The creator of The Umbrella Academy discussed how the show is able to stand out in the current landscape of superhero TV shows.
Variety has a new feature detailing how shows like The Umbrella Academy, WandaVision and the animated Harley Quinn are subverting the superhero genre even as more straightforward movies and TV shows continue to emerge—to varying degrees of success. The outlet spoke to Steve Blackman, the creator and showrunner of Netflix's hit series, about how series set in the popular genre can rise above the competition.
"Everyone wants to do a superhero show now, so I think finding original voices is tougher, and finding a place in that hierarchy of shows is important," Blackman said. "So I think that’s the challenge going forward: With so many people doing it, how do you stand out? What makes your show special?"
Blackman's comments and the story come amidst the high-profile cancellation of Jupiter's Legacy, another Netflix comic book adaptation. Details on the end of Jupiter's Legacy pointed to both creative and budgetary issues, and it's certainly not the only show in recent years that has shockingly come to a close despite decent fan engagement and ratings. But the series profiled in the piece have gone far beyond that, winning over critics and proving themselves to be massive hits. The Umbrella Academy is in production on its upcoming third season right now, and Blackman thinks its success is all down to the show's approach.
"I think some of the superhero shows, at least when they started, went for huge VFX over character," Blackman said. "I see Umbrella Academy as a character show first with the special effects second. It really is a dysfunctional family show. I came at it from a very different perspective."
While plot details are scarce and a release date hasn't been announced, the episode titles for Umbrella Academy Season 3 were recently revealed, teasing the story of the Sparrow Academy that was glimpsed at the end of Season 2.
Based on the comic series of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy stars Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher and Justin H. Min, with Ritu Arya, Yusuf Gatewood, Marin Ireland, Jordan Claire Robbins, Kate Walsh and Colm Feore. Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix.
Source: Variety