On July 31, Netflix released the second season of its hit show "The Umbrella Academy." The quirky dramedy following a dysfunctional family of superpowered siblings garnered more than 45 million views in its debut last year. This second outing is on track to match it, currently holding an 89% rating on RottenTomatoes.com, an even higher rating than Season 1.
"The Umbrella Academy" is based on a comic book by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way. If the show has whetted your appetite for offbeat stories, here are five other series with graphic novels as their inspiration.
"Watchmen" (2019): HBO's dramatic series is a sequel to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' groundbreaking book (and not to the 2009 film adaptation). While the graphic novel deconstructed the idea of superheroes and questioned the society that would want them, the TV turns these themes into a racially charged narrative about cops in masks battling white supremacists. There are plenty of twists and turns, and plenty of reasons this miniseries has been nominated for 20 Primetime Emmy Awards, including for cast members Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons and more.
"Preacher" (2016-2019): Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's violent tour of '90s America was translated into three seasons of television for AMC. The story concerns Jesse Custer, a doubting preacher receiving a spiritual being and the power to command others with only his voice. Teaming up with a ne'er-do-well Irish vampire and a former flame turned hit woman, Jesse sets out to find God, more literally than most people.
"iZombie" (2015-2019): The CW managed to get five seasons out of the bizarre comic by Chris Roberson about a zombie girl who learns the thoughts of people whose brains she eats. The show sees medical resident Liv Moore working in a morgue and using her power to solve the mysteries behind some of the bodies that come in. Think of it like "The Ghost Whisperer," only she doesn't exactly whisper.
"Wynonna Earp" (2016-present): In this Syfy series based on Beau Smith's comic book, the descendant of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp finds her calling in sending the resurrected souls of bad guys to Hell. Combining western and horror tropes, the show has earned a reputation as a hoopin' and hollerin' good time.
"The Boys" (2019-present): In Ennis' nihilistic take on the military-industrial complex, superheroes are simple-minded brutes with destructive impulses and appetites, and whose images are waved for corporate propaganda while their collateral damage is swept under the rug. The show, coming back to Amazon Prime for its second season Sept. 4, features Karl Urban as Butcher, the man trying to keep the heroes in check, and Antony Starr in a star-making turn as the morally ambiguous "Homelander."
