The Umbrella Academy showrunner is braced for some fans to "hate" season 4
He's ready for fans' opinions on the most expensive episode ever.
As we prepare to say goodbye to the Hargreeves siblings once and for all in The Umbrella Academy season 4, showrunner Steve Blackman has admitted he's braced for some fans to "hate" how he's ended the series.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, the showrunner, who's seeing out the final season of the Netflix show in six episodes, said the finale is the most expensive episode they've ever filmed - but he knows not everyone will love it.
"We went very big this season," he said. "And I think the finale itself is our most expensive episode we ever did. So it's a very, very big ending.
"I think the fans will have thoughts on it - I think some will love, some will maybe hate and some will have opinions, but I want to hear their opinions."
Blackman added: "But I'm really proud of the ending. I think it's the right ending. 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?"
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The showrunner also explained: "[What the fans think] does matter to me a lot. I can't make all of them happy, I know that. We'll make decisions that some will love, some will hate.
"But I'm always thinking about the fans, the writers are always thinking about the fans. And we want to give them a great storyline, a wonderful, propulsive storyline with all the emotion, but we also want them to feel satisfied at the end of the day."
Some fans have wondered why the season clocks in shorter, at just six episodes, when previous seasons have been longer.
Explaining, Blackman said: "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."
Blackman admits he was in tears writing the script, adding: "It's so sad [to say goodbye]. It's really sad. I had such a great time with these actors and the crew and the writers, so I knew it would come to an end, but I didn't think I'd be as emotional.
"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."
The Umbrella Academy seasons 1-3 are streaming now on Netflix.
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