It was impossible to avoid watching The Umbrella Academy (TUA) given the amount of billboard adverts. I gave a patient watch to all 10 episodes.

The opening episode gave a hint of potentially different story line from traditional superhero flicks. But the script was meticulously straightforward & acting so detached that I was left to wonder whether the original creators quickly orphaned TUA after it was conceived.

There was hardly any depth given to any of the superheroes or villain. When plot lines started crossing borderlines of incestuous relationship, it is evident that the relationship mapping was illl-conceived making this cringe worthy viewing for both mature and young audience.

I would really classify only 2 of the heroes as having any real superpowers; maybe one mutant amongst them. It is safe to say that 2 side characters who could easily walk away with stab sounds and fatal car crashes had more superhero abilities than the central characters. If your superpower is making people do what you speak, wouldn't it be sensible to die rather than live another episode after you lost the ability to speak? And no, I would not consider aping between jack sparrow and half lunatic as something original.

In summary, TUA was an attempt to make a drama that dreamed to rewrite the superhero formul; but falls short of being classified as a tasteful story by any measure.