The Umbrella Academy is a new show just added to Netflix’s lineup of originals. Gerard Way, the lead singer of New Jersey-based band My Chemical Romance, and Gabriel Bá are the original writer and illustrator for the comic series that the show is based on. The comic book series was first published in 2007 and was a running series until 2013, and the series got picked up to be filmed in 2018 by Netflix.

The show is filled with quirky and mysterious characters with questionable sanity. The show’s characters include a grumpy old man with PTSD stuck in a thirteen-year-old’s body, an addict who can see the dead, a vigilante, a movie star, a man from the moon, and a very ordinary woman. The diversity of the characters leads to some interesting interactions throughout the series in which viewers get to see each character’s personality shines through.

The Umbrella Academy is the show you watch if you enjoy morbid and quirky humor. The show has its darker moments, but they always feel natural and relatable. It touches on important subjects such as addiction, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and many more. Each character in this show is struggling with some aspect of life, and each one has to find a way to overcome that hardship, which is a captivating conflict to watch, as each character struggles with his or her inner demons. It is interesting to see these characters struggle with themselves and those around them as they try to stop impending doom.   

The Umbrella Academy is quirky and unlike any other superhero show on Netflix right now, partly because the show is not really about superheroes; it is about a dysfunctional family who has to find a way to stop the apocalypse. The show’s approach to showing this family dynamic is unique compared to similar shows. All of the characters’ stories are explored, and there are no filler characters randomly added to the plot; each character helps to further the story. The show unravels the mysteries of the characters as it progresses, never giving away too much. There’s always a mystery at hand, and the viewer cannot be certain of anything as each episode keeps you wondering what exactly each character is hiding from the others. Some of the mysteries are answered right away, some take all season, and some are never answered. Get ready for a very frustrating cliffhanger. The finale somehow manages to leave you hopeful, sad, and filled with more questions than there were at the start all at the same time. 

Rating: 8/10