All about The Addams Family
They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky…
Whether you grew up with the comic, watched the [TV series,](bbc bitesize television) loved the '90s films, or discovered the family through Netflix's Wednesday, you've probably heard of The Addams Family.
But fear not: if the names Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday and Pugsley mean nothing to you, but you want to know what all the fuss is about, BBC Bitesize has pulled together a guide to this iconic fictional family. And if you've ever wondered which character you're most like, you can take our IYKYK quiz below to find out!
Who are The Addams Family?
A simple question to start with…
Created by cartoonistCharles Addams in 1938 for the magazine The New Yorker, the Addams family is a satirical version of the stereotypical American family unit.
They’re vastly rich and live in a large mansion, but rather than being strait-laced and squeaky-clean, they’re obsessed with anything eccentric, grotesque and macabre – and don’t seem at all bothered that people find them odd.
The family’s gothic home has had several names over various adaptations, including Cemetery Ridge, 0001 Cemetery Lane and 1313 Cemetery Lane. While its exact location is never specified, Charles Addams said it was inspired by his hometown of Westfield, New Jersey.
But who are the characters in the Addams family? The story follows eccentric, energetic patriarch Gomez; his gothic, plant-loving wife Morticia; their deadpan daughter Wednesday; and their son Pugsley, who often accompanies Wednesday on dangerous misadventures.
Other characters include the chaotic Uncle Fester, who has a fondness for electricity and explosives; potion-brewing Grandma; and the toweringly tall butler Lurch. While the family themselves are human, some characters aren’t – like Thing, the sentient disembodied hand that helps the family around the house, and gibberish-speaking Cousin Itt, who is completely covered in hair.
What genre is the Addams Family?
The cartoon series continued until Charles Addams died in 1988, but it’s also been adapted several times – including a live action TV series in the 1960s, an animated series in the 1970s and a 2010 musical. The story blends elements of several genres, including gothic fiction, supernatural fantasy and dark comedy.
A key element of the Addams family’s humour is that they treat death and pain as normal and even fun, while being absolutely terrified of mundane suburban life. Wednesday and Pugsley often try to murder or seriously injure each other, while in one cartoon, the family pour boiling oil onto a group of Christmas carollers.
Several characters also possess supernatural abilities. Morticia practices witchcraft and can communicate with spirits, while Uncle Fester can generate electricity from his own body and Wednesday has psychic visions. Lurch, the family’s Frankenstein-inspired butler, has abnormal physical strength.
While the original cartoons didn’t give the characters names or a specific ethnicity, many adaptations imply that the family has Hispanic heritage through Gomez Addams and his family background. They’re said to have a net worth of about $2 billion – according to Forbes, anyway – partly due to Gomez’s relation to royalty from Castile, Spain. That’s where the mansion, fortune and vaults stuffed with jewels, gold and heirlooms come from.
However, Gomez is also prone to investing money in seemingly unwise or downright odd business ventures that somehow end up being profitable. For example, he bought a swamp he said had ‘scenic value’, which turned out to have a huge oil deposit beneath it.
What can we learn from the Addams Family?
It’s safe to say The Addams Family is home to some pretty unique characters. Rather than changing themselves to please the outside world, its members are unapologetic about their love of all things gothic and macabre.
It’s also been pointed out that Gomez and Morticia model a strong, healthy relationship while being supportive parents. They frequently show one another affection, treat each other as equals and accept each other’s quirks. For example, rather than being frustrated when his wife beats him at fencing – one of his favourite hobbies – Gomez is delighted.
Instead of punishing Wednesday and Pugsley when they do things like build an electric chair or keeping a pet zombie, Gomez and Morticia encourage their children’s interests and natural curiosity while advising them on safety. And when Morticia starts to advise her daughter on how to behave around boys, she quickly realises conventional rules around quietness and curtseying don’t apply to Wednesday and allows her to be her true self.
These are all lessons many of us could apply to our own lives – with a bit less death and destruction, obviously.
QUIZ: Which member of The Addams Family are you?
How many Addams Family films are there?
There have been five major Addams Family films since 1991. The first, simply titled The Addams Family, was released in 1991 and follows a group of con artists who are trying to steal the family’s fortune.
