The Umbrella Academy TV Show: 7 Things Netflix Must Get Right

6. The Wes Anderson Feel

The Umbrella Academy Netflix
Dark Horse

This comparison applies to the first part of the series, Apocalypse Suite, which feels like a psychedelic version of The Royal Tenenbaums. A cold father raises a group of talented children.

The children, although not related, as they're all adopted, clash constantly and fail to find common ground. One of them writes a book about the father and her contempt for him - it's obviously not Wildcat, but it's also not a success. After the father's death, Dr. Pogo, a talking chimpanzee, becomes their caretaker. One of the children doesn't age; the other turns into a violin.

Apart from the family comparison, the series is filled with Anderson's signature quirkiness, albeit with a superhero and supernatural twist. This is most visible with the villains, who wear peculiar costumes and have strange characteristics. If Anderson ever made a superhero comic book, it would be very similar to Apocalypse Suite.

Contributor

I write sitting with my dogs on the sofa, which often leads to whole paragraphs being deleted by a single touch of a paw or a nose.