Picture: Netflix
The Umbrella Academy is returning for one final season on Netflix. Filming has just wrapped, and we’re keeping track of everything you will need to know about the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy, including cast news, production updates, trailers, and the Netflix release date.
The Umbrella Academy is a Netflix Original superhero-comedy-drama series created by Steve Blackman, developed by Jeremy Slater, and based on the comics of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá.
The series first debuted in February 2019, with the most recent season dropping in June 2022. It’s become one of Netflix’s best superhero shows and is largely believed to be one of the best Netflix Original shows of all time.
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Has The Umbrella Academy been renewed for season 4?
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Renewed (Last Updated: 26/08/2022)
It took a little longer than expected, but Netflix confirmed the renewal of The Umbrella Academy on Twitter. The renewal ultimately was bittersweet, given that the show would also be the final season.
Family meeting, Brellies: We’re going on a fourth and final adventure. ☂️🖤 pic.twitter.com/0zOYDb6Jwm
— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) August 25, 2022
Showrunner Steve Blackman speaking about the renewal, said:
“I’m so excited that the incredibly loyal fans of The Umbrella Academy will be able to experience the fitting end to the Hargreeves siblings’ journey we began five years ago. But before we get to that conclusion, we’ve got an amazing story ahead for season four, one that will have fans on the edge of their seats until the final minutes.”
The Umbrella Academy Season 4: Number of Episodes, Writers, Directors, Episode Titles
In December 2022, rumors began flying around the final season would consist of a smaller number of episodes than seasons prior. On December 14th, Steve Blackman confirmed on Twitter that it would consist of six episodes adding that they’ll be “amazing.”
Here’s a breakdown of the episode writers, directors, and episode titles that we have so far:
- Episode 401 – The Unbearable Tragedy of Getting What You Want – Written by Steve Blackman and Jesse McKeown
Script cover for The Umbrella Academy season 4, episode 1
- Episode 402 – TBD
- Episode 403 – TBD
- Episode 404 – TBD
- Episode 405 – TBD
- Episode 406 – End of the Beginning – Written by Steve Blackman
Episode 406 Script for The Umbrella Academy
Jeremy Webb and Paco Cabezas are confirmed to direct episodes for season 4.
How well did The Umbrella Academy season 3 perform on Netflix?
Netflix has offered us direct viewing hours via their global top 10 site. Every week, they publish 40 numbers with viewing hours for the most-watched shows and movies.
Here’s how its hourly viewing figures break down per week:
| Week Period | Hours Viewed(M) | Rank | Week in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 19th, 2022 to June 26th, 2022 | 124,530,000 | 1 | 1 |
| June 26th, 2022 to July 3rd, 2022 | 87,980,000 (-29%) | 2 | 2 |
| July 3rd, 2022 to July 10th, 2022 | 43,840,000 (-50%) | 3 | 3 |
| July 10th, 2022 to July 17th, 2022 | 27,250,000 (-38%) | 7 | 4 |
| July 17th, 2022 to July 24th, 2022 | 18,250,000 (-33%) | 10 | 5 |
We should also note that some of the earlier seasons have also seen a bump in viewership with the release of season 3 of The Umbrella Academy. The show’s seasons 1 and 2 have featured in the hourly top 10s.
Season 2 notably scored 34.53M hours viewed between June 26th through July 10th. Season 1 had the biggest rise in viewership scoring 78.25M hours viewed between June 19th and July 10th. We don’t know how many of these viewing hours are fresh viewers vs people rewatching the first two seasons. Either way, viewership being spread back to the early seasons is always a good sign.
TelevisionStats.com, which tracks the popularity of shows using demand metrics such as Google, IMDb, Reddit, Wikipedia, and Twitter, has the show as the third most popular in the world 3 weeks following its release.
The Umbrella Academy popularity 3 weeks after release – Picture: TelevisionStats.com
Raw top 10 data compiled by FlixPatrol shows that the show has been steady in its popularity worldwide and is most popular in Europe, particularly in Eastern Europe.
