The “altogether ooky” series “Wednesday,”starring Jenna Ortega, is now streaming on Netflix, full of woe and wonderful surprises that will keep you wanting more.

Wednesday’s New Look

The mysterious and spooky Addams Family returns to the screen with a whole new look. The new spinoff “Wednesday” is an eight-episode series following the journey of 16-year-old Wednesday Addams.

Played by Ortega, Wednesday attends Nevermore Academy, a school of outcasts such as sirens, werewolves, gorgons and more. It is also the alma mater of her parents, Morticia and Gomez Addams, where they met.

Before and during Wednesday’s arrival at Nevermore Academy, we see the town experience a series of attacks by an unknown monster. Simultaneously, Wednesday experiences personal obstacles in trying to navigate her psychic powers, a love triangle and her relationships between friends and family.

The show differentiates from past remakes of the family, with highlights such as Wednesday’s iconic dance scene in episode four and popular actors starring in the show like Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman and Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the ’90s. In addition, Tim Burton directed four episodes of the series. Burton is known for his gothic aesthetic and quirkiness of characters, which is quite prevalent throughout the show. The series still captures the creepy and kookiness of the family in its own unique way. 

Latinx Representation

For many years, the Addams family has been rumored to be a Latinx family, but it wasn’t until Raul Julia played Gomez in the ’90s adaption “The Addams Family” that this was confirmed. Julia is a Puerto Rican actor, paving way for the family’s roots to become more prevalent in the movies.

In “Wednesday,” we notice the whole family is Latinx and celebrates their Latin heritage. Ortega herself comes from a family of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, and actor Guzman, who plays Gomez, is Puerto Rican himself. Throughout the show, there’s a mention of the Latin-Mexican holiday “Dia De Los Muertos.” Plus, we hear a few Spanish songs playing in some of the scenes. “La Llorona” sung by Chavela Vargas is a classic song that I and many other Latinxs grew up listening to, along with “Tierra Rica” by Carmita Jiménez, a song paying homage to the beauty of Puerto Rico and a possible connection to Ortega, Guzman and Julia’s Latin roots.

With a show as popular as “Wednesday,” it is awesome to see Ortega represent her culture and for the Latinx community to be seen. 

Why You Should Watch ‘Wednesday’

Currently, “Wednesday” is the number-one show on Netflix, breaking the record for most-watched English series in its premiere week with 341.2 million hours watched. It surpassed the “Stranger Things” season four record of 335.01 million hours.

The series is full of dry-wit humor yet at times full of emotionally touching scenes. I find it to be a show everyone can relate to in trying to figure out their personal relationships with friends, family and themselves. For those who are into mystery, it ties in mysterious and suspicious themes perfectly. “Wednesday” perfectly captures the triumphs of what being a teenager is like.

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@elizadelgad0