Wednesday Season 2 Brings More Horror, Humor, and Billie Piper

Netflix has released a first look at Billie Piper in the role that has been announced for season 2 of Wednesday. The new character is named Isadora Capri and is played by Piper, 42. Isadora is the head of music at the Nevermore Academy.

Netflix posted the first look of Piper as a little teaser, accompanying news that season 2 was on the way, as well as a potential spin-off.

Wednesday is the new gothic comedy series starring Jenna Ortega as the younger Wednesday Addams. The season 2 teaser reveals Billie Piper as the new head of music at Nevermore Academy. Piper’s character is named Isadora Capri, and she has a particular interest in Wednesday’s musical abilities. Piper has a long history of playing gothic characters, and in recent years, she played Brona Croft/The Bride of Frankenstein in Penny Dreadful.

Piper’s appearance was released on Thursday, 23 March, along with a major update on the future of the record-breaking series. Wednesday first appeared on Netflix in November 2022 and was an immediate global success. It is now Netflix’s most-watched English-language show ever, with 252 million views worldwide.

The success of season 1 prompted a renewal of the series in January 2023, and now it’s confirmed to return for a second season this August. The show follows Wednesday Addams (22-year-old Jenna Ortega) in her new life at Nevermore Academy, a school for supernatural outcasts. Melding horror, comedy, and teen drama, Wednesday struck a chord with viewers and critics, and has been nominated for Emmy awards, while also gathering a sizeable fanbase.

Wednesday’s first season features many classic Addams Family characters, including Morticia Addams (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Pugsley Addams (Ryan Wills), and Gomez Addams (Luis Guzmán). There are also several new additions, including werewolf student Enid Sinclair, played by returning cast member Emma Myers.

Along with Billie Piper’s first look, Netflix has dropped a huge update on Wednesday, revealing the latest on the future of the series. Wednesday has now been officially renewed for season 3. Additionally, a spin-off show has also been given the go-ahead, and it’s being discussed at the moment. That’s according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. Details of the spin-off are currently under wraps, although co-creator Alfred Gough was happy to give a vague tease, saying: “It’s something we’re noodling; there are other characters we can look at.”

Fans of Wednesday quickly took to social media to react to the announcement. Catherine Zeta-Jones herself confirmed the renewal in a mischievous post on Instagram, writing: “When Wednesday comes, a better day. Wednesday season three. It’s official…we shall return.” Fans quickly replied to the Instagram post, with some writing: “And for many more seasons”, “I can’t wait to see the second season, I’m waiting for it with great curiosity… and the third is already official, fantastic news!” and “can’t wait for the other seasons too.”

Fans of the series have even started to express some relief that filming can start soon, not wanting the time between seasons to be as long as last time. Although season 2 was announced in January 2023, the new season won’t be released until August this year. The gap between seasons 1 and 2 will be more than two years, which many have complained about. One viewer summed up the feeling of many others when they wrote: “I’ll be gripping the sheets in agony waiting, but please…don’t let us wait three years again.”

Director and executive producer Tim Burton, 66, is on board to continue his work on Wednesday, offering occasional direction on the show as well as his continued creative input as an executive producer. Burton recently worked with Ortega on Beetlejuice, the new sequel to the 1988 cult classic.

The new season will feature an even bigger cast. In addition to the already announced Billie Piper, new cast members include Lady Gaga, Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, and Thandie Newton. Season 2 also features several returning regulars, including Gwendoline Christie as headteacher Larissa Weems and Luis Guzmán as Wednesday’s father, Gomez Addams.

Actress Ortega has also taken on a more active role behind the scenes. In a slightly controversial podcast interview, Ortega said that there were times when she had to “put her foot down” and “change lines” as the character wasn’t consistent. The actress later backed down from the interview, but director Burton later gave Ortega his full support, suggesting that her words had been misinterpreted. Co-creator Alfred Gough later confirmed that Ortega was now officially a producer on the show and was already heavily involved in the process behind the scenes. Gough said: “To the highest degree, she has been a producer. We just made her an official producer.”

Joanna Lumley was also quick to jump in and say how excited she is to join the rest of the cast. Lumley said, “There’s always something thrilling about working for Tim Burton. His whole mind takes him to a different world, and the world that they’ve created here for Wednesday and Nevermore and the family is just intoxicating.”