What to expect from The Umbrella Academy season 4
The world’s best worst father
Sir Reginald Hargreeves is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the worst fathers in the known universe. Simply a means to a selfish end, Reginald’s only reason for the adoption of the children of the Umbrella Academy and Sparrow Academy was so that he could reset the universe in his image, and be reunited with his dead wife, Abigail.
Once his children realize that he’s alive, we can expect a less than a civil visit from the Hargreeves family. We still don’t know the full extent of what Reginald’s universe reset means for his children, but in true Reginald fashion, we expect they’ve been screwed over again.
Reginald and Abigail reunited at last, but at what cost? – Picture. Netflix
A life without powers
With the removal of their powers, the Umbrella and Sparrow Academy are a significantly reduced threat to Reginald. Life will be dramatically different for the Hargreeves family, who, without their powers will now experience a new form of vulnerability. This means no more bus ball for Klaus.
This also begs the question, in this world did Reginald adopt the Hargreeves children? Regardless of whether or not he did, this could mean that all of their respective mothers are still alive. After finally making a bond with Reginald, it was all for naught, so while Klaus will still be feeling the pain of betrayal, if he realizes his mother could still be alive, he’ll be on a road trip to Pennsylvania immediately.
If some of the Hargreeves have a better life without their powers, such as Allison, it may take some convincing to return to their former lives.
Blackman, in an interview with Netflix, said on the subject:
“… the siblings losing their powers isn’t going to be the only oddity in this timeline. There are new enemies who want to see them wiped out of existence, but how do they manage without their powers? Is there even a way to get them back? The stakes have never been greater.”
Aidan Gallagher has teased that we could see the show’s characters be more akin to their comic book counterparts. In an interview with Collider, he told them, “We may see a more comic book version of Five in Season 4.”
Gallagher also spoke about what we could expect from his character, saying:
“I think he’ll go on mission mode and try to figure out how to make everything right with this new, strange reality that Hargreeves has made up. I don’t know. It may bring out a more mission-oriented version of Five. It’s very final, the way it resolves. It’s this new world, with them not having powers. I’d like to see some of the characters, at least for the time being, settle into that reality. I don’t know if Five is that type of personality. I think he’s still gonna wrestle with it, but we’ll have to see. Let’s hope it gets picked up.”
Timeskip?
In real life, Aidan Gallagher, the actor for Five is 18 years old and will turn 19 in September. By the time we expect the fourth season of The Umbrella Academy to arrive on Netflix, he’ll be almost 21 years old. Now, while Gallagher plays an extremely convincing 15-year-old, it won’t be long before he outgrows the look of one. A simple time-skip would allow the actor’s real-life growth to be worked into the story of Five looking older than a 15-year-old.
Included in the time skip, we’d get to see how drastically different the lives of the Hargreeves have changed. Diego and Lila will have had their baby, if Luther can find Sloane, the newlyweds may be able to enjoy a few years of marital bliss, and Ben, clearly upset by the loss of his powers, may begin his plan to takedown Hargreeves.
The oldest 15-year-old in history, Five (left) meets his younger but older-bodied self (right) in season 2
A fractured family
All of the Hargreeves have been through their trials, tribulations, and trauma, and despite how dysfunctional they are, they have remained as a family. But in a brand new universe without powers, the choice to move on with their lives could fracture the relationships of the family who want their powers back.
Allison’s betrayal will still sting, and while she is reunited with Claire and Ray, she may seek to repair the burning bridge with her siblings.
When asked about whether Allison is in a different timeline, showrunner Steve Blackman said:
“… Allison is not in a different timeline, she’s in the same timeline. In fact, Ray and Claire do exist in this timeline now. That was the dark deal she made with Hargreeves, to help Hargreeves bring the family together. This is what she got.”
We also see Ben from season 3 in the post-credits scene but is this a new Ben? Blackman said:
“It’s not a different timeline Ben. It’s the Ben we know from Season 3, but how that works and why we’re seeing him will be a Season 4 reveal.”
