Wednesday’s Return Sparks Excitement—and High Expectations

Netflix has given viewers the first look at Billie Piper as their new character in Wednesday season 2. The 42-year-old has been cast as Isadora Capri, the mysterious new head of music at Nevermore Academy. The brief clip released by the streaming service this week was shared at the same time as major announcements about the future of the record-breaking series.

Piper is perhaps best known for her role as Brona Croft/The Bride of Frankenstein in the gothic drama series Penny Dreadful. Her gothic credentials were noted by casting director Jeni Mule, who said of the decision, “Billie is a longtime hero of mine, and we simply had to have her play Isadora”. She plays an obscure figure described as a former child prodigy who develops a “dark fascination” with Wednesday’s musical talent. Isadora is also a mentor to werewolf student Enid Sinclair, played by Emma Myers, who is also part of the returning cast.

A teaser image of Billie Piper was shared on Instagram by the official Wednesday account. The clip was shared by Netflix alongside confirmation of the future of Wednesday, the gothic comedy starring Jenna Ortega. Wednesday first landed on the platform in November 2022 to great acclaim. Globally, the show was viewed by 252 million viewers, making it the biggest-ever English-language show for Netflix. In the wake of the series’s success, it was renewed in January 2023. The second season of Wednesday is now confirmed to arrive in August this year.

Wednesday is a dark spin on the Addams Family story. It follows 22-year-old Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) as she leaves home to study at Nevermore Academy, a school for “supernatural misfits”. Horror, laughs, and teenage angst combined for a winning formula, which was recognized by the Emmy and netted a cult following.

Season Three Confirmed and Spin-Off in the Works

Wednesday had even more good news to share alongside Billie Piper’s casting. The show has been confirmed for a third season, and a spin-off series is currently in early discussions. The reports were announced by The Hollywood Reporter, who note that no further information has been released about the potential series. However, co-creator Alfred Gough did share a tantalizing clue with the outlet. “It’s something we’re noodling; there are other characters we can look at,” he said.

Netflix fans were quick to share their excitement at the news. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who stars as Morticia Addams on the show, shared an official confirmation from the network herself on Instagram. “When Wednesday comes, a better day. Wednesday season three. It’s official… we shall return,” she wrote. The comments section was quickly taken over by fans, who added, “And for many more seasons,” and “I can’t wait to see the second season, I’m waiting for it with great curiosity… and the third is already official, fantastic news!”

Others in the comments referred to the time it took for season two to be confirmed. Fans were calling on Netflix to act quickly and start filming so the release date could be brought forward. The second season had only been announced in January 2023, though it is still more than two years after the original series launched. It will be interesting to see how long fans will be forced to wait for the third season.

Creative control of the series remains with executive producer Tim Burton, 66, who is sometimes called upon as a director. The Oscar-nominated director has recently collaborated with Jenna Ortega on Beetlejuice, the sequel to his 1988 cult classic.

The list of returning and new stars continues to grow. In addition to Billie Piper, Wednesday season 2 will also include Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, and Thandiwe Newton. Jenna Ortega is also joined by several returning series regulars, including Gwendoline Christie as headteacher Larissa Weems and Luis Guzmán as Wednesday’s father, Gomez Addams.

The 22-year-old has also had a significant change of role behind the scenes since the last series. She has since joined the team as a producer on the series, after voicing her frustrations about the process. A recent podcast saw Ortega making headlines for saying she would often “modify lines” and had to “put her foot down” when things didn’t make sense for the character. It was a move that was subsequently backed by director Tim Burton, who defended her publicly in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Burton’s co-creator Alfred Gough added that the actress was the “perfect person” to have on board, given her level of involvement with the show’s development. He said that Ortega is “literally in the room for all of our discussions about the script, offering notes, making comments.”

Joanna Lumley is also one of the more recent cast additions. The 73-year-old has had high praise for the series, saying: “There’s always something thrilling about working for Tim Burton. He just lives in his whole mind in another world, and the world that they’ve created here for Wednesday and Nevermore and the family is just intoxicating.”

With a new main cast member, an upcoming third season, and even a potential spin-off series in the works, the world of Wednesday is only continuing to expand. Fans can’t wait to get back to Nevermore and will be counting down the months until August.