‘Wednesday’ Creators reveal why teens relate to Jenna Ortega’s outcast

Netflix’s gothic comedy-drama Wednesday may appear to target gothic fantasy fans at first, but its showrunners and creators explain how it also works as a teenage drama.

Wednesday’s co-showrunners and executive producers, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, told The Independent about the show’s resonance with teens.

Millar said Jenna Ortega’s character could be seen as an “aspirational” figure, in a mundane, Generation Z sort of way.

“She’s analogue! No cell phone, not tied to social media,” the co-showrunner noted. “Everyone’s thinking, wouldn’t it be great if I could be like her? And there’s a fearlessness: we live in an age where people can’t say what they think – and she says whatever’s on her mind.”

Perhaps it is Wednesday’s misfitness that truly appeals to teens today. As Gough put it, “Everybody feels like an outsider. It’s that feeling that we all have, that we are all outcasts.”

This makes Wednesday feel like a natural fit for director Tim Burton, who is known for exploring outsider and macabre themes.

Wednesday’s outcast themes resonate with teens because they reflect real feelings of not fitting in, whether at school or in social circles. The show also delves into teenagers’ relationships with their parents and the complexities of feeling different within their own families.

Amid these emotions, Wednesday’s unapologetic embrace of her outsider status feels both validating and empowering.

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