15 shows to stream if you like The Umbrella Academy

The Umbrella Academy has just premiered its final season, but there are plenty of options for shows if you like it!

The Umbrella Academy has been one of Netflix’s biggest original series. Based on the cult comic book, six superpowered kids are brought together by a millionaire to save the world. The show is known for its outlandish characters and storytelling, mixing alternate timelines, time travel and more alongside situations no other show can take on. The fourth season will wrap up the story and end the show.

Thankfully, there are some good shows just like Umbrella Academy out there. Some are based on comic books, a mix of superheroes, fantasy, sci-fi, and more with an offbeat style and pretty crazy. Streaming offers many options, while these fifteen shows are right up the alley for Umbrella Academy fans to check out if you want an unusual type of heroic show!

Doom Patrol

The DC Comics title has always been bizarre and offbeat so it makes sense the HBO adaptation is the same. The titular Patrol is a strange group to be sure which includes a man whose brain is in a robot (Brendan Fraser), a guy in bandages who lets out a negative spirit (Matt Bomer), a shapeshifting actress (April Bowlby) and a woman whose multiple personalities each have their own superpower (Diane Guerrero). Then it gets weird. 

Trying to summarize this show is almost impossible. There’s a talking gorilla, a brain in a jar, mutants who can’t be described, movie characters brought to life, characters bursting into song, and more. It’s a total romp that the actors sell wonderfully (Fraser reminds you why he has an Oscar) and even if you have little idea what’s going on, this show is worth checking out. Doom Patrol is streaming on Max.

Dead Boy Detectives

Adapting a Vertigo comic, this is a fun take on the mystery genre. Two ghosts (George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri) run an agency where they use their undead talents to solve supernatural crimes. They hook up with an amnesiac psychic (Kassius Nelson) as a mysterious group starts hunting them. The show deftly mixes horror with other elements for a compelling series.

The chemistry of the leads is great with some fun romances abounding and sparkles nicely. The finale offers a huge twist on one character and a setup for a second year so the mix of genres and characters make it a gem for Umbrella fans. Dead Boy Detectives is streaming on Netflix.

The Magicians

This fantastic Syfy series may be about magic, but there are enough sci-fi elements to entice viewers. A young man discovers a series of magical books based on reality to join a magic school. Basically, imagine if Harry Potter used older characters and didn’t shy away from some outrageous antics. The show’s cast is a blast who gets better as the series goes on, along with upping the stakes in terms of stories and crazy situations. 

You’ve got alternate realities, a fantastic fantasy dimension, talking animals, ghosts, and more, along with laugh-out-loud dialogue. Its five-season run is truly magical and just what fans of Umbrella would adore. The Magicians is streaming on Netflix.

Sense8

Turn the creators of The Matrix loose on TV and the results are guaranteed to be a wild ride. This Netflix series has a group of strangers around the world who are somehow linked together. They share a psychic connection and can even swap places with each other as they tackle a strange conspiracy against them. 

The series doesn’t shy away from strong cultural and racial themes amid the fantastic action scenes. It’s hard to follow at times, but that adds to its great appeal as a TV show unlike any other and just a nice binge to take in. Sense8 is streaming on Netflix.

Misfits

This cult British series sets up its premise from the start. Five juvenile delinquents are caught in a storm that gives them superpowers from telepathy to sending others into a frenzy. Rather than be heroes, they use their powers for their own gain only to clash with a sinister cult.

The show is fun in that these aren’t “good guys” and realistically show how they’d use their powers for selfish reasons. The show has wild twists and is amazingly grounded when it comes to how the powers work and the character development. Its five-season run wraps up the storylines well and shows what happens when great power is given to those with no responsibility. Misfits is streaming on Peacock.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Hands down the craziest show of the late, lamented Arrowverse, the original setup was Rip Hunter recruiting a pack of misfit heroes to stop the immortal Vandal Savage. As it went on, the series transformed into a pure romp. What other show balances serious battles against evil with musical numbers, Helen of Troy an Amazon and Vikings worshiping a giant talking teddy bear?

The mix of history is a blast matched by a top-notch cast, especially Caity Lotz as Captain Sara Lance. Comic book fans can enjoy seeing various characters showing up, yet non-comic fans can enjoy the sharp writing and loveable antics. It’s a shame it was canceled on a cliffhanger to boot as the show really is legendary in entertainment. DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

Runaways

While it ran for three seasons, this adaptation of the Marvel comic didn’t make a huge splash. Too bad as it retained the fun setup of six teens discovering their parents were basically supervillains plotting to allow aliens to conquer Earth. The teens also discover their own abilities, from one being a witch to another really being half-alien and on some fun adventures.

The show smartly gave the parents a few chances to shine in their flaws rather than pure evil and the generational clash was well done too. A great addition in the last season is Elizabeth Hurley as sorceress Morgan LeFay to give the gang a top villain to fight. It’s one of the better Marvel shows and remains a fun watch. Runaways is streaming on CWTV.

Legion 

It may carry a title based on the X-Men but this FX adaptation was its own separate animal. David Haller (Dan Stevens) is the son of Charles Xavier whose great powers have turned him into a schizophrenic mess. As he tries to control them, he also has to confront the evil Shadow King plotting to take over the world.

