Jenna Ortega Plans TV Hiatus After 'Wednesday' Wraps

Jenna Ortega has spent more than a decade navigating the relentless churn of television production, moving from one series to the next since she was a child. Now, with Wednesday heading toward its third and apparently final chapter, she's signaling a deliberate course correction — one that prioritizes creative breathing room over franchise momentum.

A Quiet Exit from the Small Screen

Appearing on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ortega spoke candidly about her intentions once Wednesday concludes, according to Page Six. "I think after 'Wednesday,' I'll probably be off the TV for a while," she told Horowitz, framing the decision less as a retreat and more as a recalibration. "I was bouncing from show to show as a kid, this to this, and I want to leave time for new things," she explained. For anyone who has tracked her career — from Jane the Virgin to Stuck in the Middle to a recurring arc on You — the sentiment carries real biographical weight. The episodic grind of television, especially for young performers, can be both a launching pad and a constraint.

Ortega also addressed the subject of franchise work more broadly, noting that those conversations simply haven't materialized in the way outsiders might assume for an actress at her level of visibility. "What I'm meant to do will come and find me," she said, projecting a kind of patient confidence that feels unusual in an industry defined by aggressive positioning.

'Wednesday' Season 3 and What's Still Ahead

Before that hiatus arrives, there's still substantial Wednesday business to attend to. The third season, which Netflix confirmed wrapped production in September after beginning filming in February, is currently slated for a 2027 release. Ortega returns as the famously dour Wednesday Addams alongside Luis Guzmán, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Isaac Ordonez — with the notable additions of Winona Ryder, who previously shared the screen with Ortega in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Eva Green. Tim Burton continues as director, keeping the visual grammar of the show consistent with its gothic-absurdist roots.

The series has been one of Netflix's signature successes since its 2022 debut, accumulating four Emmy wins and earning Ortega a nomination of her own. She has since been invited to join the Film Academy in 2026, a recognition that underscores how thoroughly her profile has expanded beyond the teen-skewing projects of her early career.

A Pattern of Principled Departures

Ortega's willingness to walk away from lucrative franchises is, by now, an established part of her public identity. She departed the Scream series after the fifth and sixth installments, a decision she has since explained in full. In a 2025 interview with the Cut, she cited the firing of co-star Mellissa Barrera — dismissed after publicly expressing solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing conflict in Gaza — as a central factor. The planned absence of directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin from Scream VII compounded the issue. "If 'Scream VII' wasn't going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn't seem like the right move for me," she said.

That kind of loyalty to collaborators over contractual obligation speaks to a performer thinking in terms of craft and relationships rather than brand extension.

The Bigger Picture

Ortega has also been forthcoming about the psychological and physical costs of her early career. She has reflected publicly on going without food or water for entire days on set as a child star, and has admitted she came close to leaving the industry entirely before landing her role on You. Those experiences clearly inform how deliberately she now approaches her choices.

With film projects like Klara and the Sun already signaling a more adventurous cinematic range, a focused pivot toward features makes both artistic and strategic sense. Whatever she chooses after Wednesday takes its final bow, it appears the decision will be entirely her own.