Everything you need to know about The Umbrella Academy
The superhero world got a little more chaotic with the introduction of The Umbrella Academy – comprised of seven adopted children of an egotistical billionaire.
All born simultaneously on October 1, 1989, to unpregnant mothers, the strange phenomenon got even stranger when the babies developed superpowers – something Reginald Hargreeves used to his advantage to create a world-famous vigilante squad.
Fast forward to 2019, and the Hargreeves children have gone their separate ways after the loss of one of their own but are forced to return to the mansion they called home after the death of Reginald.
However, the simple trip home for the funeral goes spectacularly sideways on the reappearance of Five – their time-jumping brother who disappeared as a teenager – and he comes with news of the end of the world.
Launching in February 2019, The Umbrella Academy became a cult hit, thanks in part to its source material, a comic book by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, and Gabriel Ba.
The fourth and final season of the show launched on Netflix on August 8, rounding off the series.
Who stars in The Umbrella Academy?
The Hargreeves siblings, and the main superhero stars of the entire series, are:
- Tom Hopper (Black Sails, Merlin, Game of Thrones) as Luther aka #1
- David Castañeda (Most Dangerous Game, Poker Face) as Diego aka #2
- Emmy Raver-Lampman (Heels, The Beekeeper) as Allison aka #3
- Robert Sheehan (Misfits, Fortitude) as Klaus aka #4
- Aidan Gallagher (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn) as Number Five aka #5
- Justin H. Min (After Yang, The Greatest Hits) as Ben aka #6
- Elliot Page (Inception, Hard Candy) as Viktor/Vanya aka #7
Other key cast members include:
- Ritu Arya (Feel Good, Humans) as Lila Pitts
- Colm Feore (Face/Off, Chicago) as Sir Reginald Hargreeves
- Jordan Claire Robbins (12 Monkeys, Barred) as Grace Hargreeves
What is the age rating of The Umbrella Academy?
The official rating of The Umbrella Academy in the UK, as certified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is 15 for the overall series.
This means it is not suitable for children but is OK for young adult audiences and higher.
Reasons for this are due to the show containing:
- Minor scenes involving nudity
- References to sex and discussion on sexual acts
- Some graphic scenes of blood and gore including blood spatter
- Scenes of murder and creative kills including massacres and via use of superpowers
- Common scenes of violence and violent acts
- Depictions of dead bodies
- Discussions on drug and alcohol abuse
- A prominent plot line focused on racial discrimination in the 1960s – use of language and racist violence present as a result
- Depictions of war and post-traumatic stress disorder
- Deliberately intense scenes of peril and threat some may find upsetting
How many episodes of The Umbrella Academy are there?
The Umbrella Academy runs for a total of 36 hour-long episodes.
The first three seasons had 10 episodes each, while the fourth season only ran for six.
Explaining the decision behind the truncated final season, showrunner Steve Blackman told RadioTimes.com:
“We had planned at one point for more episodes, and then we agreed with Netflix to do six. At the time, it seemed like the right amount. I had to do a little bit of compressing because we thought there'd be a bit more material, but it turned out to be a perfect number. Could we have done more? Yes, but I think the six we have are just the perfect way to end the season.”
There are currently no plans for reboots or spin-offs.
How to watch The Umbrella Academy on Sky
The Umbrella Academy is a Netflix series – and luckily for Sky customers, access to Netflix shows comes at no extra cost if you have a TV and Broadband package.
You can find out more about the packages – which start at just £26 – by clicking here.
If you’ve already got Netflix, you can connect your two accounts together to save yourself some money.
You can find out how to activate your Netflix account to your Sky Stream account here.
