Wednesday season 2 release date, reviews, cast, and more news

Wednesday season 2 has come to a close, with part 1 and part 2 finally streaming on Netflix. The chaotic follow-up to the hit show's explosive first season sees Wednesday return to Nevermore and immediately find herself in a whole new mess of supernatural danger. And it's not without a cameo from Lady Gaga.

The season has been well-received by critics and fans alike, with many praising Jenna Ortega's incredible performance, the inclusion of the rest of the Addams family as main characters, as well as new additions Steve Buscemi and Christopher Lloyd (who played Uncle Fester in the 90s movies).

Below, we've got everything you need to know about Wednesday season 2, part 1 and part 2, including details on the full (massive) cast, the latest trailer, the plot, and more. That means you can get up to speed on one of this year's biggest upcoming shows at a glance. But be warned: there are spoilers ahead for Wednesday season 2, so turn back now if you aren't caught up.

Wednesday season 2 release date

Wednesday season 2 consists of eight episodes and was released on Netflix in two parts: Part 1, consisting of the first four episodes, dropped on August 6, with Part 2 landing on September 3.

Wednesday season 2 reviews

Because the season was split into two parts, there are two separate sets of reviews for Wednesday season 2. Overall, the season has an 84% Critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 75% audience score.

Many critics praised Jenna Ortega's performance as Wednesday, adding that this season's absence of a romantic plotline for Wednesday helped the character shine and seem much more actualized. Our own Wednesday season 2 part 1 review calls the first half, "complex and exciting, but weighed down by too many subplots," with our Wednesday season 2 part 2 review saying that, "Jenna Ortega shines, but Owen Painter's zombie boy is an undead delight."

Wednesday season 2 part 2 trailer

A full-length trailer for Wednesday season 2 part 2 was made available on Netflix's Tudum website.

The brief clip, which contains spoilers for its first part, features Wednesday in a coma after being thrown out of the window by Tyler (in Hyde form) at Willow Hill Asylum. It also features Enid wolfing out, a lavish gala, and the fallout from the LOIS escapees. Something wicked this way comes...

Wednesday season 2 cast

The Addams Family are returning too, with the show's creators promising we'll see more of them in the second season. The full cast list is below, with a mix of new and returning actors:

• Jenna Ortega – Wednesday Addams
• Catherine Zeta-Jones – Morticia Addams
• Luis Guzmán – Gomez Addams
• Isaac Ordonez – Pugsley Addams
• Fred Armisen – Uncle Fester
• Joonas Suotamo – Lurch
• Hunter Doohan – Tyler Gaplin
• Steve Buscemi – Barry Dort
• Billie Piper – Capri
• Joanna Lumley – Grandmama
• Thandiwe Newton – Dr. Fairburn
• Christopher Lloyd – Professor Orloff
• Emma Myers – Enid Sinclair
• Bianca Barclay – Joy Sunday
• Moosa Mostafa – Eugene Ottinger
• Georgie Farmer – Ajax Petropolus
• Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo – Ritchie Santiago
• Jamie McShane – Donovan Galpin
• Evie Templeton - Agnes de Mille
• Owen Painter - Slurp
• Noah Taylor
• Frances O'Connor
• Haley Joel Osment - The Scalper
• Heather Matarazzo - Judi
• Lady Gaga - Rosaline Rotwood
• Christina Ricci - Marilyn Thornhill

Teasing some new arrivals, Tim Burton told Total Film during its Beetlejuice Beetlejuice issue: "For me, Jenna is what the show is. She's the reason there's a show. But the rest of the cast are all great. We have Steve Buscemi on this season, which is great, Thandiwe Newton and Billie Piper."

However, season 1 casualties are Wednesday's therapist, Dr. Valerie Kinbott (Riki Lindhome), who was one of Hyde's victims, and Christina Ricci's Marilyn Thornhill. The latter was seemingly killed in the finale, but returned as a prisoner of Willow Hill. Later, she was (maybe) killed off for good by Tyler, but co-showrunner Miles Millar told Netflix, “I will say, in this show, no one is officially dead dead. There’s always a way.”

One cast member who isn't returning is Percy Hynes White as Wednesday's almost-love interest Xavier Thorpe. Per reports, he has been written out of the second season, which the actor later confirmed on Instagram (H/T Independent).

Ortega has weighed in on the possibility that Burton's favorite Winona Ryder could cameo in the show, too. Speaking to GamesRadar+, she said: "Man, that would be cool, but that girl is so busy. She really has no time, even trying to get to get together to do this, you know, it was [tricky]."

