These comments are based on watching the first two seasons but avoid plot details which might spoil a viewer's enjoyment of the series.

One day in 1989 forty three babies were born to mothers who weren't pregnant when the day started. Seven of them are adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreeves, a very wealthy industrialist. He raises them and it is clear that they aren't like other children, with the exception of Vanya, they each have a special power. He raises them to use their powers to fight crime but things don't go well and they each go their separate, dysfunctional ways. When Sir Reginald dies five of the children return to their family home, the titular 'Umbrella Academy'... one of them, Ben, died years before and another, Number Five, disappeared after trying to jump through time. The survivors start to doubt that their father's death was as natural as they were told. Later a young Five returns from the future warning that the world will end in a matter of days! As if trying to stop that weren't enough a pair of assassins appear to be after them.

If you like your superheroes to have great powers and fight crime in a distinctive costume this won't be for you. If however you want something different from the genre then this is definitely worth watching. The story is consistently interesting and while some major revelations aren't exactly a total surprise there are some decent twists. Our dysfunctional protagonists are all good characters and the antagonists prove to be fine too as they aren't standard evil super-villains but somewhat ambiguous and definitely more sympathetic, for the most part, than one might expect. The cast does a really solid job; particular stand outs are Robert Sheehan and the camp Klaus, who can see the dead; Aidan Gallagher as Five and Ellen Page as the 'normal' Vanya. The series has a great look with fine special effects; it also employs music to great effect. Each of the first two seasons contain separate season long plots; the characters develop nicely throughout both seasons. Overall I'd say I really enjoyed this and would certainly recommend it... I am already looking forward to season three.