I watched the entire first season before offering a review. While it has it's pros and cons, "Wednesday" is a far cry from what creator Charles Addams had in mind.

On the pro side, much of the casting was well thought, including Ortega (who I was initially skeptical of). Yes, she's a few years older than her character, but that's pretty common in film and television. Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia were great additions (Fred needs to be in more episodes in season 2). Other stand-outs were Gwendolyn Christie, Riki Lindhome, and "second Wednesday" herself Christina Ricci. But props to Emma Myers (as roommate and budding werewolf Enid) who was a bright spot in a generally dreary environment.

On the con side, I'm sorry but prolific character actor Luis Guzman was miscast as Gomez. Guzman has the physical shape of Charles Addams concept for Gomez (not tall like Raul Julia or John Astin), but he simply is not dashing or effusive and his dialog is often hard to understand. And the Pugsley and Lurch roles were practically non-existent.

Also on the con side is making "Wednesday" a YA-focused show. As such, it was filled with forgettable second-tier characters with little tension or backstories. And the two potential suitors for Wednesday were interchangeable with other "teen" actors and were immiedtaly forgettable.

A big question is why Tim Burton decided to create a whole world of "outsiders" around the Addamses. The genius of the original TV show and 1990's films was how the Addams family, while outwardly odd, seemed more loving and normal than the so-called "normal" characters - that was the point. Giving each member of the Addams clan "powers" (except Gomez and Pugsley, as far as we know) defeats the whole purpose of Charles Addams creations. Burton compounds the problem of putting them in a world of werewolves ("furs"), vampires ("fangs"), sirens, Gorgons (medusas), hydes (no jekylls?), shape-shifters, and faceless students who don't say anything. Most of these add little to the show (there are some notable exceptions that will not be described since those could be spoilers) and are just so much background noise.

Another slightly annoying feature is the one "normal" American-looking street in Jericho - clearly a limited set piece since the show was filmed in Romania. This pretty much limited location shots that were supposed to be off-campus.

There were fun call-backs to the original TV show and films, such as the double-snap to gain access to the secret society lair. There was also a quick-and-you'll-miss-it reference to an "Addams family reunion". A brief portrait of a relative of Cousin Itt (yes with two t's) was shown, but they somehow also gave him a first name, making Itt his last name. That's incorrect. But other references, such as to Grandma Addams, or even Pubert (from the second film) are not to be found.

There was one fun trivia fact: the coffee shop called the Weathervane, is named after the student newspaper in Westfield (NJ) High School where Charles Addams was the graphic design director of the Weathervane while a student at Westfield HS. As someone who was born in Westfield, the "shadow" and legacy of Charles Addams looms large across the town and Westfielders will appreciate the shout-out.

For season 2, it will be hard to undo some of the negatives experienced in season 1. It would be more appropriate to have Wednesday and her friends interacting with more of the "normies" outside Jericho. Now that it has been a Netflix hit, maybe there will be a budget to shoot season 2 somewhere in the US instead of Romania.

Overall: 7 out of 10 with room for improvement.