When will The Umbrella Academy season 4 go into production? When will season 4 be released on Netflix?
Production on the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy is currently penciled in to start in February 2023, according to multiple production sources seen by What’s on Netflix.
Updated production listings suggest the show would be filming season 4 from February 6th, 2023, and runs through to May 19th, 2023.
One source again puts the show’s budget at between $7,000,000 to $10,000,000 per episode.
On February 1st, 2023, Steve Blackman confirmed that filming was underway, and Netflix themselves posted (alongside a picture) that production had started.
Production continued until May 31st, 2023, when it was confirmed that the show had wrapped production.
Production photos from The Umbrella Academy season 4
Justin Min also took to Twitter to share that the show had wrapped production:
you never forget your first. 5 1/2 years. grateful for every moment. thanks for the ride, ben. you’ll always be with me. ☂️♥️ pic.twitter.com/WKVZy4xUNP
— Justin H. Min (@justinhmin) May 31, 2023
When will The Umbrella Academy season 4 release on Netflix?
If we look back at the production schedule of the third season, production prep didn’t begin until October 2020, and filming began several months later, in February 2021. Filming ended on August 28th, 2021. That’s perhaps not the greatest comparison, given it was filmed throughout the height of the pandemic.
Seasons 1 and 2 of the show took around 5-6 months in development and then a further 6-8 months of post-production and localization before heading to Netflix.
Steve Blackman, the showrunner of The Umbrella Academy, has stated that the time to produce each season of The Umbrella Academy takes up to 18 months before its eventual release on Netflix, so this lines up.
In this case, our best estimate is that season 4 of The Umbrella Academy will release in Spring 2024.
With that said, a press release from Dark Horse Comics in November 2022 for Free Comic Book Day stated that we could see the show return in 2023:
“Be sure to pick up this Free Comic Book Day issue in anticipation for the release of the final season of The Umbrella Academy and Season 3 of The Witcher, both coming to Netflix in 2023.”
Who will be in the cast of The Umbrella Academy season 4?
We expect to see the following cast members return in the fourth season of The Umbrella Academy:
- #U7 Viktor – Elliot Page
- #U1 Luther – Tom Hopper
- #U2 Diego – David Castañeda
- #U3 Allison – Emmy Raver-Lampman
- #U4 Klaus – Robert Sheehan
- #U5 – Aidan Gallagher
- #S2 Ben – Justin H. Min
- Sir Reginald – Colm Feore
- Lila Pitts – Ritu Arya
- Pogo – Adam Godley
- #S5 Sloane – Genesis Rodriguez
- Abigail – Liisa Repo-Martell
In February 2023, we exclusively learned of several new characters that will feature in season 4 of The Umbrella Academy and two names currently eyed to star, including Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally.
- Gerald aka Gene – An eccentric small-town mayor.
- Bea aka Jean – A community college professor who is an unhinged conspiracy theorist.
- Kailee – A waitress with a secret.
- Cassius Newman – An attorney who gave it all up to live in a commune.
On February 27th, it was confirmed by Netflix that Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and David Cross had joined the cast of season 4. The casting of Cross confirms the new character, Sy Grossman.
New cast members for The Umbrella Academy season 4
It’s unclear if the deceased members of The Sparrow Academy will be returning as it’s still unclear how much of the universe has been changed by Sir Reginald.
Netflix has confirmed additional casting news will be announced at a later date.
Will there be a spin-off to The Umbrella Academy?
A Sparrow Academy spin-off series has been long-rumored and reported by various production listing websites to be in development at Netflix. Still, a Netflix representative told us that the series isn’t at a greenlit stage.
The showrunner of The Umbrella Academy has multiple other projects in the works at Netflix.
The biggest is the video game adaptation Horizon Zero Dawn where he serves as an executive producer, and a new series called Orbital described as a thriller set on the International Space Station.
Are you looking forward to watching the fourth season of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!