The supporting cast is highlighted by Aubrey Plaza as a character whose presence is a major spoiler and the actress goes all out playing it as weird as possible. That fits this show, which mimics David’s chaotic mind, filmed in strange ways and often hard to tell what’s happening. As you follow it, you can enjoy the ride, which comes together into a fascinating series that even non-X-Men fans can enjoy. Legion is streaming on Hulu.

The Gifted

This Fox series is more tightly tied into the X-Men comics, including some good characters from it and tackling the same issues of prejudice. It’s aided by an amazing cast of genre favorites Steven Boyer, Amy Acker, Natalie Alyn Lind, Jamie Chung as Blink, Emma Dumont as Polaris and Skyler Samuels as the triplet Cuckoo Sisters.

The series uses some great FX to back up the storyline of a family on the run from both the government and a Brotherhood wanting to gain mutant rights by any means necessary. Like a lot of Fox sci-fi shows, it didn’t last too long yet an X-Men fan or those who love young folks with powers can enjoy this. The Gifted is streaming on CWTV.

Travelers

This Canadian series has a premise not unlike Quantum Leap. In the far future, Earth will be in near ruins, and a group of people will be sent back in time to possess bodies just before their deaths. The goal is to attempt to change the future for the better. However, there are complications from a lack of knowledge of history (one Traveler finds out her host had a mental handicap) to how the future isn’t as easy to change as it seems.

Erick McCormack is a great lead as the series ups the stakes in how the gang has to change the future and it’s fun seeing them trying to impersonate their hosts in their lives. The dynamic cast aids one of the better sci-fi shows of the last decade that deserves attention. Travelers is streaming on Netflix.

Lockwood & Co

It’s a shame Netflix cancels some fun shows after one season, yet kudos to them trying to give them a shot in the first place. This is a good example, set in an alternate world where an uprising of ghosts shook humanity. So we have a 2023 with the Internet, cell phones and computers barely existing and agencies try to exterminate ghosts. After she’s wrongly fired from one such agency, a young woman joins an independent group run by Anthony Lockwood (Cameron Chapman) for a new life. 

The eight episodes have fun with the setting, showcasing this different world and the ghostly goings-on can be scary. The ghosts come off terrifying as we get fun banter between the leads with the arrogant boss and his well-meaning sidekicks. It’s a shame it only lasted this one year as there was so much potential for more yet still worth watching. Lockwood & Co. is streaming on Netflix.

Renegade Nell

To show it's not just Netflix, Disney+ also axed this promising series after one year. It's too bad as it was a delightful mix of historical drama and fantasy. Louisa Harland plays the title character, an 18th-century British soldier framed for murder and goes on the run to gain a reputation as a highwaywoman.

The twist is that, now and then, a sprite enters Nell's body to give her super strength. So, while protecting her sisters, Nell smashes up thugs while uncovering a plot to overthrow England. Harland's charm, irreverent comedy, and overall spirit should have led to more years, yet this season is a fun binge. Renegade Nell is streaming on Disney+.

Locke & Key

Another Netflix comic book adaptation, this show didn’t get the attention of, say, Stranger Things but has a lot going for it. A trio of children and their mother move into a strange house where they find a set of keys that unlock special abilities. From traveling to other worlds to gaining unique powers, it’s a very imaginative show balancing fantasy and horror in equal measure. 

The series does a smart job playing on the ages of the kids (when you reach 18, you can’t see magic anymore) and a larger threat yet it’s the family dynamics that keep you tuning in. Unlike other Netflix shows, it got to wrap up its story well and a fast enough binge to be the next watch after Umbrella. Locke & Key is streaming on Netflix.

Shadowhunters

After failing as a film franchise, The Mortal Instruments got a second and better shot in this Freeform series. Katherine McNamara had a breakout role as Clary Fray, a teenager who stumbles onto a strange supernatural world of hunters and demons. She discovers she’s always been tied into it and joins the fight. 

The series nicely utilizes the supernatural setting with a fun love triangle between Clary and two guys, one a hunter and the other later a vampire. McNamara is the reason to watch with her lovely performance and carries the show’s mix of YA adventure and CW-style romances. The three-season run is shorter than the books, yet still a great watch. Shadowhunters is streaming on Hulu.

Wynonna Earp

Get ready for the upcoming movie reunion by binging on this fantastic Canadian supernatural Western. Melanie Scrofano is Wynonna, a descendant of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, who has to protect her town of Purgatory from demons with a special pistol. The show has some fantastic writing and a top cast, headlined by Dominique Provost-Chalkley as Wynonna’s sister, Waverly, Katherine Barrell as her love, Nicole, and Tim Rozon as an immortal Doc Holiday.

The show’s humor is brilliant as it features some adult situations with terrific banter and outlandish segments. It attained a huge cult following in its four-season run and the upcoming movie looks to continue it so if you haven’t watched it yet, get set for a fun ride. Wynonna Earp is streaming on Netflix.

The Umbrella Academy is now streaming on Netflix.