"So I don't know about that, but obviously, I would love to work with Winona again, and if it's not on Wednesday, then it's going to be on something else, I hope. We talk about it all the time, and that would be really sweet for me."

Intriguingly, Netflix released a new look at the season 2 cast, which features a mystery character no one can quite work out the identity of. Our money is on this being Billie Piper's new character, though we don't know for certain. See the picture below.

Then, during Netflix's Tudum 2025 event, the streamer gave us what we have all been waiting for. The streamer confirmed that Lady Gaga is playing a Nevermore teacher named Rosaline Rotwood, who will appear part 2 of season 2. The announcement was followed by a mash up performance by the star, who sang her new song Zombieboy, followed by Bloody Mary and Abracadabra. Our Paws were up all night!

Also at Tudum, Haley Joel Osment's role was made clear. During the event, the first 6 minutes of Wednesday season 2 were shown, which saw the Addams daughter fly across to Kansas City to stop a creepy serial killer, with a strange obsession for dolls, named The Scalper, played by Osment.

Wednesday season 2 plot

As per Netflix, the plotline for Wednesday season 2 is as follows: "Wednesday Addams returns to prowl the Gothic halls of Nevermore Academy, where fresh foes and woes await. This season, Wednesday must navigate family, friends and old adversaries, propelling her into another year of delightfully dark and kooky mayhem. Armed with her signature razor-sharp wit and deadpan charm, Wednesday is also plunged into a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery."

Jenna Ortega previously described season 2 as "bigger, bolder, gorier, and a bit darker," as well as "sillier in the best way possible." Season 2 picked up the school year right after that tense and rather chilling Wednesday season 1 finale. You might recall that the season ends with Wednesday being sent photos of herself from a mysterious stalker.

"[The stalker proves] that threats remain out there… to both Wednesday and the school," co-creator Millar told Netflix’s Tudum. "Not all loose ends have been tied up neatly as she thinks they have."

That stalker is revealed to be Agnes, a teenage fangirl of Wednesday's who gets her attention through several odd acts, including kidnapping Enid and the werewolf's new beau, Bruno.

Wednesday, meanwhile, is on the hunt for the Avian, a bird-controlling serial killer who is bumping off several loose ends, including the former Sheriff Galpin.

Wednesday's keen nose for clues eventually leads her to Willow Hill Asylum. It's there where, thanks to her uncle Fester's infiltration, where the Avian is unmasked as Judi, Dr. Fairburn's assistant.

Unfortunately for her, she is swarmed by the escaping LOIS experiments. After Fester strikes her with lightning and causes a power surge, several prisoners are let loose, including Hyde Tyler. He seemingly kills his 'mother'/master Marilyn and throws Wednesday onto the ground, where she lays flat on the ground, wrapping up the Wednesday season 2, part 1 ending in brutal fashion.

In the last half of the season...we meet Tyler's real mother. Not to mention Slurp ends up being much more than just a dug-up zombie: he's a bigger antagonist than Wednesday could've ever anticipated. She manages to reroute her premonition, by the way, but this time, it's an Addams who is supposed to die. Um, Enid also might be stuck as a werewolf forever? Oh and, Principal Dort turns to stone. We get into the nitty gritty in our in-depth Wednesday season 2, part 2 ending explainer.

Ortega also revealed that Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death was a big inspiration for the new episodes, though we're not entirely sure what that'll entail just yet. "I think the feel that we're going for is a little bit more horror-inspired," Ortega told Vanity Fair, though it's worth noting that she cited the 1964 film adaptation of Poe's 1942 work, starring Vincent Price, as a specific starting point. "Not to say that suddenly we're the goriest show of all time. I mean, there [are] six-year-olds watching."

However, the biggest plot tease of all arrived during Netflix’s Tudum 2025 showcase when the first six minutes of Wednesday season 2 were revealed. The video, which you can watch below, shows Wednesday investigating a serial killer named The Scalper (Haley Joel Osment), and with the help of Thing, she's able to track down his whereabouts.

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Will there be a Wednesday season 3?

Indeed. Wednesday was renewed for a third season just weeks before season 2 arrived on Netflix, with showrunners Millar and Gough saying that they plan to continue the series for the entirety of Wednesday's tenure at Nevermore...so we could be looking at seven seasons total. You can check out the announcement below.

Plus, the Wednesday season 2 part 2 finale sets up three main plot points for season 3, including Wednesday searching for a runway werewolf Enid, the introduction of Aunt Ophelia, and Tyler and Capri's strange new union.

Wednesday is one of Netflix's most streamed shows of all time. For what else to watch, check out our round-up of the best Netflix movies available now.