Netflix's Best Fantasy Cast Just Keeps Getting Better

One of Netflix’s most successful fantasy shows also features one of the streamer’s most incredible casts — and there are more major names to come when the series returns for its upcoming season. Netflix has attracted a jaw-dropping array of talent since it started producing original shows, from Hollywood icons like Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sam Neill, Salma Hayek, and Kate Hudson to TV legends like Gillian Anderson, Jason Bateman, Kiefer Sutherland, Christina Applegate, Mindy Kaling, and Tina Fey. Of course, the best casts are the ones that fuse A-list names with charismatic newcomers and relative unknowns, creating exciting new ensembles.

Shows like Stranger Things and Bridgerton have excelled at finding a great mix of talent, but the best cast Netflix has ever assembled arguably belongs to the biggest shows it’s ever produced (so far, at least). In Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s Wednesday, Jenna Ortega stars as Wednesday Addams, the morose, focused, and amateur supernatural sleuth dedicated to solving Nevermore Academy’s most dangerous, violent, and paranormal mysteries. Jenna Ortega has transformed into a cultural icon since Wednesday season 1, with the show’s first outing becoming Netflix’s most-watched series of all time (via Tudum).

Emma Meyers, who plays Wednesday’s unlikely and perky best werewolf friend, Enid, has likewise become a genuine star, with a stunning lead role in Netflix and the BBC’s adaptation of Holly Jackson’s bestselling YA mystery series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. With only these two young actresses leading Wednesday‘s pack of Outcasts, the show would likely have succeeded just fine. Still, the supporting cast is unbelievably impressive and certainly had a hand in making Wednesday the global phenomenon it is today.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is regal and hypnotic as Wednesday’s mother, Morticia Addams. Luis Gúzman is pitch-perfect as the charming and loving Gomez Addams. Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie is fascinating as Nevermore’s former principal, Larissa Weems. Fred Armisen is an excellently creepy yet supportive Uncle Fester, and Victor Dorobantu’s performance as Wednesday’s literal right hand, Thing, is fantastically fun to watch.

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Then there are other major names like Emmy-winner Steve Buscemi, former Wednesday Addams Christina Ricci, Doctor Who’s Billie Piper, British comedy icon Joanna Lumley, Back to the Future legend Christopher Lloyd, Mission: Impossible and Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s Thandiwe Newton, and even pop sensation Lady Gaga. Crucially, the show’s younger stars can easily hold their own during scenes with these veterans. Hunter Doohan’s Tyler Galpin, Joy Sunday’s Bianca Barclay, Moosa Mostafa’s Eugene Ottinger, and Evie Templeton’s Agnes Demille are just as magnetic on screen.

Most importantly, every single actor fully embraces Wednesday‘s strange mix of Gothic, horror, supernatural, and investigative storytelling. There’s no denying that Wednesday boasts one of the most talented and high-profile casts on Netflix, a true testament to the show’s premise, execution, and the Addams Family’s enduring popularity.

Wednesday Season 3 Will Include Even More A-List Talent

Unsurprisingly, Wednesday season 3 will feature even more notable names. As Wednesday‘s story moves beyond the bounds of Nevermore Academy — Wednesday will enjoy a quick trip to Paris in the upcoming season — director Tim Burton will be reunited with a few of his former co-workers for season 3, including Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Stranger Things icon Winona Ryder, who will join the cast as a character called Tabitha. Ryder is the perfect fit for Wednesday’s unique storytelling; imagine her as a long-lost Addams family member. Her chemistry with Ortega in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice was exceptional.

Then there’s the haunting and ethereal Eva Green, who, like Ryder, has worked on similar shows and movies like Penny Dreadful and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. She’ll be portraying Morticia’s estranged sister, Aunt Ophelia, and there’s no doubt that she’ll be an incredible on-screen opponent for both Zeta-Jones and Ortega. Honestly, she might have been born for this role, specifically. Given the mystery surrounding her character, they couldn’t have picked anyone better.

Also joining Wednesday season 3 are Ted Lasso‘s James Lance, The Princess Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Chris Sarandon, and Game of Thrones’ all-time greatest villain, Lena Headey. After her incredibly vicious and conniving performance as Cersei Lannister, it’ll be exciting to see what kind of impact Headey will have on Wednesday’s world. It would be fun to see her play an Addams or Frump family member, too, but she’ll be incredible in whatever role the show gives her, especially if she’s playing another villain. Wednesday could use a worthy new adversary, but it would also be interesting if Headey’s character were connected to Enid’s werewolf side, somehow.

As Wednesday‘s story outgrows its coming-of-age, high school premise, it’s only logical that the show’s cast should evolve as well. There’s a whole world out there for Wednesday to explore, after all, and so many more strange, magical, and terribly dangerous people to meet. Whatever happens next, Jenna Ortega and Emma Meyers’ new co-stars will bring a refreshingly electric energy to Netflix’s biggest fantasy show.