After losing all its Marvel superhero TV shows, Netflix went the Dark Horse Comics route to get a dysfunctional superhero team to make up for the cancellations and prove that they still have original superhero content that will keep us glued to their platform. And make up for it, they certainly did.
The Umbrella Academy brought a new dynamic to the franchise of comic book live-adaptations. The kind that I not only didn’t expect but also didn’t think I’d ever enjoy.
First of all, the dysfunctionality of the family gave the story more depth considering the fact that we are already used to superhero teams and families working in unison to fight evil and win the day. It was good seeing that disunity from the very first episode and the fact that the only time all the members of the family truly came together to save the day was at the very last scene made the overall story worth it and the end worth the wait.
The character development is no doubt the kind that every upcoming superhero show should try adapting. Compared to other superhero series currently running and those that have finished airing, the first season of The Umbrella Academy barely went by without barely scratching the surface of what the heroes can do, and that leaves room for even more character development in subsequent seasons. In many other superhero shows on television, the first season gives away almost all the powers the character(s) possess and the second season sees them upgrading their powers through fluke or crook in order to reach a higher level and achieve the same feats their characters have in their comic books.
So far, the dark tone has only worked well for shows like Arrow, Titan, The Punisher, and Legion, but not adding The Umbrella Academy to the list now seems more like a sin than anything else really.
All the characters did absolutely amazing and made you feel like you were actually watching the comic book play out in real life, but my favourite character is definitely Klaus a.k.a The Seance (Number 4). He was the one whose scenes I looked forward to the most because he had a way of making you laugh and also wondering what he was going to do (if he was going to do anything at all) with the powers at his disposal.
With this show, Netflix has proved that the loss of the Marvel TV shows is not a loss because they have gained a superhero series that is up to par with the best of the cancelled shows, and with more Dark Horse Comics live-adaptations like Avatar: The Last Airbender still on the way, Netflix is definitely going to comfortably compete with DC and Disney’s streaming services.
I’ll rank The Umbrella Academy amongst the top 4 best superhero TV shows (possibly ever) and I highly recommend everyone who loves series like Daredevil, Legion, and Titans, to check it out.
SCORE – 8.5/10
The Umbrella Academy is currently showing on Netflix
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