Fans of Stranger Things and Harry Potter will be excited to hear that Netflix’s new series Wednesday is right up their alley. The show was released on November 23rd, providing the perfect, much-needed break from cheesy Hallmark holiday movies. 

If the style of the series seems familiar to you, it might be because it was directed by the award-winning director, Tim Burton, whose name you might recognize from several classics, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Alice in Wonderland, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just to name a few.

You might also recognize the star of the show, Jenna Ortega, from You, or, if you were (or are) a Disney fan, Stuck In The Middle. Christina Ricci, who rose to fame when she played Wednesday Addams in previous Addams Family movies, acts alongside Ortega.

As someone who tends to shy away from horror movies and can get somewhat bored of fantasy (an unpopular opinion, I know), Wednesday provided the perfect mix of spook, adventure, and a touch of romance to keep me binging. Obviously, I am not the only one who has become a massive fan of the show; Wednesday broke Netflix’s record, making it to #1 on Netflix in 83 countries, with 341.2 million hours watched in just the first week.

Contrary to what you might believe, the show is not just another basic (creepy, kooky, spooky, and altogether ooky) version of the classic Addams family movies. As the title suggests, the series focuses on the life of the sixteen-year-old daughter of the Addams family, Wednesday, who has trouble fitting in with the so-called ‘Normies’ (humans without powers, the equivalent of muggles in the Harry Potter world), not that she makes any attempt to do so. As a result, her parents send her to Nevermore Academy, a school for ‘Outcasts’, the opposite of Normies, consisting of four main groups: Fangs (vampires), Furs (werewolves), Scales (Sirens), and Stoners (Gorgons).

As is expected, Wednesday, with her strange obsession with anything morbid, cannot resist getting tangled up in a mysterious murder case. Although throughout her investigation, she surprisingly, even to her socially-awkward self, builds both platonic and possibly even romantic relationships, her single-mindedness keeps her focused on her own goals. In fear of spoiling any juicy details, I won’t describe any more of the exciting storyline.

Overall, with a few love triangles and several shocking plot twists, Wednesday will appeal to you, no matter if you are looking for a nail-biting mystery or have a soft spot for romance.