As spring gives way to summer, a storm called Wednesday is brewing at Netflix.
The streamer announced this week that the long-anticipated Wednesday season 2 is slated to drop in August. That, of course, is good news for the many fans of the Addams Family riff, which stars Jenna Ortega as the raven-haired daughter of Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones).
Season 1 found the goth icon pursuing a killer at the imposing Nevermore Academy, only to uncover a nefarious plot involving dorm mother Marilyn Thornhill (played by OG Wednesday Christina Ricci).
Expect more malevolence in season 2 — Ortega, who signed up as a producer following season 1’s breakout success, has promised a follow-up that’s heavier on horror than its predecessor. That must be music to the ears of executive producer and beloved director Tim Burton, who will return to the director’s chair for season 2.
What else can you expect? And when can you expect it? Read on for everything we know about Wednesday season 2, including its release date, new and returning cast members, and plot details.
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Bernard Walsh/Netflix
The official logline for Wednesday season 2 promises a “supernatural mystery” where “fresh foes and woes” await our titular hero in the halls of Nevermore Academy. “This season, Wednesday must navigate family, friends and old adversaries, propelling her into another year of delightfully dark and kooky mayhem,” it continues.
That’s pretty vague, but the season 2 teaser trailer highlights several of the aforementioned foes and woes, from a host of haunted dolls and a swarm of bees to a flaming, winged creature and the gnarly sight of Tyler (Hunter Doohan) in his Hyde form.
Another potential source of conflict? Wednesday’s ancestry. “Every family has dark secrets, Wednesday,” intones Zeta-Jones’ Morticia. “And secrets can have deadly consequences.” The emphasis on family dovetails with a previous statement from showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar that revealed the entire Addams family will be enrolling in Nevermore Academy this season.
Zeta-Jones called the season “bigger and more twisted than you can ever imagine,” and Ortega has said that, as a producer, she sought to steer the show more towards horror than romance.
Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Courtesy of Netflix
“We’ve decided we want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more because it is so lighthearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don’t want to take yourself too seriouslyly,” she said during a Variety Actors on Actors chat with Elle Fanning. “We’re ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great.”
Speaking to the season’s horror bona fides with Collider, Ortega said the creative team found inspiration in vintage slasher movies like Carrie and Prom Night. “There’s a whole episode based off of slashers, and we make a lot of horror references,” she told the outlet. “So, everything about it, I feel like we kind of had a little bit more trust, and therefore, we felt like we could do bigger, more elaborate sequences, which is nice.”
Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Courtesy of Netflix
There is. In April, Netflix shared an action-packed teaser trailer for season 2 that highlights Wednesday’s return to Nevermore alongside her family.
“This is the first time you’ve ever willingly returned to a school,” says Morticia. “How does it feel?”
“Like returning to the scene of a crime,” Wednesday deadpans.
Emma Myers as Enid and Jenna Ortega as Wednesday in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Jonathan Hession/Netflix
Wednesday’s eight-episode second season will arrive in two installments. The first four episodes strut onto the streamer on August 6, and the last four land on September 3.
The Addams Family in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Helen Sloan/Netflix
In addition to Ortega, Guzmán, and Zeta-Jones, the Addams clan will be rounded out by Isaac Ordonez as younger brother Pugsley and Fred Armisen as deranged Uncle Fester.
Prominent in the first trailer is bubbly Enid (Emma Myers), who, as Ortega recently told Variety, is “a bit more of a badass this time around.” Myers, meanwhile, declared that Enid “has changed over the summer. She’s grown, and she’s become more comfortable with herself.”
Also returning is Bianca (Joy Sunday), Wednesday’s occasional nemesis and fencing partner. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly last year, Sunday said she’s excited to see her and Wednesday’s newfound friendship “bloom,” but hopes they continue to have “a little bit of competition.”
She added, “I’d love to see Bianca really expand and allow herself to be more vulnerable with the people around her. I’m excited to fully realize Bianca as an individual and to continue to roll with her mistakes, to recognize her flaws, and still see her as a multi-dimensional, headstrong character.”
