Honestly, nobody expected Wednesday Season 1 to be that big. When Netflix announced a reboot of the Addams Family focusing on a teenager at a boarding school, the collective internet kinda shrugged. We’d seen the 1960s sitcom and the iconic 90s movies. What else was there to say? Then the show dropped in late 2022 and absolutely shattered records, clocking over a billion hours viewed in its first few weeks. It wasn't just the dance—though let's be real, that TikTok trend was everywhere—it was a weirdly perfect storm of Tim Burton’s aesthetic and Jenna Ortega’s terrifyingly still performance.
It worked. People loved it. But looking back, there’s a lot more to the success of the first season than just "goth girl goes to school." It tackled a murder mystery that actually felt grounded in the lore of Nevermore Academy while balancing the growing pains of a girl who literally hates emotions.
The Nevermore Reality of Wednesday Season 1
Let's get into the weeds of the plot because it’s easy to forget the actual mechanics of the mystery. Wednesday Addams is sent to Nevermore Academy after a rather "fishy" incident involving piranhas and her brother’s bullies. Her parents, Morticia and Gomez, met there, so it’s basically a legacy move. But Wednesday isn't there to make friends. She’s there to escape her mother's shadow.
The core of the season revolves around a series of grisly murders in the woods surrounding the school. The local sheriff, Galpin, is convinced it's a "normie" problem or a Nevermore freak. Wednesday, being Wednesday, decides she’s the only one smart enough to solve it. We see her navigate a world of "outcasts"—vampires (Fangs), werewolves (Furs), sirens (Stonners), and gorgons.
Here is the thing about the Hyde. The monster wasn't just a random CGI beast. It was a person being manipulated. The reveal that Tyler Galpin, the "nice guy" barista, was the monster under the control of Ms. Thornhill (played by the original Wednesday, Christina Ricci) was a genuine gut-punch for a lot of viewers. It subverted the typical YA romance tropes. Usually, the brooding girl softens and finds love. In Wednesday Season 1, the girl stayed cold, and the love interest tried to kill her. That’s a refreshing take on a tired formula.
Why Jenna Ortega Changed Everything
You can't talk about this show without talking about Jenna Ortega's eyes. She reportedly didn't blink during takes. Like, at all. That level of commitment sounds exhausting, but it created this uncanny valley effect that made the character feel genuinely different from the versions played by Lisa Loring or Christina Ricci.
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Ortega's Wednesday is more than just a sarcastic kid. She’s a detective. She’s a cellist. She’s an author. She’s also a terrible friend for most of the season. Think about how she treats Enid Sinclair, her werewolf roommate. Enid is all sunshine and K-pop, and Wednesday treats her like a nuisance. But by the end of the season, when Enid finally "wolfs out" to save Wednesday from the Hyde, we see the first flicker of genuine connection. It’s slow-burn character development that doesn't sacrifice the character's core "dead inside" identity.
Tim Burton’s Return to Form
For a while there, it felt like Tim Burton had lost his touch. His later movies felt a bit too "green screen" and lost that tactile, creepy-crawly feeling of Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands. Bringing him in for Wednesday Season 1 was a masterstroke by showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.
Burton directed the first four episodes, setting the visual tone. The contrast between the monochromatic Wednesday and the Technicolor world of Nevermore—specifically Enid’s side of the room—is classic Burton. He used Thing (the disembodied hand) as a silent sidekick, played by magician Victor Dorobantu. This wasn't a CGI hand. It was a real person in a blue suit, which gave the interactions a weight and physical reality that CGI just can't match.
The show also leaned heavily into the "dark academia" aesthetic. It’s a subgenre that thrives on old libraries, secret societies (The Nightshades), and school uniforms with a twist. By making Wednesday’s uniform custom gray and black instead of the school’s purple, the production design visually reinforced her isolation from the jump.
