As fans eagerly await the highly anticipated Wednesday Season 2, they find themselves guessing which characters will not continue to grace their screens! If you’re wondering the same, then continue reading to find out more.
After seeing the cliffhanger of the first season, fans are anxiously anticipating the return of the acclaimed series for its highly anticipated second season in order to learn what lies next for Wednesday Addams! But, amidst all the rising excitement, there’s one burning question on everyone’s minds: “Who won’t be back to Wednesday Season 2?” This is a crucial concern of the fans that needs to be addressed, as the show has a reputation for surprising the audience, though we would like to alert the readers that this article contains some major spoilers for season one.
So, if you want to know in advance which characters might not return in the new chapter, then don’t worry. You have reached the right spot! For your convenience, we at Web News Observer have listed down all the details that might have affected the cast members’ direct departure from the show, as networks are considering major budget cuts as a direct result of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, among other reasons that may be as simple as the completion of the character arc that will put the series on the air for another season, but at the expense of a delayed release with some major cast shake-ups!
At last, the five major characters that are reportedly not coming back in Netflix’s Wednesday Season 2 are listed below:
Will Calum Ross as Rowan Laslow return?
This character was seen in the first season as a student at Nevermore Academy who possesses telekinetic powers and causes trouble on Wednesday. But ahead of the second season premiere, it was already confirmed that Calum Ross would not return to reprise the role, as Rowan was one of the first character deaths of the first season. If you have not streamed the show, then we can confirm to you that he died at the hands of Hyde. Though later in the series, Rowan looks to be alive, in reality, it was none other than Principal Weems who was impersonating him by using shape-shifting abilities. In order to hide his death and save Nevermore Academy from controversy!
Will Riki Lindhome as Dr. Valerie Kinbott return?
Riki Lindhome played Dr. Valerie Kinbott in the first season as Wednesday’s court-ordered therapist from the local town, Jericho. As a trusted confidante, Dr. Kinbott stood firmly by Wednesday’s side, providing invaluable support and guidance. However, fate dealt her a cruel hand when her life was tragically cut short by the hands of Hyde/Tyler, before she could learn the truth, despite having found that Tyler was being used as a pawn. Hence, Dr. Kinbott. Dr. Kinbott won’t appear in the second season.
Will Tommie Earl Jenkins as Noble Walker return?
Noble Walker, the mayor and former sheriff of Jericho, was portrayed by Tommie Earl Jenkins. He briefly appeared in the first season, and regrettably, that will be the last time we see him because his character also died. If you recall, Mayor Walker was spotted sneaking into his car and exiting the building. After returning to town, he was run over and suffered a serious injury, which led to Mayor Walker being killed in the hospital by an unidentified assailant.
Will Gwendoline Christie as Larissa Weems return?
No, the shapeshifting principal of Nevermore Academy and a former student who was Morticia Addams’s roommate will not be back for the second season, as her character also died in the first season, which left many fans shocked! Moreover, in an interview with Netflix, Millar said, “Hopefully Weems’ death at the end of the season will take people by surprise and they’ll be as moved as Wednesday is by her loss.” So, it’s pretty much clear now that Principal Weems will definitely not be back for the second season.
Will Percy Hynes White as Xavier Thorpe return?
According to a new exclusive from DailyMail.com, Wednesday star Percy Hynes White, who played the lead role of Xavier Thorpe, a student of Nevermore Academy who has the ability to make his art come to life in the first season of the hit Netflix show, might have been dropped from the forthcoming second season due to assault allegations due to this many speculate that the report of him nor returning are true. On the other hand, the 22-year-old Canadian actor has denied the allegations. You can read his entire statement on his Instagram.
Moreover, the actor’s father, Canadian writer Joel Thomas Hynes, posted in support of his son, writing: “This anonymous online hatred, it’s powerful stuff. But what truly empowers these types of campaigns is the culture of fear and silence that prevents ANYONE from speaking up for the wrongly accused – lest the mob should turn their beady eyes on you and yours. If publicly offering my support for my kind and gentle, massively talented son equates to me throwing myself to the wolves – so be it, come what may.”
Wednesday Season 2 When will it premiere on Netflix?
Firstly, we want to clear out all the raging rumors surrounding the reports that the release date will be revealed this month. Sadly, we have to report to you that all of this is just chitchat, and nothing has been confirmed about the official release date for the much-anticipated second season of Wednesday, as we are certain that no new details will be revealed in September 2023, let alone that the season will not be available on Netflix this year, especially when it was renewed earlier this year.
