Netflix‘s Wednesday introduced a lot of characters in season 1, from a new take on the sarcastic and darkly humorous Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) to members of the cliques at Nevermore Academy. While the series focused on Wednesday and her peers, there was a nice balance between younger and more mature characters, from the sheriff in the small town of Jericho to the teachers at the boarding school.

When viewers see Wednesday season 2, there is one cast member who was updated to a series regular, which suggests more screen time. There are many plotlines that this character could be part of, and it will be exciting to see how they can play a more prominent role in the mystery that Wednesday will get caught up in.

Which Character Is Now A Series Regular In Wednesday Season 2 And How Will This Change The Show?

Deputy Ritchie Santiago (Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo) has become a Wednesday season 2 series regular, which suggests that they will play a bigger part than they did in the first season. Since no details are known, viewers can think about what kind of storylines they want this character to be at the center of. While fans want to see Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie) again, it would also be great if Deputy Santiago was a big part of Wednesday Addams’s stalker story. Since Lewis-Nyawo will be a regular cast member, that suggests that she could be in charge of investigating the stalker.

Wednesday season 2 should do something different and have Santiago and Wednesday bond and become friends. Deputy Santiago is introduced as a smart character who does their job well and follows the rules. However, considering how sarcastic, intelligent, and rebellious Wednesday is, it would be fun to see her convince someone in a place of authority to help her out. Perhaps Deputy Santiago could see a kindred spirit in Wednesday and decide to take her more seriously than Sheriff Donovan Galpin (Jamie McShane) does.

Wednesday could also use her powers to convince Deputy Santiago to be on her side. Maybe Wednesday would show her something that she can use to get a promotion or even get a better job in a town other than Jericho, which has seen its fair share of problems. The two characters could make a deal and help each other, which would make Wednesday season 2 exciting to watch.

While Wednesday season 2 will be about the mysterious figure spying on Jenna Ortega’s character, the show also has a lot of great character moments, similar to Netflix’s other hit show Stranger Things. It would be fun to see Wednesday bonding with someone who isn’t a Nevermore student or a member of the Addams Family. This would allow the show to lean into its other characters who weren’t focused on enough in season 1.

Finally, perhaps Deputy Santiago could become a mentor to Wednesday and show her that she might want to become a detective or sheriff of her own someday. Without the YA tropes of season 1, Wednesday season 2 should present a more adult and mature Wednesday who thinks about her future. It’s definitely possible to imagine the Addams Family character growing up and wanting to be in charge of investigations and fighting evil since she’s already doing that as a Nevermore Academy student. There’s also the fact that Wednesday hates authority, which would make her want to be the one in charge.

What Role Did This Character Play In Wednesday Season 1?

Deputy Ritchie Santiago has a small role in Wednesday season 1 but is part of the big mystery at the heart of these eight episodes. Fans meet her in the first episode, “Wednesday’s Child Is Full Of Woe,” and Santiago is in charge of looking into who killed Ethan Hanson (James Clay). It turns out that the creepy villain the Hyde Monster is the one who murders him, but Santiago has no idea about this.

What Are Some Of Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo’s Other Roles?

Angela in Devs (2020)
Layla Mittens in The Dungeon Run (2021)
Nurse in The Magic Flute (2022)
voice of Adventurer Rosanna/Brawler Weneg/Clerk Zollerix in Balder’s Gate III (2023)
Maggie in How To Date Billy Walsh (2024)

Other than this storyline, though, Deputy Santiago’s appearance in Wednesday season 1 is brief. The sheriff has a larger role than they do, and the deputy sheriff and Wednesday don’t really interact. It seems likely that this will change in Wednesday season 2 since the deputy is now a regular cast member. While there’s curiosity around Tyler Galpin’s (Hunter Doohan) continued character arc, it will be interesting to see what Deputy Santiago does next.