The Umbrella Academy

Need to Know
The Umbrella Academy is an American superhero television series based on a collection of comics and graphic novels created and written by My Chemical Romance’s lead singer Gerard Way. Season 4 kicks off with our heroes stepping into a brand-new timeline after escaping another apocalypse and this time, they don’t have their powers and are mysteriously missing a few siblings.

Creators: Steve Blackman, Jeremy Slater
Cast: Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Elliot Page, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Aidan Gallagher, Robert Sheehan, Mary J Blige, Cameron Britton

Why Is It Worth Watching?
The Umbrella Academy is set in a universe where simultaneously, on October 1 in 1989, 43 women gave birth to children even though they weren’t previously pregnant. From them, seven are adopted by eccentric billionaire industrialist Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who forms The Umbrella Academy and prepares them to save the world by training them to harness their powers and fight crime.
In Season 4, the series finale, the team faces the aftermath of their time travelling adventures, which had them in a parallel universe with a different ‘academy’ full of superpowered crime fighters and a world-destroying ball of energy, then finally, in a hotel which, once inside, they could not leave until a fight to the death!
They then jump into another brand-new timeline, where losing their powers isn’t their only problem. As there are also new enemies who want to see them wiped out of existence! But how do they face them without their powers? Can they even get their powers back?

Presumed Innocent

Need to Know
Presumed Innocent is a legal thriller television series that’s based on the 1987 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name by Scott Turow. The Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office is turned upside down when one of its own is suspected of committing a horrific murder.

Creator: David E Kelley
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, O-T Fagbenle, Chase Infiniti, Nana Mensah, Renate Reinsve, Peter Sarsgaard, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Elizabeth Marvel

Why Is It Worth Watching?
Presumed Innocent – the series is the first television adaptation of the book. It was also previously made into a film starring Harrison Ford and Brian Dennehy in 1990 under the same name.
Spanning eight episodes the show takes viewers on a gripping journey into the chilling aftermath of a murder that shakes the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office to its core, when one of their own is accused of the heinous crime. The investigation unravels a twisted labyrinth of obsession, power plays and the delicate boundaries of love and fidelity, as the accused does everything in his power to prove his innocence.
Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a masterful performance as Rusty Sabich, the accused prosecutor whose dark past and turbulent passions drag him into a harrowing fight to save his family and his sanity. Jake’s portrayal is a captivating blend of explosive intensity and restrained torment, a testament to his remarkable acting talent, while Ruth Negga shines as Barbara Sabich, Rusty’s wife, with a subtle yet powerful depiction of deep-seated pain and inner conflict.