanna Lumley as Grandmama Hester Frump. She’s Morticia’s mom, and let’s just say their relationship is "strained" at best. She runs Frump Mortuaries and brings this very calculated, business-minded ruthlessness to the family. Interestingly, she and Wednesday actually get along, probably because they both share a total lack of empathy for social niceties.
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We also get to see Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) actually attending Nevermore. He’s not just the kid getting tortured in the backyard anymore; he’s got "electrifying" powers of his own that he’s trying to figure out.
Who Else is Hitting the Halls?
The student body at Nevermore grew quite a bit too. Here is a quick breakdown of the new regulars you'll see walking the halls:
- Billie Piper as Isadora Capri: She’s the new head of music. She was a child prodigy, and she’s very "intense" and "enigmatic." She seems to take a special interest in Wednesday’s cello playing and Enid’s raw wolf energy.
- Evie Templeton as Agnes DeMille: A new student who is basically a Wednesday superfan. She’s an outcast with the power of invisibility, which makes her the perfect (and creepiest) stalker.
- Noah Taylor as Bruno: A new werewolf in Enid’s pack. He’s charismatic and sporty, serving as a potential new love interest for Enid now that Xavier (Percy Hynes White) is officially out of the picture.
- Thandiwe Newton as Dr. Rachael Fairburn: She’s the face of Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital. She’s a normie treating outcasts, and there is a lot of "secret research" vibes coming from her character.
The Big Shift: No More Romance
One thing that’s basically been confirmed by the creators and Ortega herself is that we’re "ditching" the romantic subplots. Season 1 had that whole love triangle thing with Tyler and Xavier, but season 2 is leaning hard into horror.
Tyler (Hunter Doohan) is back, but he’s in full "monster" mode, likely being held at Willow Hill under Dr. Fairburn’s watch. The focus is much more on the mystery and the actual Addams family legacy than who Wednesday is going to the dance with. It feels like the right move. Trying to make Wednesday Addams a relatable teen with "crushes" always felt a little off-brand.
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What You Should Watch For Next
If you’re planning on bingeing the new season, keep an eye on the locations. They moved production from Romania to County Wicklow in Ireland. It looks different—more lush, more "historic estate," and less "spooky woods." It gives the school a much larger, more established feel.
Keep an eye out for:
- Slurp: A new zombie character played by Owen Painter who is tied to a "reanimated corpse" mystery at the school.
- The Kansas City Scalper: This is the serial killer Wednesday spent her summer tracking, and it’s likely the catalyst for the season’s main mystery.
- Grandmama's Business: Watch how Hester Frump’s mortuary business intersects with the strange deaths happening in Jericho.
The release has been split into two parts, so don't expect all the answers at once. Part 1 dropped in August, and Part 2 followed shortly after. It's a lot to take in, but seeing the Addams world expand like this—especially with legends like Buscemi and Lloyd—makes the three-year wait feel worth it.