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At first I intensely disliked this series. On re-watch it is not bad as such, and certainly not as bad as I remembered, but I still don't like it very much. And just for the record, this is coming from a fan of the original series and from someone who very much liked the two Raul Julia/Anjelica Huston movies. Addams Family Reunion was however a mess, despite me being a big fan of Tim Curry.
I will get what I liked about The New Addams Family out of the way first. First and foremost, Glenn Taranto as Gomez. He is note perfect in the role and you can tell he was studying the original series as he was preparing for the role. And for fans of the original series, will love the original Gomez John Astin as Grandpa. The costume and set design are far from cheap either, the settings are meticulous with a convincing looking house, the effects are not slapdash(Thing is excellent) and the costumes are more than just fancy dress. The music is still iconic and fitting too.
However, I didn't like how the series presented the Addams Family themselves. Instead of a loving, genuinely caring family, they are more like criminals in this one. I know the Barry Sonnenfeld movies had a somewhat different representation of the family, but how they're presented here and their actions makes the Sonnenfeld movies tame in comparison. The series just wasn't funny here, the writing wasn't surreal or subtle enough, and the slapstick is rather tired and predictable.
The stories were rather uneven for me. There are some decent ones, like the first episode and the one with Fester as Santa at the mall, but others feel as though they're increasingly run out of ideas. The acting apart from Tarranto and Astin didn't impress me, Morticia tries too hard and is too expressive, Michael Roberds overdoes it embarrassingly as Fester and Pugsley is forgettable. Nicole Fugere fares better, she is much more comfortable than she is in Addams Family Reunion and she has some great deadpan delivery, however while it was more the fault of the writers, her Wednesday seemed more a pale imitation of Christina Ricci's.
Overall, I know judging from what I've said I'm going against the tide, but while it is not a complete disgrace I didn't care for it. 4/10 Bethany Cox
4/10
