If Tim Burton's upcoming Netflix series, Wednesday, is going to succeed, it needs to avoid a common mistake found in the streaming service’s adaptations. Scheduled for release in late 2022, many of those who loved The Addams Family are both excited and apprehensive at the upcoming television show. There’s a delicate balance to creating an adaptation that properly honors the original, and with Netflix’s hit-or-miss record, it's a decidedly unsure matter as to how they will handle bringing back such a beloved franchise.
First introduced to the world as a 1930s comic strip, The Addams family rocketed to popularity as a 1960s television show. However, most people are familiar with this creepy, kooky family because of Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1991 film, The Addams Family. Then, the recent animated films, The Addams Family and The Addams Family 2, introduced a whole new generation to the Addams family’s unique brand of goth. So, it was no surprise that many ears perked up when, in October 2020, director Tim Burton announced he was working on a live-action Netflix series about Wednesday Addams. Wednesday will depict the elder Addams sibling as a psychic-powered high schooler who’s fighting monsters and solving a big Addams-related mystery.
Many would-be viewers are curious about whether the Burton-Netflix collab will be able to do Wednesday Addams any justice in Wednesday itself. After all, the streaming service has a very complicated history with its adaptations' successes. From the steadily declining quality of the Netflix Marvel shows — Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist—to the controversial first (and only) season of the live-action Cowboy Bebop, inconsistency is rampant in Netflix original content. If Burton wants Wednesday to be more than a one-season wonder, he needs to pay particular attention to the failures of a spiritual Netflix predecessor: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The shows are effectively cut from the same cloth: both are adaptations of beloved properties, and they're centered on the life of a goth teenage girl who attends an academy brimming with the supernatural. While CAOS viewers had high hopes because the series was based on Aguirre-Sacasa’s comic series of the same name, it became clear that the show couldn't escape Netflix's problem with consistency.
Netflix's Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina suffered from dropped plot points. For example, the Trinket Man proved to be a pointless late addition to the show, the connections to Riverdale — another adaptation helmed by Aguirre-Sacasa — seemed tenuous at best, and it was unclear what all the human characters were supposed to do after Sabrina died in the finale. Moreover, CAOS couldn’t commit to integral elements, such as the mechanics of magic or Sabrina’s motivations and beliefs, or deliver satisfying treatment of its queer and POC characters. Given Netflix's history, Burton’s contribution to the Addams family legacy could suffer the same fate.
To avoid these pitfalls, Wednesday needs to have an unshakable foundation that the overarching story remains committed to. Beyond clearly establishing the world’s rules — supernatural and otherwise — Burton will need to create relatable characters whose inner workings are fully realized. Of course, he will also need to ensure that the show actually feels like the Addams family. Considering Tim Burton’s brand of campy humor-meets-lite horror is well known, many fans are unconcerned about his ability to nail the Addams style. However, others may worry that his near-obsessive commitment to aesthetics will undermine the truth of the Addamses: that underneath the black, cobwebs, and macabre is a wholesome family brimming with love and loyalty.
Wednesday, much like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, has a lot of potential. It’s got a built-in fan base, interesting characters, and a world worth exploring. If Tim Burton can remain faithful to the source, though, it will be a show worth watching.