The new addition of the Tim Burton TV series, “Wednesday”, on Netflix has taken the world by storm. The show’s popularity reached much further than many anticipated, and has reached a broader audience by connecting to multiple age ranges.

Netflix tracks the hours watched of a series, which is visible in the top ten rankings on Netflix. “Wednesday” has currently been in the top ten rankings for 8 weeks and is number one in 91 countries. Season one is currently ranked third only behind season four of “Stranger Things” and “Squid Games” for the ranking of top three most watched Netflix series of all time. 

The genre of the series is Coming-of-age supernatural comedy horror and targeted a young adult and teen demographic with a maturity rating of TV-14. The new take on an iconic series in combination with a powerful platform such as TikTok and the new popular genre taking the world by storm led to the show having a powerful impact when released.

The genre of “Wednesday” is similar to that of shows such as “Stranger Things” and “Riverdale,” which in recent years have brought something new to the table in the entertainment industry. Shows with a supernatural twist in combination with aspects of a coming-of-age plot and references to pop culture allowed audiences of all ages to connect with the series.

The Addams family is a film that has been redone many times, various animations and live-action versions have been created throughout the years, but none quite like the new series “Wednesday”. The program includes various elements relating to multiple generations allowing for it to connect with a larger audience. 

Morgan Farrar, Skylines girls’ basketball assistant Varsity Coach, who loves the series explains why it’s so popular among all ages.

“It interests a lot of different age groups because people know and have heard about the Addams family. Even my parents who are in their sixties are like ‘oh yeah the Addams family, we know about that,’” says Farrar. “But it also intrigues the younger audience who is on social media more and it intrigues people like myself who are in between both and love the high school drama and thriller teenage type of shows.”

The success of the show stemmed from more than simply the series itself. The popularity grew quickly from trends such as a dance to the song “Bloody Mary” by Lady Gaga mimicking a dance that the main character Wednesday Addams does to the song “Goo Goo Mucks” by the Cramps.

Soon enough the suggested feed on many people’s TikTok or other social media platforms were flooded with rave reviews, convincing many people to watch the show to see if the hype had been true

Faith Masseth, a sophomore at Skyline High School who discovered the series from TikTok said,

“The TikTok dance trend was literally why I wanted to watch it, everyone was talking about it so I was like, I want to be a part of this, and seeing the edits on Instagram too I was like I really need to watch this show.”

As with any great series, “Wednesday” had a very talented cast that brought in viewers of their own. Including one with a direct tie to a previous rendition of the Addams family.  

Christina Ricci had played Wednesday in the original Addams family film from 1991 and her addition in the series brought fans from her past shows to the new type of series creating a much larger combined audience. 

In an interview with The Guardian Ricci said that although she still talks about her role as Wednesday Addams often,

“it’s important to note that this new Wednesday is different. Today’s young people deserve to have their own version of Wednesday.”

In combination with Cristina Ricci, Jenna Ortega, an up and coming star, who played Wednesday in the series had a huge impact on the film’s popularity. Jenna Ortega’s fame has been gradually growing since her Disney Channel career on television programs such as “Stuck in the middle” and “Elena of Avalor,” so the shift to a more mature audience and series allowed fans that have grown up along with her to enjoy her work.

Jenna Ortega has now been nominated for a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) award for her outstanding performance in the series. The award nomination and the popularity of the first season make viewers excited for what’s yet to come in season two.

January 6, 2023, season two of “Wednesday” was officially announced through a video released by Netflix featuring clips from season one.