The Umbrella Academy is set to return for its fourth and final season next month, but Netflix's adaptation of Gerard Way's best-selling comic series won't be concluding its run without controversy.
Rolling Stone has published a piece highlighting allegations made against showrunner Steve Blackman, who has been accused of “toxic, bullying, manipulative, and retaliatory behavior” by twelve writers and support staff in an HR complaint filed last year.
In the article, Blackman is described as a “a manipulative and chaotic showrunner” who nurtured “a toxic workplace by pitting staffers against one another” and took credit for work he didn’t produce. The showrunner has also been accused of making “sexist, homophobic, and transphobic” comments.
NBC-owned Universal Content Productions launched an internal investigation after the complaint was filed, and Blackman was said to be found "more or less in the clear" of most of the allegations. However, the 12 people Rolling Stone spoke to deny this.
Blackman’s representative released the following statement.
“Over six years and four seasons overseeing thousands of crew, actors, and writers, Steve Blackman led ‘The Umbrella Academy’ to become a beloved series with devoted fans, enthralling stories, and a dedicated team making it all possible. These allegations from a handful of disgruntled employees are completely false and outrageous, and in no way reflect the collaborative, respectful, and successful working environment Mr. Blackman has cultivated.”
You can read through the report in full at the link below.
"The Hargreeves siblings have scattered after the climactic showdown at the Hotel Oblivion led to a complete reset of their timeline. Stripped of their powers, each is left to fend for themselves and find a new normal — with wildly varying degrees of success. Yet the trappings of their uncanny new world prove too hard to ignore for very long. Their father Reginald, alive and well, has stepped out of the shadows and into the public eye, overseeing a powerful and nefarious business empire. A mysterious association known as The Keepers holds clandestine meetings believing the reality they’re living in is a lie and a great reckoning is coming. As these strange new forces conspire around them, the Umbrella Academy must come together one last time — and risk upsetting the shaky peace they’ve all endured so much to secure — to finally set things right."