Netflix proudly announced its brand new series yesterday Wednesday surpassed stranger things Season 4 for most watched hours of an English language show in a single week. The semantics of measuring the ratings of a show that premiered on a Wednesday versus one that debuted on a Friday are clear Wednesday is a hit. People tuned in to a show centered on it The Addams family‘s most popular character in droves and they’ve clearly kept watching Wednesday to the bitter end (in the vain hope that Wednesday and Enid might kiss). But what made Wednesday such a smash wasn’t the Tim Burton direction or the supernatural mystery. No, it was clearly the star of the show: the mighty magnetic Jenna Ortega.
Jenna Ortega is hardly what you could call an aspiring woman. The 20-year-old American actress struggled as a child actress playing the younger version of Jane Jane the maiden and starred in children’s shows such as Disney Channel Stuck in the middle and Netflix is slandered richie rich. While she’s been having star turns in slashers lately Scream and X, Netflix has been her most consistent employer. Ortega has appeared prominently in Yes Day, The Babysitter: Killer Queen and the hit You, making her the latest young star bred for success by the streaming giant. but Wednesday could be the project that shoots Ortega over the top into household name territory. Wednesday should make Ortega a big star. After all, Jenna Ortega is what makes Wednesday Work.
Wednesday follows a Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) teenager who is sent to a strange boarding school called Nevermore Academy. Her classmates are sirens, werewolves and all kinds of weirdos, but Wednesday is the weirdest student of them all. Wednesday’s burgeoning psychic abilities draw her into a dark murder mystery at the school. Oh, and there are love triangles, Hogwarts-esque house challenges, and therapy to contend with.
As adaptations of Charles Addams’ iconic New Yorker cartoons walk, Wednesday is not great. It’s a sloppy mishmash of CW concepts and dark academic memes. Director and EP Tim Burton brings the project none of the creative spark that defined his early work, and the show seems terrified of exploring Wednesday’s chemistry with roommate Enid (Emma Myers). However, Wednesday is a compelling watch thanks to Jenna Ortega’s performance. Not only does Ortega capture the twisted character’s ice-cold energy, but he brings nuance to the Wednesday world. Passion simmers beneath the surface of her intrepid facade. It comes out when she rocks out on the cello or gleefully takes revenge on students who have harmed their few friends.
if Wednesday grabs a Season 2 and if it continues to be a juggernaut for Netflix, Jenna Ortega deserves most of the credit. Sure, it’s a popular piece of IP, but the character only comes alive through Ortega’s performance. And even if WednesdayYour own days at the streaming giant are numbered, Ortega’s future is a radiant supernova.