Tim Burton’s new Netflix series, Wednesday, stars Jenna Ortega as the beloved Addams Family daughter. Fans and critics have praised the modernized version of the character for her impressive dance moves and (historically accurate) wry wit. Released November 23, the already popular series has cemented itself as part of The Addams Family legacy, breaking Netflix streaming records and inspiring viral TikTok trends.
In the new show, Wednesday attends Nevermore Academy, a high school for outcasts. Shown as more inquisitive and introspective as compared to her peers, the girl who loves to reference literature seeks to solve a mystery involving her family and centuries old conflicts between the Normies and the Outcasts. Wednesday is full of nods to the original 1964 TV series as well as the hit ’90s movies, The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values. Read on to learn more about the easter eggs fans are loving to find sprinkled throughout this show.
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13 Wednesday’s Distaste for Pilgrims
Netflix
In Wednesday, students from Nevermore Academy are forced to attend The Pilgrim World theme park. Wednesday’s distaste for pilgrims works as a nod to Addams Family Values, the 90s movie sequel, when Wednesday is forced to perform in a pilgrim play at Camp Chippewa. Rather than play nice, Wednesday decides to burn the pilgrims’ first celebration of Thanksgiving to the ground. Her distaste for pilgrims resurfaces during flashbacks to Goody Addams, Wednesday’s long-lost relative who was persecuted by the pilgrims for her differences.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
12 Archery Resurfaces
In the new Netflix hit, Wednesday picks up an archery bow when she chooses it as her extracurricular activity at Nevermore Academy. This eludes once again to the 1993 Addams Family Values movie when Wednesday and Puglsey are seen shooting bows and arrows as a fun pastime.
11 Pugsley’s Introduction is the Same
Paramount Pictures
In the new Netflix series we meet Wednesday’s brother Pugsley when she finds him tied up with an apple in his mouth stuffed into a locker by school bullies. We also meet her brother tied up with an apple in his mouth in the 1991 The Addams Family, the major difference being that this time Wednesday was the one responsible for tying up her brother.
10 A Nod to “Cousin Itt”
MGM Studios, The Addams Family, 2019.
In Wednesday, a portrait of her cousin, Ignatious Itt, is highlighted in the Night Shades’ meeting room. The non-human character first made an appearance in the 1960s Addams Family TV series with his signature visible form made entirely of floor-length blonde hair and sunglasses.
9 Two Snaps
Marilyn Thornhill (played by Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the 90s movies) introduces a hidden passageway using two snaps of the finger. This is a throw-back to the original theme music with the classic two snap finger-clicking.
8 They’re Spooky and They’re Kooky
Netflix, 2022.
During a scene with friend Tyler at the fair, Tyler tells Wednesday, “You’re not scary… you’re just kind of… kooky.” Wednesday replies, “I prefer kooky.” This is a throw-back to the original theme song which included the lyrics, “they’re creepy and their kooky, mysterious and spooky."
7 A Throwback to the Iconic Wicker Chair
MGM
In the original TV series opening, Morticia Addams is seen sitting in the infamous wicker chair surrounded by her snapping family. We see a callback to the iconic chair pop up again with a picture of it on the wall in Wednesday.
6 A Nod to Aunt Ophelia
In the new series, Wednesday discusses being assigned to Ophelia Hall, a nod to Morticia’s sister Ophelia from the original 60s TV series. Cheery and happy, the stark contrast between the sisters always brought laughs in the original TV series.
5 Girl Scouts Return
Universal Studios
Wednesday loves to hate on girl scouts. In Wednesday she says, “I could eat a girl scout for breakfast.” This pays homage to the 1991’s The Addams Family when a young girl tries to sell Wednesday girl scout cookies, and she says, “Are they made from real Girl Scouts?"
4 A Love for Creepy Crawly Pets
In Wednesday, we see the character presented much younger, taking her pet Scorpion Nero for a walk to the dismay of everyone around her. In the original TV series, Wednesday was known for having a pet tarantula named Homer– an equally creepy crawly pet. A callback to Wednesday’s love of spiders takes place in the new Netflix series during a flashback to past birthday parties including a scene where Wednesday cracks open a piñata full of spiders. While not real, Wednesday’s character in Addams Family Values was also seen loving on an equally creepy creature, a dinosaur-esque Halloween toy.
3 Wednesday’s Black and White Aesthetic
During the Netflix series, Ajax the gorgon spots Wednesday sporting her grayscale uniform during a school tour in the first episode, stating, “Woah, you’re in black and white.” This simple line works as a love letter to the original black and white TV series.
2 “You Rang?”
When Lurch was summoned as a butler he always replied with the simple, “you rang?” In the new Netflix series, Wednesday rings a bell at the coffee shop where Tyler works, and he comically appears stating the classic, “you rang?”
1 Wednesday’s Love of Decapitated Dolls
Wednesday’s love of decapitated dolls was easily seen throughout the original show and movies. In the new Netflix series, Wednesday helps Tyler fix an espresso machine in the first episode, explaining that she understands how they work as she made a steam-powered guillotine when she was ten stating: “I wanted to decapitate my dolls more efficiently.” This is a call-back to the guillotine scene in Addams Family Values when Wednesday and Puglsey attempt to recreate the beheading of Marie Antoinette with their baby sibling. She was also seen carrying around decapitated dolls in both the original ’60s TV series and ’90s movies.
