“Wednesday” has a very specific vibe, but there are a handful of shows that could scratch the same itch while waiting for the second half of Season 2 to drop.
“The Addams Family” spinoff series blends the classic teen coming-of-age tale with supernatural madness, murder and a bit of oddball humor. That can be a hard combination to duplicate but a pair of shows from horror maestro Mike Flanagan, an adaptation from a comic by Stephen King’s son, and the original teen supernatural coming-of-age series can get the job done.
Below are the shows to check out to pass the time while waiting for “Wednesday” Season 2 Part 2.
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan’s first horror series for Netflix also shot him into a new level of recognition. “The Haunting of Hill House” – adapting Shirley Jackson’s novel – tells the bleak story of a family ruined by their short time in a new home they moved into.
The story serves as a puzzle with it taking place across two time periods – in the past when the family moved to the house, and in the present with everyone scattered to the wind and picking up the pieces years after living through what happened – and asked viewers to figure out what was true among a variety of unreliable narrators. “Hill House’s” exploration into grief and how different individuals process their trauma differently hits much harder than it had any right to.
The Midnight Club
Mike Flanagan has become a near-household name in the horror genre and his first foray into teen horror may scratch the “Wednesday” itch if his series “The Haunting of Hill House” is a bit too intense. The series takes place at a mysterious manor that serves as a hospice home for terminally ill kids. The titular club consists of eight kids who meet each night to tell horror stories and grapple with their mortality.
The Umbrella Academy
Few Netflix shows have nailed the misfits banding together to save the world trope better than “The Umbrella Academy.” The series follows a group of has-been heroes that grew up fighting crime with an assortment of powers, only to become estranged until a death in their found family brings them back together. What follows is four seasons of bats–t storytelling that works more often than it doesn’t.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy – the next in a long line of Slayers tasked with protecting humanity from all manner of supernatural entities, be they vampires or others. Juggling that, she also has to deal with high school (and later, adult) woes. The show was ahead of the curve in many of the topics and themes it explored, and it changed how TV stories were told with its masterful blend of episodic and serialized storytelling. With a new revamp around the corner, there is no better time to check out the original.
What We Do In The Shadows
Go all in on outcast and misfit humor with FX’s hit “What We Do In The Shadows.” The show chronicles the misadventures of a handful of vampires just trying to get through their day living in the modern world. The series hails from Taika Waititi so expect his brand of humor when you settle in and enjoy one of the funniest shows to drop in the last decade.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Like “Wednesday,” “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is a dark coming-of- age story that follows Archie Comics character Sabrina the Teenage Witch as she comes to terms with being both part witch and part mortal. The theme of outcasts is strong in “Wednesday” and Sabrina and her friends would likely fit right in at Nevermore Academy.
Locke and Key
Another teen coming-of-age story with a supernatural twist, “Locke and Key” adapts a graphic novel by Joe Hill – the oldest son of Stephen King. After their father dies, a mother and three children move to his family home, which is much more than meets the eye. Magical and reality-bending keys liter the property and start finding their way into each of their hands. What follows is classic good vs. evil as the family fights to keep the keys from forces that would use them for the wrong reasons.
