A large part of the appeal of Netflix's Wednesday (2022) is how it expertly balances young adult adventures with dark events through an efficiently palatable lens. It might not be appealing for those who prefer more outright horror. However, it can be a great segue for those who are scaredy-cats but still adore the original Addams Family films. It's spooky with paranormal twists and turns, but simultaneously, it's an interesting reflection of what it means to be a teen and go through human woes that feel surprisingly relatable.
More importantly, amid all its darkness, what makes Wednesday so delightful is that, at its core, it's a story about the lengths the titular character will go to protect those she loves. There aren't many TV shows that capture the same magic as Wednesday, but we've curated a list of five series that are just as delightfully dark, as well as where you can watch them on Netflix, Paramount+, and more.
School Spirits (2023-Present)
School Spirits is Paramount+'s underrated hidden gem that follows a group of teens who died and became ghosts at Split River High School. While the school itself might not be as gloomy as Nevermore Academy, the series carefully takes on dark themes, such as grief, death, sexual assault, addiction, murder, and legacies. It especially shines because of its cast, led to perfection by Peyton List, but it's the character dynamics throughout that make it so special.
One of the ghosts, Sarah Yarkin's Rhonda, is particularly similar to Wednesday as a stoic icon, and the two would undoubtedly get along if they existed in the same space. Ultimately, School Spirits is full of haunts, young adult angst, and surprising moments of wholesome joy that can be specifically comforting for viewers who love Ghosts (2021).
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020)
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina might be the closest thing to Wednesday and the polar opposite of an original series like Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996). This one's especially perfect for anyone who loved Riverdale (2017), and it's best suited for viewers who want true witchy vibes. Kiernan Shipka consistently delivers an incredible performance, and like Jenna Ortega, she takes a beloved character and makes her completely unique.
The series might not be suited for viewers who prefer dark vibes that aren't too scary, but it's still an absolute must-watch for how it handles spooky elements amid teenage woes. It's fun, extremely campy, and thoroughly enjoyable as a standalone series for newcomers or those who might be more familiar with the Archie comics.
Stranger Things (2016-2025)
As far as delightfully dark TV shows go, very few things top Stranger Things. It's not for the faint-hearted, but it's also still the type of show that every scaredy-cat can likely stomach. (If I can, so can you.) But more than anything, the darkness in Stranger Things is made better entirely because of the characters, and that's exactly what makes Wednesday great, too. We're seated for Jenna Ortega's perfect embodiment of the iconic character, and years from now, characters in Stranger Things will likely have a similar legacy.
Hawkins, Indiana, as a town, has similar vibes to Jericho, Vermont, and while the gothic elements might be swapped for more grotesque bits of horror, the locations feel like they can exist in the same place. More than anything, Stranger Things is, at its core, a series about friendships, so it's what makes every beat of the darkness delightful.
Shadow and Bone (2021-2023)
Though it was unfortunately canceled after its second season, Shadow and Bone is a delightfully dark young adult fantasy that marries a rare magic system with real-world perils to make the series incredible. Based on the bestselling novels by Leigh Bardugo, the characters in Ravka, Ketterdam, and various other fictional locations are all twisted in some way, broken and bruised while trying to survive a shadow destruction created by Ben Barnes' the Darkling, a literal Shadow Summoner.
With a perfect cast that embodies the book characters brilliantly, Shadow and Bone is a must-watch for viewers who love the unlikely friendships on Wednesday. Freddie Carter's Kaz Brekker, in many ways, is the male version of Wednesday Addams, which makes his role extra dark and delightful. While the series doesn't deal with classic monster lore as heavily as Wednesday does, it's still gruesome in its own way.
Lockwood & Co. (2023)
Yet another series that was unfortunately canceled far too soon, Lockwood & Co. takes viewers through an alternate reality in London where ghosts roam freely and a group of teenagers are the ones tasked with ghost-hunting. The series became a fandom phenomenon for its found family vibes and wholesome character beats throughout the dark series, and it also garnered multiple campaigns for a renewal that sadly never happened.
Still, Lockwood & Co. is undoubtedly worth watching for the viewers who want a delightfully dark and spooky young adult series similar to Wednesday. In addition, like Wednesday, the series also explores mystery elements that the viewers uncover alongside the characters, making it a procedural of sorts. Ruby Stokes' Lucy Carlyle is just as memorable as a leading female character, and fans of the series thankfully also have Jonathan Stroud's books to turn to afterward.
