Netflix streams the complete four-season run of The Umbrella Academy, an American superhero series centered on a dysfunctional family with superhuman abilities. Steve Blackman developed the television adaptation based on the Dark Horse Comics series written by Gerard Way since 2007. The show premiered in April 2019.
The narrative begins in 1989 when 43 babies are born inexplicably to random women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before. Billionaire industrialist Sir Reginald Hargreeves adopts seven of these children. He establishes the Umbrella Academy and trains his adopted children to save the world. The team dissolves during their teenage years as the family falls apart.
The story jumps to the present day, where the six surviving siblings reunite following the death of Hargreeves. They work together to investigate the circumstances of his passing. A looming global apocalypse threatens the world while the siblings struggle with their differing personalities and abilities.
Series cast and characters
The main cast features Elliot Page as Vanya Hargreeves, Viktor Hargreeves, The White Violin and Number Seven. Tom Hopper plays Luther Hargreeves, Spaceboy and Number One. David Castañeda portrays Diego Hargreeves, The Kraken and Number Two. Emmy Raver-Lampman appears as Allison Hargreeves, The Rumor and Number Three.
Robert Sheehan acts as Klaus Hargreeves, The Séance and Number Four. Aidan Gallagher plays Cinco Hargreeves, The Boy and Number Five. Justin H. Min is Ben Hargreeves, The Horror and Number Six. Colm Feore rounds out the principal cast as Sir Reginald Hargreeves.
The first season draws from the Apocalypse Suite and Dallas storylines of the original comic. The completed series consists of 36 episodes. Each episode runs between 45 and 60 minutes.
Audience and critical reception
The Umbrella Academy holds a 78 percent positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside an 81 percent favorable rating from the general public. Review aggregator Metacritic reports a 64 percent score from critics and a 6.8 out of 10 from audiences.
Viewers on the review website FilmAffinity scored the show 6.6 out of 10. Users on the Internet Movie Database rated the series 7.8 out of 10.
Netflix offers several other television series based on comic books in its catalog. These titles include Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Smallville, Tear Along the Dotted Line, Jupiter's Legacy, Lucifer, Riverdale, and Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight.