We are confident in reporting this because there is no chance that the show will premiere in late 2023 on Netflix, and the fandom will have to wait a bit longer! As it has already been confirmed that the filming is expected to begin sometime later this year, which makes it impossible to return this year. Moreover, we speculate that the ongoing writer’s strike and the actor’s strike have also become major factors in postponing the development of the season even further.
Due to this, a change in schedule can eventually lead to the premiere being set for next year or even later, as post-production also takes time to deliver the best version of the beloved characters. Moreover, Netflix hasn’t even provided a specific release date, as there is plenty of time left, which will be disclosed once production begins. For your consideration, we anticipate that it will return sometime around early to mid-2024 at the same time slot of 12:00 a.m. (PT) or 3:00 a.m. (ET) on Netflix.
Hence, for the time being, the fans can be relieved as the beloved series won’t be returning anytime soon!
More torture is coming. Lucky you. pic.twitter.com/t11LptFk7e
— Wednesday Addams (@wednesdayaddams) January 6, 2023
What to expect from the new season?
During the official Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event, which was held a few months ago live from Brazil, the cast members were a part of the lineup, which included Jenna Ortega, Hunter Doohan, Emma Myers, and Joy Sunday, where they answered the spookiest Wednesday fan theories ahead of Season 2 by discussing the possible looming danger of Joseph Crackstone’s ring and a suspected mystery around Lurch’s identity, though nothing is known for certain about those things.
The cast also confirmed that a new Addams family member is on their way to Wednesday!
Moreover, Doohan claims that neither he nor his co-stars know which new Addams will enter the series, but they concur that they would love to see Wednesday’s grandma, while Ortega is keeping her fingers crossed that Cousin Itt will manage to squeak his way into Nevermore. “[Wednesday] sticks to her guns, and she’s not out to please anybody,” Ortega tells Tudum. Further adding, “Which, as someone who used to be an immense people pleaser, I really respect.”
That’s not all! The series co-showrunner, Al Gough, also says he plans to delve further into the morbid teen’s growth if given the chance. “The series is really about a girl who sees the world in black and white, and learns there are shades of gray,” he tells TVLine. Further adding, “I think like any relationship or any friendship, it can get complicated by other factors. It’s never going to be smooth sailing. And it’s really her learning to navigate the ups and downs of friendship.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gough, and Millar also stated that the second season would expand upon the friendship between Wednesday and Enid while also evolving Wednesday’s relationship with her mother, Morticia.
However, Ortega stated that the season would lean more into the horror aspect while ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday. As she recently shared similar thoughts during Variety’s Actors on Actors, “We want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more,” Ortega said, “because it is so lighthearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don’t want to take yourself too seriously.”
Wednesday Season 2 Cast: Who all are expected to return?
As of writing this, no new casting announcements for the main and recurring cast have been confirmed, but the cast members who are still bound to change but are nevertheless being speculated to return in the new season are as follows:
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Karina Varadi as a young Wednesday, Jamie McShane as Donovan Galpin, Hunter Doohan as Tyler Galpin, Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair, Joy Sunday as Bianca Barclay, Georgie Farmer as Ajax Petropolus, Naomi J. Ogawa as Yoko Tanaka, and Moosa Mostafa as Eugene Ottinger. Lastly, the lovely Christina Ricci, who played Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates, is also expected to return for the second season.
Co-showrunner Miles Millar says that Wednesday’s family, which includes Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia and Luis Guzmán as Gomez, could be featured more in a second season. “We felt like we just touched the surface with those characters, and the actors are so amazing in those roles,” Millar told TV Line in an interview. “Catherine is, I think, an iconic Morticia. The relationship between Wednesday and Morticia is also essential to the show, and the idea that Wednesday is trying to forge her own path outside the family is important.”
Wednesday Season 2 Official Episode Count: Where to stream?
The upcoming season is expected to have a total of 8 episodes with an average runtime of 46–57 minutes, just like the first season. On the other hand, the episode titles and synopsis of the series have not been released yet. The network will publish those details when the episodes are due to air on the streaming service. So, we would advise fans to be patient and binge-watch all the first season’s episodes to recall the overall storyline.
When Wednesday Season 2 draws close to its release date along with the first season, it will be available exclusively on Netflix, with other series of the same genre also accessible on the streaming platform with a range of membership options depending on the package you choose. The basic membership starts at $9.99/month, and the standard membership starts at $15.49/month at no additional cost with any of their services.
The network has not yet released any new teasers for the new season, as filming has not yet begun and might be at a temporary halt due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike along with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which hasn’t come to a resolution yet. In the meantime, check out the official trailer for the first season, which showed “Wednesday Addams attempting to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree, and solve a supernatural mystery from her parents’ past.”
While you wait for Wednesday’s Season 2 to premiere, share your thoughts on the potential cast changes in the comments.