When the first season of The Umbrella Academy arrived on Netflix last year, it didn’t come attached with the sort of fanfare that’s usually associated with the streaming service’s highest-profile shows that seem almost precision-engineered to draw in the biggest audience possible.
However, the comic book adaptation surprised a lot of people when it went on to become a massive success, with the first run of episodes roping in over 45 million viewers in the first month it was available, and when the dust had settled it ended up as the third most popular show of 2019 behind only The Witcher and Stranger Things.
That’s even more impressive when you consider that The Witcher proved so successful that it resulted in a major rise in sales for both the book series and video games, while Stranger Things is arguably Netflix’s marquee in-house series and a genuine global phenomenon. And now, with the release of The Umbrella Academy’s second season just days away, the dysfunctional family unit could stake a real claim for grabbing the number one slot this year.
For those hoping that the adventures of the off-kilter heroes avoid suffering from ‘second season syndrome,’ reviews have started rolling in for the latest batch of episodes, and based on the early reaction, it looks like The Umbrella Academy is back and better than ever.
Whereas the first season scored a solid 75% on Rotten Tomatoes from 88 ratings, season 2 is currently sitting on 96% from 26 reviews, with only one negative response so far. That’s hugely encouraging news for both Netflix and the fanbase, who are no doubt set to devour all ten episodes in no time at all when The Umbrella Academy returns to our screens on Friday.