Long known as the mastermind behind fantastical and quirky gothic horror films like Beetlejuice (1988) and Alice in Wonderland (2010), Tim Burton (Film/Video 79) makes his foray into television as an executive producer on the Netflix original Wednesday, a supernatural coming-of-age comedy about the brooding eldest child of the Addams Family.
Wednesday follows the titular character (played by Jenna Ortega), a not-so-ordinary teenager with a taste for the macabre. Upon her expulsion for retaliating against her younger brother’s bullies, her parents Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzmán) enroll her in their high school alma mater, an eerie private institution called Nevermore Academy. Wednesday uses her burgeoning psychic ability to get to the bottom of a local murder spree, all while learning to navigate the terrors of high school life.
The series premiered in November 2022 and quickly became a massive hit, securing its place as the third Netflix title to accumulate one billion streaming hours within four weeks of its release date. The pilot episode “Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe,” directed by Burton, also earned a nomination earlier this week for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series for the 75th annual Directors Guild of America Awards.
Wednesday co-showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough identified Burton as a clear first choice to helm the show, despite having never previously done television work.
“His agent really liked it, and sent it to Tim, and then shockingly, four days later, he answered and said he would love to get on the phone and talk to us about it,” Gough told The Hollywood Reporter at the series’ Hollywood premiere. “We did and he basically committed right then.” Burton went on to direct four of the series’ eight episodes.
Tim Burton Productions was also credited alongside MGM Television, Millar Gough Ink, and Toluca Pictures.
Watch Wednesday on Netflix, and the teaser above.
As digital content and social media producer, Taya enjoys lifting up the stories and accomplishments of CalArts' students, alums, and faculty. She fancies herself a visual artist but is really more of an overzealous collector of art supplies.
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