Tim Burton has once against succeededin developing a disturbing story, this time through the lens ofThe Addams Familyspinoff,Wednesday. Following Wednesday at her new boarding school, Nevermore, she finds herself at the heart of a dangerous new threat while finding herself smarter than many of her peers as she wanders through supernatural developments. Wednesday Addams does not want to be at Nevermore until she stumbles upon a dangerous mystery she has no choice but to be intrigued by when she realizes her potentially direct connection to a probable life-or-death battle.
Isolating young supernatural teenagers in an educational environment with the plan to teach them how to use their abilities has been a well-known concept, especially when recalling Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry orChilling Adventures of Sabrina’sAcademy of Unseen Arts. However,Wednesday, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, andHarry Potterare not the only stories to focus on a coming-of-age story mixed with magic and dark overarching threats. Due to the large group of supernatural creatures the show introduces, from Sirens to Telekinetics to Werewolves and Vampires,Wednesdayalso shares an intrigue for the supernatural world broadening with shows such asThe Vampire Diaries, Legacies, andTeen Wolf.
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9Teen Wolf
MTV’sTeen Wolfplays intosupernatural mysteries and horror tonesas it grows the knowledge of what secrets lie in Beacon Hills. Scott McCall and his friends face a variety of dangerous supernatural opponents. Like Wednesday,Scott is new to unraveling mysteries. Although the dark Wednesday Addams is a far cry from the kind-hearted Scott, they both share a wish to protect those around them from dark forces, even if Wednesday seems less emotionally connected to her environment. Still, the shows share a developing understanding of different types of supernatural creatures. Even the central mystery behind the danger inWednesdayshares a similar plot line to the main antagonist inTeen Wolf’ssecond season.
8Riverdale
UnlikeRiverdale,Wednesdayis clear about what type of show it is and could grow to be right from the start. IfWednesdaygrows more bizarre than what it has already portrayed in its first season, it will still feel as if it fits the show’s tone. AsRiverdalegrew crazier in its darkening plot lines, the complex nature of the show could be considered similar to the overall darkness hanging overWednesday. While Wednesday’s lack of caring for other’s perspectives of her are characteristics that make her so unique, there are a variety of characters inRiverdale,such as Cheryl Blossom, who are willing to react to simple problems with over-the-top solutions, similarly to how Wednesday handles her younger brother’s bullies.
7Harry Potter
Between dividing different groups and the suggestion of a chosen one meant to fight a villain to come,Wednesdaycertainly shares some ofHarry Potter’smost significant elements, including how Nevermore does not look that different from Hogwarts. Similarly to how events inWednesdaygrow darker the longer Wednesday is at Nevermore, things get continually darker and more dangerous each year Harry spends at Hogwarts. Although the battle at the conclusion ofWednesday’sfirst season is foreseen since the beginning, the build-up is not quite as significant asHarry Potter,considering the years of preparation that went into the final battle.
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6The Vampire Diaries
Where there are dark characters and twisted antagonists, there are also bright and bubbly optimists. Where Wednesday is dark, her roommate Enid is cheerful, upbeat, and carries a similar excited optimism toThe Vampire Diaries’Caroline Forbes. Both shows balance out their darker antagonists or brooding central characters with a more cheerful presence that helps ground the series in the sense of familiarity and humanity, even if Enid and Caroline are not necessarily human themselves.
WhileThe Vampire Diariesdoes not focus on a supernatural school, it does focus a lot on the supernatural world, and its isolation to small town Mystic Falls is similar to how Nevermore is mostly isolated except for its connection to its local small town, Jericho.
5Motherland: Fort Salem
The unlikely friendship that grows between Raelle Collar, Abigail Bellweather, Tally Craven, and Scylla Ramshorn is similar to that of Wednesday and Enid. The polar opposite differences in life, perspective, and personality are initially enough to cause apprehension, even in the case of Enid’s welcoming hospitality. However, in both shows, circumstances and naturally growing bonds are enough to become more significant than the initial differences the characters portray. The element of female friendship at its growing stages and how it changes people, even subtly, plays a role inMotherland: Fort SalemandWednesday.
Just as Wednesday Addams may have been meant to be the savior or downfall of Nevermore, Hope Mikaelson was the only one capable of defeating Malivore, and tends to be one of the main protectors of the Salvatore School. But, as much as Wednesday and Hope start the series considering themselves loners and not particularly angry about it,WednesdayandLegaciesallow each character to go through an arc that suggests that making friends is not necessarily that bad and can be helpful in the long run when they are willing to help defeat the antagonist.Legaciesalso features a supernatural school on the edge of a small town is also a bonus in similarities.
3The Order
Jack Morton’s initial goal is to gain entry into a magical secret society. But, along the way, he finds connections to a werewolf pack.The Orderalso heavily relies on the horror genre and a vast array of supernatural creatures to tell its story. Similarly to the mystery that Wednesday must uncover regarding her parents' puzzling past at Nevermore, Jack must uncover hidden truths about his family’s connection to the secret society, how it impacts his life and his identity as a werewolf.
2Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
When it comes to a magic school where everyone is mostly up to prove their talent and intelligence, the Academy of Unseen Arts portrays plenty of witches, such as Prudence, Ambrose, and Nick, who know plenty about witchcraft.Then, there is Sabrina, who believes she knows more than she does and still has much to learn. WhileChilling Adventures Of Sabrinamay not focus on as wide a variety of magical creatures asWednesday, the horror concept is shared in each show as is the idea of growing friendships and accepting help.
1The Addams Family Franchise
IfWednesdaywas a hit, maybe one of the best ways to appreciate it is to go through the previous variations ofThe Addams Family. From television shows, live-action movies, and animated remakes,The AddamsFamilyfranchisehas been around for decades with different iterations of Wednesday, Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, and Thing. ExperiencingThe Addams Familyalso allows audiences to spend more time with the rest of the family as the Netflix spinoff mainly focuses on Wednesday and Thing with the rest of the family coming in and out.
