'Wednesday,' Netflix, and Jenna Ortega Make A Spooky Reboot Feel Contemporary With An Expertly Curated Soundtrack

The goth girl reigns supreme in 2023, and who is the better avatar for the personification of chic grimness than Wednesday Addams? In a stunning new Netflix series simply titled Wednesday, the trendy, teen-girl-focused remake of the once ubiquitous sitcom, The Addams Family, has seen a meteoric rise. Given the eight-episode show's massive numbers when it debuted just before Thanksgiving last year, the entirety of the Wednesday Addams Netflix cast has been instantly catapulted to stardom by the series' viral popularity—but none more so than Wednesday herself. Jenna Ortega, aka Wednesday, is a familiar sight for fans of Jane The Virgin and You, where she played smaller roles.

With just eight episodes, Wednesday was Ortega's first proper lead as an adult, and Wednesday on Netflix went straight to the top of the streaming platform's most-watched programming and is currently lingering at a number three spot in the TV genre, even several weeks after its release. While the main question on the lips of fans who have already seen the show is, "When is Wednesday Season 2 coming to Netflix?" the platform has been quick to announce that there will be a second season, and it will be, once again, exclusive to them. Since the Wednesday Addams Netflix cast includes veteran stars like Christina Ricci and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ortega isn't carrying the whole thing by herself, and the co-sign of Wednesday debuting on Netflix is another big boost for the show. Still, it's clear no one was prepared for how big this series was going to get.

As Ortega navigates the woes and tortuous cycles of high school, where she admires the sadism of sticking cruel students and faded teachers together in underfunded misery, it's the soundtrack to her misadventures that really help bring the ups and downs of adolescence to life. Aside from a recurring reprise of an ever-recognizable version of The Addams Family theme, Ortega's finest moments and most embarrassing situations were soundtracked by selections from the APM music library, which offers enough breadth to provide uplifting synth pop for the triumphant moments, a country "hoedown" tune, an EDM dance floor banger, and even romantic Spanish guitar with finger-picking and plenty of drama. 

By constantly shifting genre, sound, and style, the music of the show brings to life the full spectrum of teen drama and roller coaster emotions, driving home the point that macabre and deadpan as she might be, Wednesday is, at heart, just another teenager trying to survive. In one of the show's more telling moments, a classical track is employed—the fairly straightforward orchestra doing Rimsky Korsakov's "Flight Of The Bumblebee"—and the song's chaotic, demanding, and ultimately endearing energy absolutely matches the appeal of the series' protagonist.

If you haven't yet fallen into the world of Wednesday's child and her woes, whenever you do, your next pressing question will be quite simple: "When is Wednesday season 2 coming to Netflix?" By the time we and the rest of the Wednesday Addams Netflix cast get wind of the timeline for what's coming next, Ortega and her star power will probably be even stronger than they were during the 2022 holiday season. Whenever the next installment drops, Wednesday and her plethora of soundtrack moments will be back to steal more hearts and cause more woe. 

Check out APM's playlist of needle drops in the Wednesday Netflix show right here.