Joanna Lumley Promoted to Series Regular for ‘Wednesday’ Season 3

Post By DJ Longers
February 24, 2026

From Bolly to Black Magic: Joanna Lumley Promoted to Series Regular for ‘Wednesday’ Season 3

DUBLIN, IRELAND — The halls of Nevermore Academy are about to get a lot more "fabulous"—and frightening. Netflix has officially confirmed that British icon Joanna Lumley has been promoted to a series regular for the upcoming third season of its global phenomenon, Wednesday.

The Absolutely Fabulous star, who made a hauntingly chic debut in Season 2 as Grandmama Hester Frump, is set to take a central role in the next chapter of the Addams Family saga. Production for the third installment officially commenced in Dublin this week, with director Tim Burton returning to lead the gothic expansion.

The "Basement Twist" Sets the Stage

Lumley’s promotion comes on the heels of the shocking Season 2 finale, which saw her character, the formidable mogul behind Frump Mortuaries, descending into a secret basement to visit her long-missing daughter, Ophelia.

The cliffhanger revealed that Hester has been keeping Morticia’s sister (to be played by new cast addition Eva Green) locked away for years. Season 3 is expected to dive deep into this fractured family tree, with Hester serving as the calculated, "emotionally cold" matriarch pulling the strings.

“Hester is a delicious family fire-starter,” showrunner Miles Millar noted in a statement. “She is Wednesday’s favorite person—largely because she’s the only one who can make Morticia truly uncomfortable. Having Joanna as a full-time regular allows us to really explore the ‘Frump’ side of the family legacy.”

A Star-Studded Nevermore Shake-Up

The promotion of the BAFTA-winning Dame Lumley is just one part of a major Season 3 casting overhaul. Netflix also confirmed several seismic additions to the ensemble:

The Burton Reunion: Winona Ryder has officially joined the cast in a top-secret recurring role, reuniting with both Burton and her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice co-star Jenna Ortega.
The Long-Lost Sister: Eva Green makes her debut as the erratic and unpredictable Ophelia Frump.
The Departures: While the core Addams unit—including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, and Isaac Ordonez—returns as regulars, the series has parted ways with Noah B. Taylor, whose character Bruno Yuson will not return.

“Not Too British”

Lumley, known to millions as the champagne-swilling Patsy Stone, has famously adopted a "mid-Atlantic" accent for the role—following Tim Burton’s specific direction to be "just not too British." Her portrayal of Grandmama Hester has been praised for blending high-fashion elegance with a razor-sharp, gothic wit.

“I get to wear many, many huge wigs, one on top of the other,” Lumley joked during a recent appearance on This Morning. “It is spectacular. I’ve never seen such attention to detail and extravagance.”

The Road to Season 3

With Season 2 having premiered in two parts during August and September 2025, fans are eagerly anticipating the next chapter. While no official release date has been set, the current production schedule in Ireland suggests a late 2026 or early 2027 return.

As Wednesday Addams herself might say, the family drama is reaching a boiling point, and with Grandmama Hester now a permanent fixture at Nevermore, things are about to get positively "wicked."