Review of The Umbrella Academy: Season One

By Dave B.

​On October 1, 1989, 43 children were born to women who hadn’t been pregnant before that day. An eccentric billionaire purchased seven of these children from women around the world and raised them to be a group of elite superheroes. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) starts off with the death of their billionaire father bringing the estranged and embittered siblings back together for the first time in over a decade. While trying to reconcile their differences, the surviving members of The Umbrella Academy must put aside their grievances and unite in order to prevent the eradication of all life on Earth. 

At its core, The Umbrella Academy is a family drama. It just happens to be decorated with superpowers, a great soundtrack, solid action sequences, random dance numbers, a twisted sense of humor, and a slightly obvious mystery apocalypse. In other words, The Umbrella Academy occasionally feels like it’s going to go spinning out of control. But it’s relatively tight plot direction and brisk pace allows the show to incorporate many disparate creative elements into a cohesive whole that works to provide a unique and entertaining viewing experience (that feels both familiar and strange) through 10, roughly hour-long episodes. 

​The Umbrella Academy doesn’t redefine the superhero genre, but it adds a creative flair that makes the show less serious than most Marvel Cinematic Universe offerings. It’s also more grounded and less pretentious (although also less original) than a show like Legion. It combines heartwarming and heartbreaking moments in equal measure, leaving audiences craving more of the characters, even if certain story elements are occasionally too hectic to care much about. 

Overall, The Umbrella Academy is a solid new superhero universe to explore on television and is worthy of your time. I recommend it for its high entertainment value, its immersive world-building, and its lovable, well-developed characters. I can honestly say that with the way the first season ended, I have no clue what adventures the second season will bring, but I’m definitely looking forward to finding out. 

Rating: 7.5/10