The History of the Addams Family and Our New Obsession with Wednesday Addam

Everyone has heard of the new Netflix series, WEDNESDAY, but do you ever stop to think about where these characters came from and how much has changed from then till today? Here’s a recap and the history behind the series everyone knows and loves: our gothic girl in a little black dress (now a Nevermore uniform): Wednesday Addams. Incase you haven’t heard, Wednesday is the hit series following a sarcastic, dark teenage girl with a “lone wolf” attitude, who is transferred to the mysterious and magical Nevermore Academy, and attempts to uncover its secrets, and makes some new friends, enemies, and in-betweens along the way. With a rating of TV-14, many teenagers, particularly goth and LGBTQ+ teens, took a liking to this series. Many scenes, including the famous Rave’n dance scene from episode 4: “Woe, What a Night,” went viral on the internet, as the hashtag #WednesdayDance, accompanied with videos and edits of this scene, gained over 2 billion views. This phenomenon caused the series to skyrocket, and this introduced and re-introduced the characters of the Addams Family to audiences of all generations. In November of 2022 this series, starring Scream-Queen (teen horror star) Jenna Ortega as Wednesday, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, and Emma Myers as Enid, Wednesday’s roommate, among others, was released on Netflix and immediately rose to the top, hitting #1 on the charts within two weeks. Directed by Tim Burton, famous for hilarious, funny, dark films such as Beetlejuice and Alice in Wonderland. This is the newest appearance of Wednesday, and Ortega has confirmed her performance was inspired by all previous versions of Wednesday, so let’s go through them!

History of The Addams Family

There are at least 50 adaptations in film, television, theater, and video games of The Addams Family, and their theme song was even nominated for a Grammy. The influence this fictional family has on pop culture and the goth scene is indescribable. Here are just a few of the adaptations and appearances of this wacky family to fill you in on what came before Wednesday. The first appearance of the Addams Family began as a series of comic strips by Charles Addams, published in the New Yorker in 1938. Adams was known for his creepy, unconventional stories and characters. The opposite of a simple post-war middle-class family, This rich, macabre family stood out. From other comics of the time like Little Orphan Annie and Mickey Mouse, and from other families in the neighborhood. Including characters such as Gomez, the romantic and dedicated Latino father, Morticia, the dark and seductive mother, Wednesday, their brooding and peculiar daughter, and Pugsley, the most normal of the bunch, depicted as a sweet and normal son, older brother to Wednesday. (Among others). The family is seemingly unaware of the fact that others find them bizarre or frightening. Wednesday, who was featured in these comics with no name, has her iconic look that would inspire future adaptations for decades. These comics became more and more relevant in pop culture during the mid-1960s, and in 1964 was adapted into their first black and white television series entitled “The Addams Family,” starring Carolyn Jones as Morticia, Ken Weatherwax as Pugsley, Lisa Loring as Wednesday, etc. Wednesday is described as a hip and sweet-natured little girl, although she plays with strange animals and toys, such as a headless ‘Marie Antoinette’ doll and a black widow spider named Homer. Next, the Addams family made appearances on other television with its own cartoons and appeared in The New Scooby-Doo Movies, with all of the main cast voicing their original roles in the studio. Sticking with this cast, the actors reprise their roles once again in a reunion film: Halloween with the New Addams Family. New roles and characters were added for this production such as relatives to the family, and Wednesday Jr. and Pugsley Jr. Then, in 1973 an animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions, with Cindy Henderson as Wednesday, Jodie Foster as Pugsley, and Janet Waldo as Morticia and Grandmama. Next, in 1991, the most famous adaptation is the technicolor film franchise also entitled “The Addams Family” (with a 1993 sequel: “The Addams Family Values”). What set this apart from the tv shows was the focus on the family’s background and a simple plot to follow, with story and worldbuilding driving the film. With Christina Ricci as the deadpan, humorous pre-teen Wednesday, Academy Award-nominee Anjelica Huston as Morticia, Jimmy Workman as Pugsley, and Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd as Gomez and Fester, respectively. Then, an animated series in 1992, continuing the 1973 show, aired for a couple of years with John Astin as Gomez, Nancy Linari as Morticia, and Debi Derryberry as Wednesday. Finally, a sitcom television series in 1998 was released with Ellie Harvey as Morticia, Glenn Taranto as Gomez, and Nicole Fugere as Wednesday. Now we get to Wednesday, which takes some reference to these previous productions and even has some previous cast members starring in “cameos” in the show. 

Easter eggs

Take, for example, Christina Ricci. Wednesday in “The Addams Family Values” in 1993, this award-nominated Tim Burton superstar decided to make a cameo in the new Wednesday TV series as the kind and zany botany teacher, Mrs. Thornhill. I won’t spoil anything, but she is not a minor role in the plot of this accolade-worthy series.

The show even featured some of the original music from the Addams Family to accompany its all-original soundtrack. 

Opinions from WMS Students+Staff

Wednesday was a great watch; it was quite different from what I usually watch. Plus, it was a great bonding experience for me and my mom. You should definitely check it out before season 2 arrives! - Althea A, 8th-grade student.

“If you wanted a series with some violence, maturity, and romance, this is a perfect show for you.” - Eliana P, 8th-grade student.

This new show is quite a sensation, and I advise you to watch and see what happens with this interesting new part of pop culture.