Netflix Might Be Making A Huge Mistake With Its Wednesday Spin-Off

Yesterday, news hit that Netflix is developing a spin-off of "Wednesday," the streamer's mega-successful series starring Jenna Ortega. Makes sense, right? "Wednesday" is an undeniable hit — one of the few original shows where Netflix doesn't need to obfuscate its data because it became a genuine cultural phenomenon. According to Bloomberg, Netflix is "eager to establish a pipeline of 'Addams Family' programs to build off the success of 'Wednesday.'" The spin-off is going to center on the Uncle Fester character, as played by Fred Armisen. 

To be clear, Armisen is hilarious. For my money, he's one of the funniest actors working today. He's a master of making weird little faces (see: his memorable appearance in HBO's "Barry"), and there's an inherent goofiness to him that makes him lovable and easy to watch. But is Netflix sure the reason a vast amount of audiences tuned into "Wednesday" is because of the "Addams Family" trappings, and not because of ... you know ... Jenna Ortega, the superstar at the center of the series? Along with her appearances in "X" and "Scream," "Wednesday" helped launch the actress to a new level of popularity, and she has the type of rabid fanbase that studio executives dream of. Centering a spin-off around Armisen's character might lead to some funny moments, but will it result in the same cultural attention as a show that puts Ortega front and center?

Look: Maybe the number-crunchers at Netflix have data that says "Wednesday" viewers actually are obsessed with all things "Addams Family" and viewers eagerly gobble up every iteration they can get their hands on. Maybe the Fred Armisen Uncle Fester show — "Fester: A Wednesday Story," or whatever they end up calling it — will be the proof that going all-in on an "Addams Family" small-screen universe is a brilliant business decision that will allow Netflix to cast off stars like Ortega after a few successful seasons, slot a new actor in the mix, keep costs down, and squeeze the "Addams Family" IP for all it's worth.

Then again, maybe people just really like watching Jenna Ortega.

I spoke about this with /Film editor BJ Colangelo on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:

We also talked about Jonathan Majors being fired from Marvel Studios, a new "Orphan" movie being in development, and more.

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