Netflix has officially announced the return of Wednesday, its record-breaking gothic horror series starring Jenna Ortega, with the second season set to premiere in two parts beginning August 6 and concluding September 3. The release date marks nearly three years since the show's debut in November 2022, and follows months of production delays due to industry-wide strikes and cast availability.
The streaming platform unveiled a teaser trailer on Wednesday confirming the premiere dates and revealing a host of new cast additions. Steve Buscemi joins as Nevermore Academy's new principal, Barry Dort, alongside Billie Piper, Evie Templeton, Owen Painter, and Noah Taylor. Several high-profile guest stars have also been announced, including Christopher Lloyd, Thandiwe Newton, Frances O'Connor, Haley Joel Osment, and Joanna Lumley. Lloyd, who played Uncle Fester in the 1991 Addams Family film, appears in an undisclosed role.
In the new trailer, Ortega's Wednesday Addams returns to Nevermore Academy for a second year, telling her mother Morticia, "It's like returning to the scene of a crime - I already know where the bodies are buried." The season will also explore deeper mysteries within the Addams Family mythology, while introducing new supernatural threats and expanding the narrative beyond the school's eerie halls.
"Wednesday's journey is darker and more complex as she navigates family, friends, new mysteries, and old adversaries," said series creators and executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Ortega also serves as a producer this season, joining returning cast members Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Luis Guzmán, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Filmed in Ireland rather than Romania, where Season 1 was shot, the eight-episode installment features increased production values and a more expansive visual style.
Season 1 of Wednesday became Netflix's most-watched English-language show at the time of its release, amassing 252.10 million views and securing 12 Primetime Emmy nominations. It remained in the global Top 10 for 20 weeks across 93 countries. Ortega's performance catapulted her to stardom and led to roles in Scream VI, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Miller's Girl-a busy schedule that, along with the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, contributed to the lengthy delay.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, returning as Morticia, hinted at a more intense season in a recent promo: "This season is going to be bigger and more twisted than you can ever imagine."
The second season premiere, titled Here We Woe Again, was written by Gough and Millar and directed by Tim Burton, who remains an executive producer on the series.
