Wednesday is more appropriate for Halloween than for the holiday season. However, the somewhat odd release timing doesn't seem to have deterred Netflix subscribers, as the new comedy-horror TV show seems to be enjoying a lot of initial success.

The show only appeared on Netflix last week (Wednesday, November 23), but it already ranks among the streamer's top 10 most-watched shows. In fact, in less than seven days, it has jumped to No. 1, ahead of the drama series "1899," which is also very popular with viewers. Wednesday's dance scene has been the talk of the town online.

And it was hard to unseat "Wednesday Downtown" from the top spot: "Texas Homicide Scene" entered the Netflix Top 10, but failed to take the #1 spot.

Based on the lovable character created by Charles Adams, "Wednesday" follows the protagonist who is expelled from his former high school for planting a piranha on the swim team and transferred to a school full of monstrous outcasts.

Jenna Ortega, known for her roles in Netflix's "You" and slasher films "X" and "Scream," stars as Wednesday Adams in the eight-episode series, in which Wednesday's troubles are not only adjusting to her new school, but also discovering that she has super powers and that the local sheriff (Jamie McShane) must help him solve a series of grisly murders.

The show centers on Wednesdays, but other members of the eccentric Addams family also make guest appearances. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Morticia Adams, the matriarch of the family, and Luis Guzman plays Wednesday's father, Gomez Adams. Pugsley Adams (Isaac Ordonez), Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen), and Lurch (George Barcia) also appear throughout the show.

"Wednesday" has received mostly positive reviews from critics, with some lukewarm reactions mixed in. The Netflix show is currently at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes (open in new tab), indicating that it is of generally acceptable quality but is unlikely to truly wow.

Brian Lowry of CNN (open in new tab) said, "Seeking to bring something new to a property like The Addams Family, which has been repeated so many times before, is not easy without changing its DNA. Wednesday's" has risen to this challenge, and has succeeded in most of its endeavors with flying colors.

Cristian Escobar of RogerEbert.com (open in new tab) was similarly impressed with the show, especially praising the performance of Jenna Ortega as Wednesday: "Ortega excels in this role, leaning toward deadpan humor.

However, not all critics are enthusiastic about Wednesday, with Jenna Scherer of AV Club (open in new tab) arguing that the series misses the mark and is not what Addams Family fans want. She says, "What we want to see in Wednesday Addams is an emotionally enlightened good guy.

As is often the case, viewers seemed to like Wednesday faster than the critics. The show has an 88% viewer score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is not hard to find positive feedback on social media.

In fact, there are already fan accounts demanding that Netflix produce a "Wednesday" season 2.

If you don't mind watching a comedy horror show in December - why didn't Netflix deliver this in October? - Wednesday is well worth your time. The show is a short six hours total, but there are plenty of laughs and surprisingly heartfelt moments in that time.

The show has a CW component that requires a certain tolerance for cheese, but if you don't take TV shows too seriously, you will probably enjoy "Wednesday." And even those who have never quite been able to get into the Addams Family may find this slightly different take on the creepy characters equally appealing. What else, I've picked out the seven best new movies to watch this week on Netflix, HBO Max, and Prime Video.

Next I watched Wednesday on Netflix.