The Umbrella Academy (TV series)
The Umbrella Academy is an American superhero TV series on Netflix. It’s based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. Created for TV by Steve Blackman and developed by Jeremy Slater, the show follows a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reunite to solve their father’s death and stop an impending apocalypse.
Premise
- Seven siblings with special abilities are adopted by the eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves and form a superhero team called The Umbrella Academy. They receive numbers instead of names, though Grace the robot mother eventually gives them names (Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, Ben, and Vanya/Viktor).
- When Reginald dies, the siblings come back together. Five returns from the future with news of an approaching global catastrophe, and the family must work together to prevent it while navigating personal conflicts and time-travel chaos.
Seasons and storylines
- Season 1 (2019): The siblings reunite for their father’s funeral. Five reveals an imminent apocalypse. They face time-travel interference from the Commission and uncover secrets about Reginald’s life and their powers.
- Season 2 (2020): The family is scattered in 1963 Dallas due to time travel, dealing with the JFK-era crisis. Five works to reunite them to prevent a new doomsday.
- Season 3 (2022): The timeline changes, and a new rival group called the Sparrow Academy appears. The team fights a dangerous threat (the kugelblitz) and ultimately resets the universe, losing their powers in the process.
- Season 4 (2024): The final season brings the siblings back together as they regain their powers and confront a path that could erase The Umbrella Academy from history to save the timeline. It ends with the timeline reset and the group’s existence erased, in a bittersweet conclusion.
Cast and characters (highlights)
- Viktor/Vanya Hargreeves / Number Seven — Viktor is a meek violinist who can turn sound into force; the character is reintroduced as Viktor (a trans man) in season 3, played by Elliot Page.
- Luther Hargreeves / Number One — Tom Hopper; super-strong astronaut who has lived on the Moon.
- Diego Hargreeves / Number Two — David Castañeda; expert with knives and telekinesis-enabled aim.
- Allison Hargreeves / Number Three — Emmy Raver-Lampman; actress with mind-control-like reality-bending power.
- Klaus Hargreeves / Number Four — Robert Sheehan; can communicate with the dead and, later, immortality.
- Five — Aidan Gallagher; can jump through space and time.
- Other key cast members include Mary J. Blige (Cha-Cha), Colm Feore (Sir Reginald Hargreeves), Kate Walsh (The Handler), Ritu Arya (Lila Pitts), and the Sparrow Academy ensemble (Season 3) with actors like Justin Cornwell, Brittney Oldford, Genesis Rodriguez, Cazzie David, and Jake Epstein.
Production and style
- Filmed mainly in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
- Production spanned four seasons, with Season 4 totaling six episodes.
- Visual effects were handled by several studios, including SpinVFX and Weta Digital, to create the show’s distinctive time-jump and superpowered action sequences.
- The music for the series was composed by Jeff Russo.
Reception and impact
- The show received strong early attention and high viewership for Netflix, with broad critical praise for its ensemble cast, visuals, and creativity in Seasons 1–3.
- The final season met a more mixed critical response, but the series earned multiple nominations and wins across various awards, including Emmy and Saturn nominations and a notable win for Elliot Page’s performance in later seasons.
- The series is recognized for its LGBTQ+ representation, especially the Viktor storyline, which aligned with the actor’s real-life transition.
Availability
- The Umbrella Academy is available on Netflix, spanning four seasons from 2019 to 2024.
Quick facts
- Based on The Umbrella Academy comics by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá.
- Showrunners: Steve Blackman (main) and later Jesse McKeown (co-showrunner for Season 4).
- Seasons: 4 (Season 4 is the final season).
- Notable themes: family dysfunction, time travel, apocalypse, and identity.
This page was last edited on 27 January 2026, at 21:17 (CET).