Chris Bacon Says Tim Burton Told Him Not to Make Wednesday Funny

Chris Bacon says tim burton told him not to make the Wednesday score funny, and that instruction shaped the show’s musical tone going into Season 2. Bacon said Burton wanted the music serious, darker and heavier, with the goal of keeping the series inside its macabre fantasy world.

Bacon’s scoring brief

Bacon said Burton’s direction was simple: “don’t make this funny.” He also recalled, “Do not play funny music,” and added that Burton wanted the music to be serious, “The same way Jenna Ortega plays it.”

That brief set the parameters for the score before a note was written. Bacon said, “Keep it grounded in that macabre fantasy world,” which gave the composer a practical target: preserve the show’s deadpan edge without turning the music into a punchline.

Season 2 musical language

Bacon said Season 2 was the chance to build “this language that was quirky but also not too quirky that felt like it could have existed at any time.” He added that making the score darker would make the show funnier, a reminder that the series’ music is doing more than filling silence.

He also said the music for Wednesday could have existed at any time because the Addams Family does not exist in time. In practice, that keeps the score flexible: it can sound old without sounding dated, which matters for a franchise that leans on its own rules rather than a fixed era.

French horns and harpsicord

Bacon pointed to Season 2’s sweeping cinematic score accented by French horns when Enid turns into a werewolf to save Wednesday. He also said the harpsicord remains part of the Addams Family sound, linking the new episodes back to the 1964 TV series theme and its established musical identity.

That balance is the business of the score here: preserve the recognizable sound while widening the palette for bigger set pieces. Bacon’s description suggests Season 2 is not trying to overhaul the franchise’s music, only to make it broader without losing the family’s signature chill.

Ireland and Season 3

At the end of February, Wednesday began Season 3 production in Ireland, and Chris Bacon said simply, “Music is being made.” The Season 3 cast additions include Chris Sarandon, Noah Taylor, Oscar Morgan, Kennedy Moyer and Winona Ryder, while a recent photo showed the action heading to Paris.

For viewers, the takeaway is straightforward: Burton is still treating the score as part of the show’s identity, not background decoration. If Season 3 keeps that rule, the music should stay anchored to the same dark wit Bacon described, even as the production moves from Ireland toward Paris.