'Wednesday' season 2 to spotlight Jenna Ortega's Latina heritage

Season 2 of Wednesday will delve further into Jenna Ortega's Latina heritage, according to the show's co-creators, Miles Millar and Al Gough.

The Netflix series, inspired by the Addams Family franchise, premiered in November 2022 and achieved great success, earning two Golden Globe nominations and receiving a renewal for a second season. Ortega, known for her roles in horror films, portrays the lead character Wednesday Addams.

In an interview with IndieWire, Millar and Gough confirmed their intention to explore Wednesday's Latina background in the upcoming season.

"It’s so rare to find an iconic [Latina] character of this stature. We really try to find ways to [highlight that] authentically. What would Wednesday listen to when she was growing up? What would Gomez be playing? And finding moments where we could really make it feel like a girl who’s grown up in New Jersey with a Latino parent, and how would that resonate with her as a teen? Certainly this season we’re looking for more ways to explore that.”

Although specific details about Wednesday season 2 are scarce, it is expected that the new season will not premiere until 2024 due to potential delays caused by the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.

Nonetheless, Wednesday season 1 propelled Ortega to widespread fame and established her as one of the few Latino actors leading a major television series.

In addition to expanding on Ortega and Wednesday's backgrounds, Wednesday season 2 presents an opportunity for broader representation. The first season faced criticism for its handling of Black characters, with only two Black actors portraying bullies in the series.