SERIES REVIEW – After a two-year hiatus, Wednesday is back in action, and the first half of its sophomore season not only reintroduces Jenna Ortega’s sharp-tongued heroine but floods Nevermore Academy with a fresh roster of faces. Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) enrolls as a student, while Wednesday returns as the savior of the school—only to find herself in a race against time yet again. This time, the clock is ticking to save Enid (Emma Myers) from a chilling vision of doom, and although the season takes its time getting into gear, it still delivers that signature blend of macabre wit and charm that has made the Addams Family a cultural institution.

A new school year inevitably ushers in new players. Steve Buscemi takes the reins as the cheerful yet calculating new headmaster, Principal Dort; Billie Piper arrives as Nevermore’s music teacher, Isadora Capri; and Thandiwe Newton runs the nearby psychiatric facility, Willow Hill, as Dr. Rachael Fairburn. Meanwhile, Enid catches the attention of Bruno (Noah B. Taylor), a member of her wolf pack, while Wednesday finds herself with an unlikely fan club, led by the ever-intrusive Agnes Demille (Evie Templeton).

Fresh Faces, Familiar Icons

Alongside these newcomers are familiar figures: Luis Guzmán once again brings Gomez to life, while Catherine Zeta-Jones returns as Morticia. Buscemi makes an instant impact as a headmaster whose banner proudly waves for Outcast pride, a stark departure from former principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie), who favored a more conciliatory approach with the Normies. Newton’s Dr. Fairburn, overseeing Willow Hill, is equally formidable—especially when her scenes put her toe-to-toe with Ortega.

The season invests heavily in Willow Hill and the deeper mysteries surrounding the coexistence of Normies and Outcasts. It’s a seamless expansion of the show’s mythology, never feeling like an add-on. While the tone occasionally flirts with whimsy, it has no qualms about plunging into darker, bloodier territory. Even with the expanded roster, the cast never feels overcrowded, but the danger is palpable—anyone could end up on the chopping block. That looming threat raises the stakes considerably, once again driving Wednesday to hunt down her enigmatic stalker, whose ties to Enid’s foreboding vision seem undeniable.

A Mystery That Takes Its Time

Although Season 1’s finale clearly teed up the stalker storyline, Season 2 starts off at a measured pace. Pugsley’s arrival, the dynamics within Enid’s pack, and Wednesday’s new fan club all weave in fresh threads, sometimes sidelining established characters like Bianca (Joy Sunday) and Ajax (Georgie Farmer). Even Enid, who all but shared top billing in the first season, now spends more time with her pack than with Wednesday—muting the delightful interplay between Ortega’s deadpan delivery and Myers’ bubbly energy. Still, once the layers of Willow Hill’s history begin to peel away, the narrative finally kicks into high gear.

This season splits itself between two worlds: the trials of teenage life and schoolyard politics, and a decades-old mystery being unraveled with the help of a quirky supporting cast. Where Season 1 managed to juggle both with ease, here the school-life strand struggles to match the intrigue of the Willow Hill arc, making diversions from it feel like filler. Yet even these detours are peppered with affectionate nods to Addams Family lore—like the Camp Chippewa-inspired locale straight out of Family Values. The series remains adept at slipping in these Easter eggs and homages without tipping into fan-service overkill, and the added depth to the Addams family itself firmly secures the show’s place in the canon.

Mothers, Daughters, and Colliding Agendas

While the stalker mystery anchors the plot, another key thread in Part 1 is the barbed rapport between Wednesday and Morticia. This season, Morticia and Gomez are woven into the story far more substantially; Morticia’s involvement in Nevermore’s fundraising efforts brings her into closer, and often combative, proximity to her daughter. As Wednesday’s emerging powers are explored, so too is Morticia’s family history—introducing Joanna Lumley as Morticia’s estranged mother, and touching on the unsolved disappearance of her sister.

The show makes the most of pairing Zeta-Jones and Ortega, delivering several standout scenes—including an unexpected action sequence that slyly nods to Zeta-Jones’ cinematic past. Meanwhile, Wednesday battles to publish her novel (flatly refusing to change so much as a comma) while grappling with her evolving abilities—constant friction points with Morticia’s fierce instinct to protect her.

A Half-Served Feast

Where Season 1 focused on fleshing out the world of Nevermore, Season 2 shifts the spotlight onto the Addams family itself. This allows Pugsley to grow as a character—forming friendships in more than one corner—and ensures Gomez and Morticia’s presence is felt. The trade-off is that secondary characters at school get less screen time; Billie Piper, for example, barely makes an impression in Part 1, and the fragments she does get hint at a subplot that struggles to compete with the show’s main engines.

The split-season structure does the story no favors, cutting things off just as momentum builds. These four episodes feel more like an appetizer than a main course, though with Season 3 already locked in, there’s every reason to expect a lively payoff. Tim Burton’s direction in the opening episode even sneaks in a stop-motion sequence that could have been lifted straight from his own signature brand of eerie animation. It may still be the heat of summer, but Wednesday’s latest batch of episodes is already serving up spooky-season vibes—our only gripe is that there are just four to devour.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-