The Umbrella Academy season 4 offers an eventful conclusion to one of the most exciting Netflix series in recent years. The show has alwasy been elevated by its various timelines, alien races, and dysfunctional sibling dynamics. The series focuses on the Hargreeves family, telling the story of adopted siblings whose mysterious births created a bond that has the capacity to either save the world or destroy it. After causing and fighting multiple apocalypses over three seasons, the Hargreeves’ story finally comes to an end in The Umbrella Academy season 4.

Cast: Colm Feore , Cazzie David , Genesis Rodriguez , Robert Sheehan , Aidan Gallagher , Elliot Page , Emmy Raver-Lampman , Jordan Claire Robbins , Jake Epstein , Mary J. Blige , David Castaneda , Justin Cornwell , Justin H. Min , Britne Oldford , Adam Godley , Tom Hopper , Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton , Ritu Arya , Cameron Britton , Sheila McCarthy
Release DateFebruary 15, 2019
Seasons4
Streaming Service(s)Netflix
WritersSteve Blackman
DirectorsJeremy Webb
ShowrunnerSteve Blackman

Season 4 changes things up from previous seasons. The Umbrella Academy season 3 ended with the Hargreeves in a new timeline where they didn’t have their powers, which led to the characters going on different paths. Season 4 offers a deep exploration of this new timeline and how the siblings have changed without their powers. The setup was intriguing, and even though the show’s final season has fewer episodes than the rest — 6 episodes versus 10 — the story never felt rushed.

The Umbrella Academy season 4 saw the return of the Hargreeves and other well-known characters, as well as new villains and allies.

The Umbrella Academy Season 4 Establishes A New Status Quo

Characters evolve in interesting ways

The Umbrella Academy season 4 explores what has happened to the Hargreeves since the family split at the end of season 3. Without their powers, characters are left to take on regular jobs, which leads to quite a few funny scenes and sad moments early on. It was exciting to see that, even with a smaller episode count, The Umbrella Academy took the time to focus on character development just as much as the big action set pieces that we had come to expect.

It was great to finally delve deeper into the character’s role in this world and see more of Ben interacting with his old/new family.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 offered a counterpoint to the Hargreeves in the form of the Sparrow Academy. That storyline led to the Sparrow’s version of Ben sticking around. It was a great decision, as Ben has a major role to play in the show’s final season. It was nice to finally delve deeper into the character’s role in this world and see more of Ben interacting with his old/new family. The Umbrella Academy season 4 gave each of its characters moments to shine before bidding them goodbye.

Each season of The Umbrella Academy has rotated the few members of the family that were more focused on, with one notable exception. Aidan Gallagher’s Five is always right in the middle of the season’s biggest stories, and as someone who thinks the character is the show’s best, I was happy to see Five play a key role in season 4. That said, there are many standouts, with Lila, Diego, and Luther having the arcs I enjoyed the most after Five and Ben’s.

Newcomers Play A Major Role In The Umbrella Academy’s Emotional Ending

While the family continues to be the focus of the series, The Umbrella Academy season 4 has some excellent newcomers that help keep things interesting. Nick Offerman as Gene Thibodeau and Megan Mullally as Jean Thibodeau give life to quirky villains who play a role in major events throughout the season. The married couple leads the Keepers, a group that comes together on the belief they are all living in the wrong timeline and even have acquired evidence to prove it.

The characters all get their chance to shine, with some fan-favorite pairings once again being explored and a very interesting dynamic also blooming between a couple of characters.

David Cross’ Sy Grossman plays a key role in getting the Umbrella Academy back together, with a fun and unpredictable performance to boot. Victoria Sawal is instantly charming as Jennifer, with the character being key to season 4. Liisa Repo-Martell’s Abigail Hargreeves also returns to shake things up in season 4. Abigail is Reginald Hargreeves’ wife and is alive in this timeline. The different approaches Abigail and Reginald have to the Hargreeves siblings is one of the season’s high points.

Despite a shorter season, The Umbrella Academy season 4 doesn’t rush through its story, giving the series a strong final outing. The characters all get their time in the spotlight, with some fan-favorite pairings once again being explored and a very intriguing dynamic also blooming between a couple of characters. The Umbrella Academy‘s ending is epic, bittersweet, heartfelt, and, above all, fitting. You’re in for an action-packed, hilarious, and emotional final season, with the story of the Hargreeves family ending beautifully.

All 6 episodes of The Umbrella Academy season 4 are now streaming on Netflix.