Netflix surreal sci-fi fave with 91% Rotten Tomatoes score to return in 2024

The fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy will be streamed by Netflix next year, the streaming service has confirmed.

The last hurrah for the show entered into production in February this year, but the post production and special effects phase means there will have been a couple of years between seasons three and four.

And, while Netflix hasn't given an exact date for the premiere, we can make an educated guess that it will be on the summer schedule. Season two debuted in July 2020, while the third was added to the platform in June 2022.

The entire cast returns for season 4, which will likely pick up from where the last series left off. Be warned, there be spoilers ahead...

The now powerless team are in yet another timeline and are bolstered by the addition of a now alive and healthy Ben from the Sparrow Academy. However, they have all separated and we will find out what they are each are up to. There will no doubt be another apocalyptic event to circumnavigate along the way.

The first episode is titled "The Unbearable Tragedy of Getting What You Want" and is directed by show creator Steve Blackman and Jesse McKeown. There will only be six episodes to end the show's run.

New cast members include Arrested Development's David Cross, Megan Mullally of Will & Grace fame, and Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation.

Netflix announced the return of the show for its final season on X (formerly Twitter). A teaser video was posted on the official feed for the streaming service, plus the authorised The Umbrella Academy account.

The show has had a mixed response from viewers over the years, with some falling in love with its often surreal take on the superhero genre, while others prefer the comic book series on which it is based.

The books by the lead singer of My Chemical Romance Gerard Bay and Gabriel Bá finished in 2019, although a series of short stories was published in 2021.

Critics have been kinder to the Netflix series, with both seasons 2 and 3 being awarded an average of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.