Marvel who? Netflix might have cut ties with Disney by canceling its line of Marvel shows (‘Daredevil’, ‘Iron Fist’, ‘Jessica Jones’, ‘Luke Cage’, and ‘The Punisher’), but it doesn’t look as though it’s hurting for superheroic content. Its newest hit, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ based on the Dark Horse comic book by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, is not only the streaming service’s #1 show, but it’s the top digital series period in the United States. The 10-episode first season was released on Friday, February 15. According to Parrot Analytics, interest really spiked over the weekend, as more people had time to binge, and as word-of-mouth spread about the show’s quality.
According to Parrot Analytics, interest in ‘The Umbrella Academy’ is “outstanding” at 21 times that of the average TV show. Outside of the U.S., interest is high in English-speaking territories, as well as in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, with interest on the rise in Germany and Italy.
‘The Umbrella Academy’s numbers are very high, but the numbers for shows tend to be elevated when new seasons launch. It remains to be seen how they will wind up, once the initial flurry dies down.
The series was created by Steve Blackman, and stars Ellen Page (as Vanya/#7), Tom Hopper (Luther/#1/Spaceboy), David Castañeda (Diego/#2/The Kraken), Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison/#3/The Rumor), Robert Sheehan (Klaus/#4/The Séance), Aidan Gallagher (#5), Mary J. Blige (Cha-Cha), and Cameron Britton (Hazel). The show also features Adam Godley (Pogo), Colm Feore (Sir Reginald Hargreeves), Sheila McCarthy (Agnes), Justin H. Min (Ben/#4), Jordan Claire Robbins (Grace/Mom), Kate Walsh (The Handler) and John Magaro (Leonard Peabody), plus Cameron Brodeur (young Luther), Blake Talabis (young Diego), Eden Cupid (young Allison), Dante Albidone (young Klaus), Ethan Hwang (young Ben), and T.J. McGibbon (young Vanya).
On the show, 34 children are born on the same day in 1989, to women who were not even pregnant when they woke up that morning. Sir Reginald Hargreeves manages to adopt seven of them, who turn out to have superpowers, and like a much stricter Professor X, raised them in the New York-based Umbrella Academy. He also deploys them on heroic missions when they reach their early teens. But after the death of #4/Ben, the group splinters and the one-time siblings haven’t seen each other in years until Sir Reginald dies, drawing them back together. And just in time, as it turns out the apocalypse is coming and only they can stop it… or at least try.
The first season ended in something of a cliffhanger, but with these numbers, it is likely that Netflix will order a sequel, so fans won’t be left hanging.
Have you binged all of ‘The Umbrella Academy’? What do you think?
Source: Screen Rant
