Wednesday Addams, like the rest of the Addamses, became an icon from the moment she stepped onto our screens. From the second we heard Andrew Gold's theme song for The Addams Family (1964) and started snapping our fingers right alongside the characters, they've been a comfort to so many of us and for a wide variety of reasons. There's something ridiculously hot about most versions of Lurch. Gomez and Morticia Addams are literally marriage goals, and Wednesday Addams is the kid you want in your corner.
Since I was a kid, no matter the time of day or what I was doing, if the Addams Family was on, I sat in front of the screen, eyes glued to the TV. With multiple adaptations to look back on, here are all the Wednesday Addams, ranked, as well as which movie to watch them in on HBO Max and more.
7. Nicole Fugere - The New Addams Family (1998-1999)
It's certainly not Nicole Fugere's—or the rest of the cast members' fault—but The New Addams Family and Addams Family Reunion came a little too quickly after Addams Family Values (1993), and sadly, it never managed to evoke the same sense of comfort. Or, perhaps in some cases, this is a Spider-Man scenario, where we all have our favorites and the one we're most attached to, so any new one simply doesn't work. But the overall production value left very little room for the characters to shine, and that's a large part of what makes the family's history so engrossing.
We aren't always watching to see what zany thing the macabre family will get up to, but we're watching to see the characters' journeys in order to learn more about them. We're watching for those quiet moments that we'll maybe be able to quote or add on as a meme. And these adaptations, despite the best efforts from the cast, unfortunately missed the mark.
6. Debi Derryberry - The Addams Family (1992-1993)
As an animated version, The Addams Family (1992) should've worked, but it was simply okay. Debi Derryberry's Wednesday Addams is a bit less dark than the character usually is, and the liveliness of the actual cartoon itself stripped away some of the darkness that makes the titular family as memorable as they are. If it were tonally more similar to shows like Scooby-Doo: Where Are You? (1969), we'd have a winner in our hands.
But for the sake of nostalgia, this version of the story is still worth watching solely to get another twist on the beloved family's antics. The type of animation is also one that we rarely see nowadays, so that adds an extra layer of charm that can be intriguing to new viewers who just want a different point of view.
5. Cindy Henderson - The Addams Family (1973)
Believe it or not, once upon a time, Wednesday Addams wore pink. That's right, the tiny gothic queen wasn't always decked out in black, and The Addams Family miniseries from the '70s is proof of this fact. She first made an appearance in an episode titled "Wednesday Is Missing" in The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972) where crossover movies and TV shows were happening long before the DCEU and network television made it a broadcast event.
Henderson's version of Wednesday still had the character's classic spunky attitude with a slight twist in clothing as we know it. As the first to voice the character in an animated format, Henderson set the stage for how things can be and delivered a memorable character journey in the short runtime.
4. Chloë Grace Moretz - The Addams Family (2019)
Like the 1973 animated series, everything about the recent animated films, The Addams Family (2019) and The Addams Family 2 (2021), should've worked, especially given the amazing actors lending their voices. However, the story unfortunately fumbled through strange choices and not enough risks being taken to add a darkness to the story that could still keep the macabre elements from the live-action features.
Still, Chloë Grace Moretz, like Derryberry, does an incredible job with the voice work—as all the actors do, like Oscar Isaac as Gomez Addams, yes please—but the sprightly nature doesn't match the edge that's generally necessary. However, it is a good film to show kids who might not be ready for the live-action versions but still want something lightly spooky and fun.
3. Lisa Loring - The Addams Family (1964-1965)
For many of us, the late Lisa Loring was our introduction to Wednesday Addams, and for this reason, we'll always have a soft spot for her performance. At the same time, the original series sets the blueprint for how darkness and humor can marry in an intricate dance that'll always hit especially hard for those who appreciate unique in-between genres. Light and dark in a way that's perfectly balanced, Loring's Wednesday is an absolute delight.
She is a younger version of the character, ridiculously spunky, oddly sweet, and surprisingly layered. Long before Jenna Ortega's dance to The Cramps' "Goo Goo Muck" became a TikTok trend, Lisa Loring had one of her own while trying to teach Lurch. She infused the character with so much personality that it's also admirable how each of the Wednesdays who followed in her path did their own thing.
2. Jenna Ortega - Wednesday (2022-Present)
Jenna Ortega's campy approach in Netflix's Wednesday makes her version the darkest one we have yet, and every beat of her embodiment is incredible. While the show is relatively safe for scaredy-cats, it's still much spookier than other versions, and its inclusion of a lot more supernatural elements might not be as favorable for people who prefer a more tame version of gothic horror.
Still, Ortega had big shoes to fill when signing on to the role, and she did so without trying to be Christina Ricci or anyone who came before her, but rather, she makes the character entirely her own. She deep dives into the darkest parts of Wednesday's psyche and also adds an incredibly subtle layer of softness that touches on her innate loyalty perfectly. Wednesday is perfect for viewers who prefer campy horror and shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018).
1. Christina Ricci - The Addams Family (1991)
There will never be another Wednesday Addams like Christina Ricci's, and that's okay because everything she brought to the role was so niche and so perfect for those of us who grew up in the '90s. In every way where it matters, The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values are perfect films, and it's largely because of the cast and how they increased the darkness and touched on the family's love for one another.
The titular family is so comforting because of their loyalty to one another, and no one shows it quite like the brutal little weirdo, Wednesday. How she calls out colonialism and everyone's foolishness is literally, always and forever, the biggest mood. It's what makes her such a legendary character because we're all thinking what she says out loud. Bonus points if you're also the eldest daughter—this version nails that bit in a way that's so accurate, it's always hilarious.
