Tim Burton rewatch! Burton returns to episodic TV for the first time since the ‘80s, directing the first four episodes of Wednesday and producing the entire series.

Here’s what happens: After a piranha-based incident at her old school, Wednesday Addams must relocate to Nevermore Academy, her parents’ supernatural alma mater. Wednesday clashes with her werewolf roommate, a siren bully, and a handsome boy working at the local coffee shop. Wednesday believes herself to be above the usual urban fantasy boarding school drama, but she can’t help but be drawn in by a mystery involving a creature roaming the woods nearby.

Origin story: Charles Addams, a New Jersey native and art school grad, got his start as a designer and layout artist for various 1930s pump magazines. His distinctive cartoons earned him a recurring spot in The New Yorker, giving him and his cartoons worldwide fame. His Addams Family characters originally had no names, but for marketing and the 1964 TV deal, Addams had to name each of them. Wednesday Addams was the first named, as a Wednesday doll was produced in ’63, to promote the upcoming series.

Outsider theory: Nevermore Academy and the surrounding town are made up of “outcasts” and “normies.” But the normies are clearly the second-class ones, with the outcasts running the place. Wednesday might not fit in at Nevermore, more because of her attitude than because of her strangeness. She’s smarter and more capable than everyone else, and has the ability to see through everyone else’s B.S. Thinking to Burton’s previous work, Wednesday has quite a bit in common with Batman.

Reality breaks through: What to make of the opening scene, in which Wednesday dumps piranhas into the school swimming pool, injuring and possibly killing a whole bunch of her fellow teens? A lot of the humor of the Addams Family is the characters talking about ghoulish things they’ve done, leaving the visuals up to the viewers’ imaginations. For us to spend an entire series with Wednesday boasting how she’s the baddest one around, we need this scene at the start to show she’s not all talk. When Wednesday threatens to kill you, she means it.

Best bits: Wednesday: “I act as if I don’t care if people dislike me, but deep down… I secretly enjoy it.”

Thoughts on this viewing: It’s easy to see why Wednesday was such a hit, as it remains fun and engaging today as it did on its big debut weekend. And it’s a big swing back upward for Burton. I’ll admit that the overall mystery plot isn’t all that engaging, but Wednesday succeeds in its big atmospheric moments, such as Wednesday furiously playing the cello, her solving a puzzle in an underground chamber, and especially her bizarre dance that you saw everywhere on social media.

Next: One day more.

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