Wednesday Addams returns to Netflix and Nevermore Academy following her summer hiatus, prepared to plunge into additional mysteries and perils as she overestimates her capabilities before her character development imparts valuable lessons.
The second season of Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega, arrived on Netflix with considerable fanfare. Though only four of the eight episodes premiered this month, critical evaluation has already emerged. Just like the titular student, devoted viewers finally witness the enigma behind its Rotten Tomatoes reception being resolved. Continue reading to examine what critics have declared about the latest installment!
For Wednesday Season 2 Part 1, review embargoes remained in place until the actual release date, which generated troubling indicators regarding its quality and potential decline since confident producers typically allow early assessments to surface beforehand. Nevertheless, critics have protected a vulnerable Wednesday, which has a certified fresh 83%Rotten Tomatoes score based on 49 professional reviewers, considerably higher than the previous installment.
Season 1 could secure merely 73% on RT, though its Metacritic score of 66 defended itself against Season 2’s 65. Neither of the latter figures proves particularly impressive, though, registering as decent at best, not that that has ever stopped fans of Wednesday and the most popular Netflix shows to hype their qualities up into oblivion.
Audience Reception Of Wednesday Tells Same-Old Story
Curiously, this critical approval doesn’t translate into audience triumph, as we suspected. Rotten Tomatoes viewer reception of this season at 87% remains virtually unchanged from the inaugural season’s 86%, though it could decrease further.
Netflix has recently faced numerous situations where satisfying critics has been tempting at the expense of alienating audiences, and sometimes, the reverse occurs. For instance, within the past calendar year alone, Squid Game seasons 2 and 3 received praise from 84% and 80% of their respective critics while audiences expressed widespread dissatisfaction, as evidenced by popcorn meter scores of 64% and 51%, respectively.
Similarly, as series exceed their natural lifespan, critics’ goodwill appears to increase despite audience consensus that these productions are losing momentum. You Season 4 (critics 92%, audiences 63%) and Season 5 (critics 79%, audience 50%) exemplify this pattern. Even at HBO, The Last of Us exposed the boundaries of professional reviewers’ comprehension of video game space when they granted its lackluster second season a 91% rating compared to complete dismissal by audiences (37%), generating skepticism about its third season, as well as critics’ prowess.
Speaking of a third season, and given this context, the Tim Burton directorial should theoretically circumvent all odds so long as it keeps the fanbase elated. However, the aforementioned discussion certainly raises questions about whether the remaining Wednesday Season 2 episodes, along with the hastily announced Season 3, will withstand audience scrutiny.
Wednesday Season 2 Episodes 1-4 are now streaming on Netflix.
