Umbrella Academy Premiere Review; On It's Way To Becoming My New Favorite Superhero Show

"Umbrella Academy" is the newest entry into an already overcrowded superheroes club. If we only count TV/streaming offerings, it includes ABC's "Agents Of SHIELD", Fox's "The Gifted", and SyFy's "Deadly Class" (yes I know they're not technically superheroes). Already dissembled is NetFlix's "Defenders" since only Jessica Jones remains standing (and we're not sure of her status). The ten episode first season of "Umbrella Academy" is currently available on NetFlix. It is based on a comic book by the same name and released by Dark Horse Comics. Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba created the series.

On October 1, 1989, 43 children were born under suspicious circumstances. The mothers were not previously pregnant. Billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves "purchased" and raised seven of the children. He was very distance and more interested in the children's special abilities than them as people. When Reginald dies, the now grown children return to his house. There is lots of tension amongst the group. We also meet their "mother" Grace (who have issues--the cause of which will be revealed later) and Pogo (a talking chimpanzee).

Number One- Spaceboy- Luther- he's an astronaut who has a majorly "roided up" body.
Number Two- Kraken- Diago- he's a vigilante and has some mad knife skills.
Number Three- Rumor- Allison- previously a famous actress. She can control people by suggestion.
Number Four- Seance- Klaus- he can communicate with the dead but also has a drug problem.
Number Five- unnamed- He's lost at the beginning of the series but later arrives from the future to give the group some shocking news. He is a 48 year old man trapped in the body of a 13 year old boy.
Number Six- Horror- Ben- he was able to conjure up monsters. He is dead but appears to Klaus on occasion.
Number Seven- Vanya- Played by Ellen Page. She is the only one with no superpower and was treated by Hargreeves as less than the others. Vanya wrote a best selling book about her siblings (which they are not happy about). She also plays a mean violin.

The group begrudgingly agree to work together to try to find the cause of their father's death. They also learn that the apocalypse is supposed to occur in eight days. Also Cha Cha (Mary J Blige) is a time traveling assassin after them. Her partner is Hazel (Cameron Britton from "Mindhunter"). That's definitely a full plate-- even for superheroes.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). I wasnt convinced we needed another superhero show, but "Umbrella Academy" is growing on me. The production values are top notch. The visuals, the score and the actors are all great. The characters are also likeable and on their way to (I hope) being fully fleshed out. With the pilot a success, I'll definitely keep watching "Umbrella Academy".