This was followed two years later by Addams Family Values, in which Gomez and Morticia welcome a new baby named Pubert, Wednesday and Pugsley are sent to summer camp and Uncle Fester develops feelings for the new nanny, whose husbands have a mysterious habit of dying. In 1998, Addams Family Reunion saw the family try to save Gomez’s parents from becoming normal by throwing a massive family reunion.
The main cast of these three films differed from that of the 1960s TV series. In the first two, Gomez and Morticia were played by Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston respectively, while Christina Ricci got her breakout role as Wednesday and Pugsley was played by Jimmy Workman.
The third film saw an almost complete re-cast after Raul Julia’s death in 1994. Several other cast members declined to return or had become too old to play children. Instead, Daryl Hannah and Tim Curry played Morticia and Gomez while Nicole Fugere and Jerry Messing played Wednesday and Pugsley.
The final two films were computer animated rather than live-action, as the rest had been. The Addams Family, released in 2019, has them going up against a painfully cheerful reality TV host who’s built a stereotypically suburban house next door. Two years later, in The Addams Family 2, Gomez and Morticia take their family on a cross-country road trip to try to bring them all closer together.
These films starred Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz, Bette Midler and Oscar Isaac, while Snoop Dogg voiced Cousin Itt.
What are The Addams Family lyrics?
One thing that’s transcended the decades and the many different adaptations is *The Addams Family theme music.
Originally composed in 1964 for the TV series, it’s been incorporated into all five films – and even if you don’t think you’ve heard it before, you probably have.
The lyrics are as follows:
They’re creepy and they’re kookyMysterious and spookyThey’re all together ookyThe Addams Family
Their house is a museumWhen people come to see ‘emThey really are a screamThe Addams Family
So put a witch’s shawl onA broomstick you can crawl onWe’re gonna pay a call onThe Addams Family
They’re creepy and they’re kookyMysterious and spookyThey’re all together ookyThe Addams Family
Just don’t blame us if it gets stuck in your head …
What is Netflix's Wednesday about?
Image source, Courtesy of Netflix © 2022However, Netflix’s Wednesday doesn’t use the original theme song, because the series focuses mainly on the eldest Addams child rather than the whole family.
Two seasons have been released so far, in 2022 and 2025. The show stars Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, following her journey as she attends Nevermore Academy and navigates her emerging psychic powers while attempting to solve mysterious murders.
Tim Burton – known for gothic films like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Corpse Bride – is an executive producer on the show, and directed the first four episodes of season one. It’s not too dark, though – it’s got an age rating of 12 in the UK.
Wednesday also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, with both Joanna Lumley and Lady Gaga starring in season 2. The series has also gained viral moments on social media dance. Following season 1, many users recreated Wednesday's dance at the Rav'N Ball to original song, Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps, as well as a trend to a sped-up version of Lady Gaga's song Bloody Mary.
In a throwback to The Addams Family and Addams Family Values films, Christina Ricci stars in Wednesday as Marilyn Thornhill, a teacher at Nevermore Academy. In season 2, Christopher Lloyd, who played Uncle Fester in the 90s films, starred in Wednesday as Professor Orloff.
Image source, Courtesy of Netflix © 2022When is Wednesday series 3 coming out?
Production on the third season of Wednesday reportedly ended in September 2026. Whereas the first two seasons focused on Nevermore Academy and were filmed in Romania and Ireland, the third instalment will expand Wednesday’s world with a trip to Paris.
It will also introduce viewers to Ophelia Frump, Morticia’s long-missing sister. While she was rarely seen in the original comics, Ophelia is portrayed as bright, blonde and cheerful in the 1960s TV series, with the ability to grow flowers out of her head.
However, Wednesday season 3 will reportedly reimagine her as a darker figure whose psychic powers are out of control and lead her to want Wednesday dead. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Ophelia is a tragic figure who meets a sad fate after experiencing a mental breakdown. Whether there will be parallels between this and Ophelia Frump’s story, we’ll have to wait and see.
Wednesday season 3 is expected to be released on Netflix in 2027.
This article was written in October 2026