The Problem With the Normies
If there is one weak spot in the first season, it’s the town of Jericho. The tension between the townspeople and the "outcasts" felt a little bit like X-Men Lite. We’ve seen the "persecuted supernatural beings" trope a hundred times. However, the connection to Joseph Crackstone, the town's founder and a religious zealot who burned outcasts, added a historical layer that made the stakes feel higher.
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The finale brought Crackstone back as a resurrected warlock. Some fans felt this was a bit "over the top" compared to the small-scale murder mystery of the earlier episodes. It’s a fair critique. The show is at its best when it’s small, cynical, and focused on Wednesday’s sharp tongue rather than big CGI fireballs.
Dissecting the Viral Success
The "Wednesday Dance" to The Cramps' "Goo Goo Muck" was everywhere. It’s interesting because Ortega actually choreographed it herself while she had COVID (don't do that at home, folks). She pulled inspiration from 80s goth club footage and Siouxsie Sioux. It wasn't meant to be a TikTok challenge; it was meant to be a weird kid expressing herself in a way that made everyone else uncomfortable.
The fact that it became a global trend is sort of ironic. The character would have hated it.
Beyond the dance, the show tapped into a "Gen Z" cynicism that resonated. Wednesday’s refusal to use social media and her disdain for "performative" school spirit felt authentic to a generation that is increasingly tired of the polished nature of Instagram. She’s the ultimate counter-culture icon for a digital age.
What Most People Missed
There are a few details in Wednesday Season 1 that people overlook:
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- The Raven and the Dove: Morticia describes Wednesday as a "Raven," a visionary who sees the darker side of things. This contrasts with her own "Dove" visions. It sets up a future where Wednesday’s psychic powers will likely become more chaotic and dangerous.
- The Soundtrack: Danny Elfman’s score is great, but the cello covers of "Paint It Black" and "Nothing Else Matters" were what really grounded the character's personality in her hobbies.
- The Poe Connection: Nevermore is a direct reference to Edgar Allan Poe, who is an alumnus in the show’s universe. The school's annual "Poe Cup" boat race is filled with references to his stories, like "The Gold Bug" and "The Cask of Amontillado."
Looking Toward the Future
Since the first season ended on that cliffhanger—the mysterious stalker texting Wednesday’s new phone—fans have been spiraling with theories. Is it a student? Is it someone from the town?
We know Season 2 is coming, and the creators have hinted at leaning more into the horror aspects and less into the teen romance. That’s probably a smart move. The love triangle between Tyler and Xavier was arguably the least interesting part of the first eight episodes.
The first season was about Wednesday finding her place in a world she didn't want to be a part of. She started the season as an exile and ended it as a hero—much to her own chagrin.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
- Re-watch with an eye for "Thing": Knowing he’s a real hand played by an actor makes his "acting" significantly more impressive. Look at how he communicates through movement alone.
- Check out the Poe references: If you enjoyed the vibe of Nevermore, reading The Tell-Tale Heart or The Fall of the House of Usher gives much more context to the school’s atmosphere.
- Listen to the Score: The full soundtrack by Danny Elfman and Chris Bacon is available on streaming services and is a masterclass in modern gothic composition.
- Observe the Wardrobe: Notice how Wednesday’s clothes subtly change as she spends more time at Nevermore. Her silhouette stays sharp, but the textures become more complex as her world expands.
The legacy of the first season isn't just a high view count. It proved that legacy characters can be reinvented for a new generation without losing the "soul" of what made them great in the first place. It’s dark, it’s funny, and it’s unapologetically weird. Just like Wednesday herself.
Next Steps: If you're looking to scratch that gothic itch while waiting for new episodes, dive into the original Charles Addams cartoons from The New Yorker. They provide the "blueprint" for the dry humor and macabre wit that the show captures so well. You can also explore the 1991 film The Addams Family to see how the "Thornhill" actress, Christina Ricci, originally interpreted the role that Jenna Ortega has now redefined. For those interested in the production side, look up behind-the-scenes footage of the "Thing" actor to see how they managed the practical effects in a digital world.