Tamal Kundu
Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ tells the story of the daughter of the Addams family, the eponymous Wednesday. At the start of the series, she punishes her brother’s bullies and is sent to Nevermore Academy, located in the town of Jericho. Nevermore is unlike any school Wednesday has been, as it has been specially built to educate outcasts like her. In this rendition of the ‘Addams Family,’ some people have special abilities. They are known as outcasts, while the regular people are called normies.
Both the Nevermore Academy and the town of Jericho play important roles in the narrative of the series. If you are wondering whether they are based on a real school and town, here is what we know. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Jericho a Real Town?
Jericho is a Biblical name. So, predictably, there are several places named Jericho in the real world, but none of them is the town depicted in the show, making the Jericho of ‘Wednesday’ a fictional community. In the series, almost all of the narrative is set either in Jericho or at Nevermore, which is within walking distance of the town.
As there is no real Jericho, filming for the series took place in various places in Romania. Including Bucharest and Transylvania. In an interview with Gold Derby, series co-creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar reflected on the complications they faced during filming, “When we were looking where we gonna shoot the show, you know, we looked all over,” Gough stated. “And at one point, we thought we are gonna go to Canada. But the real signature of a Tim Burton [who directed four out of eight episodes] project is actually the production design and the sets. And so, we intended to find a place that can accommodate that. And Romania gave us everything we needed in terms of the large studio space to build these sets.”
Gough pointed out how similar Romania looks to New England, noting that the fictional Jericho is supposed to be located in the American region. “And Also, it actually kind of looks like New England,” Gough continued. “If you draw a line from sort of Northeast of America cross them half like latitude and longitude, you know Romania is there. So, it gave us that look as well. And as Miles said, there is something off about Romania. And the fact that we were shooting the Wednesday Addams show adjacent to Transylvania somehow felt perfect.”
Is Nevermore Based on a Real School?
No, Nevermore Academy isn’t based on a real school. According to the series lore, established in 1791 by Nathaniel Faulkner, Nevermore is a safe haven for young outcasts, a place where they can get a proper education without constantly trying to hide who they really are. Past alums of the school include Morticia Addams, Gomez Addams, Ignatius Itt, and Edgar Allen Poe.
In the real world, the name “Nevermore” comes from one of Poe’s most famous poems, ‘The Raven.’ The fictional school shares its name with an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington.
In the days leading up to the release of the show, Netflix launched a website for Nevermore as part of the promotional campaign. “Founded in 1791, Nevermore Academy is an academic institution that nurtures outcasts, freaks and monsters,” the mission statement for Nevermore reads. “Our mission is to help each student master their extraordinary abilities through world-class academics and unique extracurriculars.”
Read More: Is Marilyn Thornhill aka Laurel Gates Dead or Alive in Wednesday?
