"The Umbrella Academy" has sort of the same feel as "The Magicians." They are both dark fantasies and have this disillusion with magic feel, like magic can be as much of a horrifying curse as it is wish fulfillment. There is also a touch of the 1950s between these two dramas and also a theme of what it's like to be magical, and what it's like to have a glimpse of the magical but yet be ordinary.

While I can say there is a vague feeling of overlap, "The Umbrella Academy," being in its first rather than fifth season ("The Magicians"), has yet to really be as brilliant or as flawed as the more seasoned show. "The Magicians," I think, is more thematically complex, and has a more involved and thought out world, and is genuinely brilliant. However, "The Magicians" is also one of the most melodramatic and tiresome shows I've ever watched, and fortunately "The Umbrella Academy" has yet to hit quite that low. Perhaps time will tell.

With its pop soundtrack, "The Umbrella Academy" has something more in the lines of the movie "Kick Ass;" it is many times more of a sprint than a simmer. While I did enjoy the soundtrack at times, I did not always feel like the soundtrack was really cohesive with the plot, and for me, it sometimes destabilized my immersion. In actuality, the themes of "The Umbrella Academy" are quite ponderous, often revolving around Ellen Page's character Vanya who is melancholy much of the time. Actually, "The Umbrella Academy" is less dysfunctional than "The Magicians." It does not explore themes of mental illness in the same way, and does not have the same bitterness. "The Umbrella Academy" is strangely family oriented and darkly optimistic, since at heart it is about how to include a family member who has been left out for a long time (even though same family members often try to kill each other).

I do like the characters in "The Umbrella Academy," although I note many kinds of oversights. For one, although often called a monster, the character of "Dad" or Sir Reginald Hargreeves isn't particularly diabolical, just rather cold and negligent as a father figure. He is often called a monster, though, and it's a little difficult to find out why. While nicely acted, many characters don't seem to fully live up to their characterizations in a way that brings strength to the relationship dynamics involved. There's more telling than showing, in some cases.

At any rate, I like "The Umbrella Academy," but I am yet waiting to be wowed by it. I think it can be a pretty good show.