Joy Sunday as Bianca Barclay in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Courtesy of Netflix
One return that’s still up in the air is Principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie). She supposedly died at the end of season 1, but Ortega has been vocal about how “it would be a shame” for the show to go on without her.
During her Actor’s on Actors chat with Fanning, Ortega said, “Wednesday’s relationship with Weems is one of my favorites because they’re very, very different women and they’re constantly against each other but, simultaneously, they both want to watch each other’s successes and support them, which is such a fascinating dynamic.”
She added, “Gwendoline, being as talented as she is, is just really, really a pleasure to work with, so I’m doing everything in my power to throw the most insane plots that would possibly bring this woman back from the dead. I’m trying!”
Percy Hynes White as Xavier in ‘Wednesday’ season 1. Vlad Cioplea/Netflix
A few familiar faces will be absent from Jericho in season 2, including student Yoko Tanaka (Naomi J. Ogawa). Ogawa addressed her departure on Instagram last year, citing “uncertain scheduling and not much progression in Yoko’s journey.”
Also missing will be Percy Hynes White’s psychic Xavier, a potential love interest for Wednesday. Hynes White’s departure from the series followed allegations of sexual assault and sexual activity with a minor, among other offenses.
Hynes White denied the claims in June 2023, characterizing them as a “campaign of misinformation.” In a statement posted to his Instagram Story, he wrote, “The rumors are false. I can’t accept the portrayal of me as someone bigoted, or criminally negligent of people’s safety. These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust toward victims.”
A behind-the-scenes shot of the ‘Wednesday’ season 2 cast and crew. Helen Sloan/Netflix
Wednesday has lined up a truly impressive slate of new faces, including Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, Thandiwe Newton, Haley Joel Osment, Joanna Lumley, Heather Matarazzo, and Billie Piper. Also joining? Christopher Lloyd, who memorably played Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993).
Buscemi, the versatile character actor who led HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014), will reportedly play Nevermore’s new principal, Barry Dort.
Steve Buscemi as Principal Barry Dort in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Helen Sloan/Netflix
Another notable addition is Lumley, a frequent Burton collaborator who previously appeared in the director’s James and the Giant Peach (1996) and Corpse Bride (2005). She’ll be playing Grandmama, grandmother to Wednesday and Pugsley. Though the character is traditionally played as a cackling crone, she’ll be glammed-up for Wednesday.
Joanna Lumley as Grandmama in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Owen Behan/Netflix
Lady Gaga on TikTok; Jenna Ortega in ‘Wednesday’ season 1. Lady Gaga/TikTok; Netflix
She is. EW broke the news of Lady Gaga‘s involvement in Wednesday season 2 last November, and spoke with the pop icon about her casting earlier this year, though she remained tight-lipped about her role.
“I don’t want to give away anything about being part of the show,” Gaga told EW. “I want to keep it extra secret — but, I love Jenna, and I really had an amazing time!”
Gaga’s casting follows her song “Bloody Mary” going viral on TikTok after Wednesday fans set season 1’s dance scene to the deep cut. Amazingly, the clip caused the 2011 track to climb the charts at the end of 2022.
In the aftermath, Ortega told Variety that she’d love Gaga to join the show as a mentor to Wednesday. “[If] Lady Gaga were to be a part of it, they’d have to be two monsters who understand each other,” she said
Thing in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Helen Sloan/Netflix
Yes, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice director will helm four of Wednesday‘s eight season 2 episodes, including the premiere and the finale.
Paco Cabezas and Angela Robinson, meanwhile, will each direct two episodes. Cabezas has directed several feature films, as well as episodes of American Gods (2019), The Umbrella Academy (2022), and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2025). Filmmaker Robinson helmed 2005’s Herbie: Fully Loaded, as well as eight episodes of The L Word (2004–2009).
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday getting scanned at an airport in ‘Wednesday’ season 2. Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix has yet to confirm a Wednesday season 3, but Ortega told Collider that the show’s creative team is working to “get ahead of the game,” adding, “So, I think that they’re kind of messing around and throwing out ideas.”
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
