Why Jenna Ortega's Wednesday Future Looks Grim, According To A Hollywood Insider
"Wednesday" has made a pretty sizable impact on Netflix as a streaming service. While "The Addams Family" is far from one of the biggest properties of the last couple of decades, that didn't stop the reboot from becoming the second-most-watched series in Netflix history (international hit "Squid Game" still holds the top spot). Of course, much of the show's success hinges on the lead performance from "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega. Despite how the series has rocketed the young star into becoming one of the biggest actors in the world, though, at least one industry insider is predicting she will no longer be with the show after its upcoming 2nd season.
On an episode of the podcast "The Town with Matt Beloni," the Puck writer said he didn't expect Ortega to be on "Wednesday" beyond Season 2. "I have a prediction on 'Wednesday,'" he said. "I do not believe that Jenna Ortega will be on the show beyond the 2nd season."
For his part, Belloni's guest on the episode, Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw, seemed to agree. "I think that's a safe prediction," he said. The conversation came in response to what Belloni described as the "media fumble of the year," in which Ortega talked down "Wednesday" and described the writing on the series as subpar.
Belloni thinks Ortega may have stepped in it with her comments
"In an interview on the Dax Shepard podcast, she basically said that the scripts were not good for 'Wednesday,'" Matt Beloni recalled. "Keep in mind, this is the most successful [English-language] show in the history of Netflix. She said that she had to come up with the famous TikTok dance scene. It was gonna be a flash mob, but she vetoed it, and she said, 'I don't think I've ever had to put my foot down on a set the way I had to on "Wednesday."' Not great when your lead actress is sh***ing all over your very successful TV show."
The podcast host and writer then went on to describe that he thought this was why Netflix was leaning so hard into creating spin-offs of other "Addams Family" characters in the wake of the show's success. However, he stopped short of saying outright whether he thinks "Wednesday" itself will end or whether he thinks the series will continue with another lead, as fellow Netflix series "The Witcher" did.
Who could be considered enough of a draw to fill Ortega's sizable shoes after her viral success is somewhat debatable. This would be tantamount to replacing Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) for Season 3 of "Stranger Things." Either way, time will tell whether Belloni's predictions come to pass or if Ortega will be sticking with the role for the foreseeable future.