Why Wednesday Season 2 Only Has 4 Episodes

Almost three years after Wednesday Season 1, the release of Season 2 is finally here – and Jenna Ortega’s eponymous Addams Family character isn’t the only thing short about it. Despite the lengthy delay, which was caused by a combination of the WGA and SAG strikes and some scheduling conflicts, the hit show’s return to Netflix only includes four episodes released on August 6, 2025 (appropriately, a Wednesday).

Wednesday Season 1 contained eight episodes, and so, after so long away, only having four episodes to watch may be disappointing to some viewers. It’d definitely be fair to expect more, and Netflix will deliver on that front… but is making audiences wait a little bit longer. The first four episodes constitute Season 2, Part 1, and then Part 2 will be released on September 3, 2025.

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The reason for the split is a continuation of a strategy that started with Stranger Things Season 4, which was released in two separate volumes. Since then, Netflix has decided to release several of its biggest returning shows in two parts, usually spaced out by a month. This applies to shows like The Witcher Season 3, Bridgerton Season 3, Virgin River Season 5, and now, Wednesday Season 2. Some have taken it even further: Cobra Kai Season 6 was divided into three parts; Stranger Things Season 5’s release will also be split into three, releasing on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.

There are several factors behind the split seasons. In the case of Stranger Things Season 4, it was, in part, to allow some episodes to be released while VFX was still being finished. That may apply somewhat to Wednesday Season 2, though it’s a far less CGI-heavy series, especially as it avoids further delays to the entire season. Meanwhile, back in January, Netflix’s CCO, Bela Bajaria, told Deadline that some showrunners, such as for The Crown and Bridgerton, chose a split from a creative standpoint because they “wanted to structure or write it because they felt it was an actual, natural emotional break.”

Beyond that, while not the official line, it’s also a matter of audience engagement and subscriber retention. The idea of episodes releasing across different months should not only ensure that people are subscribed to Netflix for longer, but that the shows are talked about more as well. It means there are two spikes close together, rather than a one-and-done. Of course, Netflix could also achieve this with something novel like, say, weekly episodic releases, but it seems unlikely to ever completely move away from the binge model. This is a best-of-both-worlds approach for the streamer.

Regardless of how and when Wednesday Season 2’s episodes release, it’s going to be one of Netflix’s biggest shows of the year – perhaps only behind Squid Game and Stranger Things when all the data is collected. Four episodes in Part 1 may be frustrating after three years, and ideally, the remaining ones would be there with a double snap of the fingers, but thankfully, it’s not too long before Wednesday Season 2 will wrap up.