Netflix’s Wednesday plays with many boarding school tropes, reimagining them for the purposes of an Addams Family-inspired story, but one, in particular, could see much better use in Wednesday season 2. Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams finds herself drowning in high school traditions and narrative clichés (both good and bad) when she is shipped off to Nevermore Academy, the school where her parents met, as the series’ inciting incident. This includes her own versions of the lovable best friend — Enid Sinclare (Emma Meyers) — and the bully who she grows to respect — Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday).

The macabre school story also includes Nevermore’s esteemed and enigmatic faculty, Principal Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie), and botanical sciences teacher Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci). However, when the Wednesday season 2 cast includes many new noteworthy actors playing characters shrouded in mystery, and Lady Gaga was recently announced to be part of the sophomore season, Wednesday’s typical high school narrative may be completely upset in the future. In particular, these developments could make the tropes surrounding one (or a few) key figures at the school much more interesting.

Wednesday Season 1 Plays It Safe With The Magical High School Teacher Trope

Weems & Thornhill Are Pretty Basic Magical School Teachers, Drawing Upon Many Other Stories

Wednesday ruthlessly twists many high school clichés, but the role of the teacher characters isn’t really one of them. In season 1, the only instructors given any substantial screen time are the ones played by the Game of Thrones veteran and another (former) Wednesday Addams actress. Weems and Thornhill follow two opposing but oft-seen boarding school narratives: the teacher that Wednesday initially has a hostile relationship with but comes to respect as a strong ally, and the teacher she likes right away, who turns out to be the villain.

These scenarios are two sides of the same coin and demonstrate the limited perspective the series’ first season has when it comes to altering the overall structure of the boarding school narrative, rather than just dressing up typical high school events in spooky garb. The teacher that the young heroes should/shouldn’t trust appears in everything from Harry Potter to My Hero Academia and is not Netflix’s most original storyline. However, there is much debate surrounding how Thornhill or Weems can return in Wednesday season 2, which could result in either of them having a more surprising arc.

Wednesday Season 2’s Cast Suggests That There Will Be More Than One New Nevermore Teacher

Several Iconic Actors May Be Playing New Teachers & Mentors In Wednesday Season 2

However, the second season is set up to do something much more interesting concerning the adults who work at Nevermore and inherently hold power over the students through the many new cast members. The details about most of these new characters have been kept under wraps, but additional teachers are the most natural way for them to slot into the story. Additionally, Steven Buscemi is confirmed to be playing Nevermore’s new principal following Weems’ alleged death. Thandiwe Newton’s character is referred to as “Dr. Fairburn,” which could be the title of some kind of instructor or on-campus staff.

Ortega also wants Lady Gaga to play Wednesday’s mentor, picking up the dynamic that was never fully developed because of Thornhill’s betrayal.

It would be immensely satisfying for Christopher Lloyd to play a mad scientist type in Wednesday, alluding to his iconic Back to the Future persona. Ortega also wants Lady Gaga to play Wednesday’s mentor, picking up the dynamic that was never fully developed because of Thornhill’s betrayal. Suffice it to say, the fact that there will be so many adult characters in season 2 — and they are all likely to have significant roles when Netflix has cast some very famous people — means that they simply can’t have as straightforward of a setup as season 1, with two teachers, one good and one evil.

Wednesday Season 2 Should Show More Complexity Among The Nevermore Faculty

The Staff At Nevermore & Their Interactions With The Students Hold Great Potential For A Subversive Story In Wednesday Season 2

They have to juggle more characters and come up with something much more complex when there are more than two teachers who are merely each other’s opposites. It would be fascinating to see Gaga play someone who is morally gray, even if she is a genuine ally and valuable mentor to Wednesday. Likewise, the new principal and teachers should demonstrate conflicts between personal agendas and looking out for the students. The younger cast is, to some degree, locked into teenage tropes because they are teenagers, and interacting with a variety of adults will contribute to their arcs.

Wednesday season 2 is promising more horror, which will hopefully push the story beyond a merely serviceable format and make Wednesday’s coming-of-age something more suited to her character’s legacy. Having a rich cast of characters working at Nevermore will make the school feel more dangerous, somewhere the story should be set and Wednesday wants to be, even if it is an environment steeped in tropes. Wednesday season 2’s cast is attracting attention with their stellar filmographies, which only proves their potential to improve the show overall.