Wednesday combines the basic premise of Harry Potter (a dark conspiracy at a boarding school for magical youth which the adults are incapable of unraveling) with CW Network teen melodrama and Tim Burton's darkly funny Gothic sensibilities. The resulting mashup works better than it has any right to. The show features a different version of The Addams Family but it resists the current-year urge to deconstruct/subvert/distort classic characters into hateful idiots (contra. Velma.) Wednesday contains several unnecessary subplots, but fortunately the central mystery is engaging enough to maintain interest when the script meanders. Overall it's a flawed but fun diversion.