Dead bodies, spooky imagery in darkly comic drama.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
The show's tone is dark but comic, with many visual gags such as a fast-moving car hitting and killing three birds, and piranhas chasing after teens in a pool (later, Wednesday claims the fish killed two, but then we learn that no one died, although one boy lost a testicle). A murder mystery plays a part; we see victims: a man whose dismembered head, torso, and arms are seen briefly with blood and some gore, a car accident victim with his head wrenched unnaturally to the side.
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There's romantic tension between several characters; expect them to flirt and circle around one another before kissing and forming relationships. Morticia and Gomez Addams have a strong sexual connection in the context of a long marriage; they frequently kiss passionately with significant looks and suggestive noises.
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The value of supportive friendships and family relationships is key; on negative side, competitiveness and social status are emphasized.
Positive Role Models
some
Wednesday Addams is a strong, resolute, self-confident character who is easy to admire for her steadfastness, even though she's mostly despised by everyone around her. Her outlook is grim and dark, yet she is not without compassion for others, particularly those she views as needing her protection, like her younger brother. Family bonds are strong and complicated. Side characters run the gamut from villainous to relatable; best characters include Wednesday's cheery roommate Enid, and true-hearted Townie Tyler.
Diverse Representations
some
Four actors of Latino origin play members of the Addams family: Guzman, Ortega, Fred Armisen (Uncle Fester), and Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley). For the first time, the Latino, specifically Mexican, origin of the Addams family is addressed. Mention of the Day of the Dead, and Gomez expresses himself in Spanish. While most main characters are White, with exception of a Black student (Joy Sunday) who plays Wednesday's main rival at school, there are also Latinos such as Eugene, one of Wednesday's schoolmates, and the mayor of neighboring Jericho and his son, who are Black. A character with dwarfism is seen at a boarding school dance. Eugene has two moms.
Parents need to know that Wednesday is an edgy, darkly comic drama series centered around Wednesday Addams, a character who's appeared in different Addams Family movies and TV shows. Here, Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) is involved in a mystery with real deaths -- in one instance, there are images of a victim's severed and bloody head, limbs, and torso scattered in the woods. She can also be dangerous to those around her: For example, she unleashes bags full of piranhas in a school swimming pool. But the show has many comic touches, and Wednesday herself is ultimately sympathetic, particularly when she's protecting others from bullying behavior. Violence is the biggest issue in the series, with a slavering monster, dead bodies, supernatural powers and battles, injuries, sudden deaths, and frequent mortal danger. Scary imagery includes shadowy woods, black candles burning, and characters with unusual physical characteristics (vampires, werewolves, etc.). Characters flirt and kiss, and a long-married couple kisses passionately while making sexual noises. Language includes "s--t," "hell," and "goddamn," as well as insulting language like "freak."
This is superb entertainment for 16+ to adults. However, NO CHILD, I mean, ABSOLUTELY NO CHILDREN UNDER AGE 14, especially, should be watching this, and here's why. It's a deeply DISTURBING MACABRE GENRE with themes that any child confused by its plot, and story development will google out of curiosity. The first episode visually depicts and introduces body dismemberment, decapitation, guillotine, sadism, murder, bloodthirsty piranhas, and testicles. There's a lot more to this, obviously. Some of you might say, "Sure! My kids are into horror disturbing flicks, and they'll be introduced to it anyways, so it's fine!" As someone who studied child psychology, I know there are many, many, many neuro imaging and neurobiological research and literature on mental health outcomes of children who are exposed to horror, disturbing and inappropriate themes before they can fully grasp the reality of strong adult content. HARD NO FOR KIDS UNDER 14. RECOMMENDED 16+
Too much tortured adolescent vibe with parental issues
What's the Story?
This time, WEDNESDAY (Jenna Ortega) has really done it. Expelled from her latest school, she's being sent to Nevermore, the "school for outcasts" where her parents, Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez Addams (Luis Guzman), met and where Wednesday's downbeat approach to life might finally be appreciated. Alas, there's been a spate of murders in Jericho, the small town near Nevermore, and it falls to our heroine to solve the mystery under the watchful eye of her new principal, Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie).
Beautiful to look at and perfectly cast, this promising dark series breathes new life into a classic character. Ortega is absolutely, positively the ideal Wednesday and a worthy successor to Christina Ricci, who memorably inhabited the character in two popular 1990s movies (and here shows up as Wednesday's dorm house mother, who may have hidden depths). Ortega's darkly ironic humor and barely concealed emotional pain add depth to her portrayal, and it's clear that her relationship with mom Morticia is a relatably complex one, with the two sparring and supporting each other by turns.
The boarding school setting may make some viewers miss the whole family's antics, as they've always been a loving and supportive unit despite their dark and spooky ways. But teens and tweens will enjoy the school-set murder mystery, with its Harry Potter/Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibe, as it deals with a family secret that stretches back to Morticia and Gomez's time at the school and a mysterious Big Bad that (naturally) Wednesday alone can dispatch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the supernatural has traditionally been portrayed on television and in movies. Think about how supernatural powers figure in some of the things you've watched. Are the people with powers depicted as heroic? Monstrous? Why does it vary, and what does this say about what the supernatural represents to us?
Why is it important that Wednesday is young? How would this story change if she were an older character? What's interesting or special about youth, and why is it so often the center of drama? What types of stories make sense for young characters and not older ones?
Families can also talk about the series of comics on which Wednesday is based. Why would this series transform the light comedy of the cartoons into dark drama?
Have you seen other versions of Wednesday/the Addams Family? If so, which is your favorite, and why?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
