Will There Be An Umbrella Academy Season 5? Here's Why It's Ending With Season 4

13 August 2024, 08:58

The Umbrella Academy season 5: Here's why it's ending with season 4. Picture: Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

"I remember writing the last scene of the last script, the finale, and thinking, 'Oh, I'm never going to write these characters again.'"

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And just like that, The Umbrella Academy is over. The final season of the beloved superhero comedy-drama series has just dropped on Netflix and based on that ending (no spoilers!), it seems likely that we've officially said goodbye to the Hargreeves siblings.

Back in 2022, it was confirmed that The Umbrella Academy would be ending after four seasons. Rather than cancel the show after season 3 and leave viewers on a cliffhanger, season 4 was (thankfully!) given the green light with a final six episodes.

But will it ever return? Will we ever see the Hargreeves siblings again? Here's what showrunner Steve Blackman has said about the ending, and why the show had to end with season 4.

WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead!

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Will there be an Umbrella Academy season 5?

For anyone still holding out hope that The Umbrella Academy season 5 will somehow still happen... it won't. There will be no season 5. The final episode of The Umbrella Academy season 4 brings about a definitive ending to the series and the Hargreeves siblings.

Showrunner Steve Blackman has also explained that he is proud of the finale, and thinks it's the "right ending" for the Hargreeves siblings and the show. "But where I’ve left it is subjective, and everyone can choose on their own to decide, is that the right ending for this family?" he added.

In a separate interview with RadioTimes.com, Blackman further cemented that the characters will not be revisited on-screen again: "I remember writing the last scene of the last script, the finale, and thinking, 'Oh, I'm never going to write these characters again.' I had some tears in my eyes."

Watch The Umbrella Academy’s final season trailer

Why is The Umbrella Academy ending with season 4?

According to Blackman, it was always his plan to end The Umbrella Academy with season four. In a previous 2022 interview with TVLine, he said: "I don’t know how many seasons [Netflix] wants to go. I pitched them Season 4, and I know the beginning, middle and end [of it]. When I started the show, I really only knew the first four seasons in my mind."

Blackman also spoke with Gerard Way, the author of the original graphic novels, about how he envisioned the TV story ending. "From the time I started on the show five years ago and met Gerard, he talked a lot about where he wanted to go," he told Den of Geek. "We shared some ideas. I have a pretty good idea of what I’m going to do in the fourth season."

The Netflix show has used the graphic novel's storylines and core elements throughout, but season 4 is the first that isn't fully supported or tied into specific source material.

Thankfully, it sounds like there's still plenty more to come from Gerard Way and illustrator Gabriel Ba if fans want to continue following the graphic novels. "[Gerard Way] wants to do stuff for another decade, and he’s going to do volumes and volumes," Blackman added in the TVLine interview.

Why does The Umbrella Academy season 4 only have six episodes?

Some fans have wondered why the final season clocks in shorter, at just six episodes, when previous seasons have been longer with 10.

Explaining, Blackman told RadioTimes.com: "We had planned at one point for more episodes, and then we agreed with Netflix to do six. At the time, it seemed like the right amount. I had to do a little bit of compressing because we thought there'd be a bit more material, but it turned out to be a perfect number.

"Could we have done more? Yes, but I think the six we have are just the perfect way to end the season."