Why Some Critics Disliked the Netflix Show Wednesday Starring Jenna Ortega

Considering how popular the Netflix show Wednesday is, I was surprised by both the critics and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. I thought the show was a lot of fun, so I expected higher scores. The show has a score of 71% from critics and 87% from audiences. That critic score is fresh, but it's a lot lower than I expected. So, I dug into some of the negative reviews to see why some negative reviewers didn't care for the show.

The critics' score for Wednesday is 71% on Rotten Tomatoes

The Film Companion reviewer complains about "Wednesday's weak characterisation...there isn't enough vulnerability to help us root for her." She also thought many things in the series didn't make sense, "Like, how did the villain raise a dead guy when we were told that one can't raise the dead? After a while, one settles into the acceptance that there isn't much point in asking questions." Finally, she complains, "With eight hours at its disposal, Wednesday's suspense takes too long to come together."

The Film Companion reviewer complained about "Wednesday's weak characterisation"

The Pajiba reviewer praises Jenna Ortega's performance as Wednesday but is less impressed with Tim Burton as director. "...there are only a handful of scenes and set pieces that feel remotely more like Tim Burton than an episode of Riverdale...Burton fails to meaningfully put his mark on the beloved, and at this point much-adapted, Addams Family." Race-baiting is very on brand for Pajiba, so it's not surprising that the reviewer takes issue with Wednesday's ancestor being "white and blonde...Unfortunately I was under the impression this iteration of the Addams was going to highlight Wednesday as an angsty Latina."

The CBR reviewer complains that Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta-Jones only show up in two episodes, even though it shouldn't be all that surprising that a series titled Wednesday would mainly focus on her rather than the whole family. One thing he liked about earlier iterations of The Addams Family is "the way they stick together, presenting a united front against the world." He also complains, 

"While the Addamses were always known for being 'creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky,' they've generally existed in a heightened version of the real world. Wednesday changes all that, making Nevermore home to vampires, werewolves, sirens, and other supernatural creatures."

One issue a lot of fans have with reboots, sequels, or prequels of popular franchises is the lack of respect for the source material. This includes making radical changes to characters and the worlds they exist in. Yes, the Addams Family did exist in the real world, and the reaction of "normies" to their antics was a major source of laughs. Wednesday does a one-eighty by putting a member of the Addams family into an environment where almost everyone is creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky. The show also takes a close-knit family and splits them up. And it creates tension between Wednesday and Morticia. 

However, rehashing the past isn't always interesting either. Why make an Addams Family series that's similar to everything that has come before? On the other hand, each franchise is, in a sense, based on a formula. Stray too far from that formula, and it no longer feels like that brand. Respecting the source material by not straying too far from the formula while also doing something different is a delicate balancing act. I think Wednesday largely succeeded in showing respect for what came before while also being a new and fresh take on the Addams Family.

The TV Guide reviewer has similar criticisms. "What does it mean for Wednesday Addams when everyone around her self-identifies as an outcast?" The reviewer does acknowledge that Tim Burton called Wednesday "an outcast among outcasts." She also thinks the school of outcasts was wasted. "What does it matter that Wednesday's classmates have magical powers if they hardly ever use them because they're too busy worrying about who will ask them to the dance?"

The TV Guide reviewer didn't care for Wednesday's "outcast among outcasts" theme

The AV Club reviewer thinks the series is influenced by "...everything from Veronica Mars and Mean Girls to Harry Potter and Wicked...But the influence you won't find anywhere is, ironically, The Addams Family." She also labels Wednesday a Mary Sue. "Everyone she meets becomes instantly fascinated by her, and she's skilled at everything she tries—cello, martial arts, fencing, novel-writing, archery, and botany, to name a few." But that is kind of an Addams Family thing. They are weird but also very talented.

A commenter on the Mr H Reviews channel on YouTube disputed the Mary-Sue claim. stevecromptom9910 said, 

"Wednesday is not a Mary Sue; she is not liked by most people, she loses the swordfight with the siren, gets knocked out, makes wrong guesses about possible suspects, misjudges people trying to help her, fails to save Rowan, her Friends get really made at her, she gets arrested, she gets expelled from the school and probably other things too."

The Flickering Myth reviewer criticizes "...the decision to pare the expected gothic stylings down in favour of cloyingly dull YA melodrama...The YA-ness of it all otherwise becomes exhausting, especially if you dare to binge it."

To sum up, negative reviewers mainly criticized the show for being too CW-esque and for changing the original theme of outcasts among normies to outcasts among outcasts. Some negative reviewers also think Wednesday is a Mary Sue. Time will tell how critics react to season 2 of the show, which was recently announced by Netflix.