Despite almost every piece of advertising for this series, including the theme song itself -warning viewers to look away and avoid watching the sad story being told-to miss out on this Netflix original series would be very unfortunate indeed.
Based on the bestselling series of children’s books written by Lemony Snicket (the pen name for author Daniel Handler), the series follows the trials and tribulations of the Baudelaire children Violet, Klaus, and Sunny who become orphans after their parents are killed in a fire that burns down their home. The first season covers the first 4 books in the series. Each episode is 2 hours. The series follows as the children are moved from guardian to guardian while they try to outrun the evil Count Olaf (played by an unrecognizable Neil Patrick Harris). Olaf is hellbent on getting his hands on the enormous fortune that the children’s parents left to them. Just like in the books, Olaf uses many disguises in an attempt to fool the unsuspecting adults around the Baudelaire’s, leaving it to them to find a way to stop him and survive all the danger Olaf brings.
One of the strongest aspects of this show is how it perfectly captures the tone and feel of the original book series. It certainly helps that has Handler himself served as an executive producer and the writer of several of the series’ episodes. The series is full of the same dark comedy, over the top characters, and whimsical wordplay that made the books a standout series selling over 65 million copies worldwide. This feeling is also established thanks to the help of some amazing costume and set design. The sets changes from episode to episode, but are all elaborately built to feel like a mix of Tim Burton-esque gothic and timeless relics from the 1920s. For example, the setting of Count Olaf’s home is a dark decaying manor filled with rat holes in the walls while other settings include an old-timey style movie theater and lumber factory. Although the series is fully faithful to the source material, it also expands upon the books in several interesting and unexpected ways.
The show also succeeds thanks to a talented cast of main characters and guest stars each of whom commit fully to the material. Neil Patrick Harris is the perfect Count Olaf. Harris precisely captures Olaf’s flair for the dramatic and over sized ego as a self described world class thespian of the stage but also nails the menacing side of the character as well. Harris’s Olaf will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. Olaf is simultaneously comical and evil, a fantastic villain. Throughout the series Olaf dons many disguises in an attempt to steal the fortune. At first I thought that Harris was too comedic as the character but he quickly won me over with his multi level performance.
The Baudelaire children are played wonderfully by talented child actors who capture the intelligence, bravery, and spirit of the characters, but also show their fear and sadness over the loss of their parents and their new lives. Even the baby playing Sunny somehow feels perfectly cast in the role and manages to steal every scene that she is in. Another standout is Todd Freeman as the incompetent Mr. Poe, the banker in charge of the Baudelaire estate who never seems to notice the danger of Count Olaf or the desperation of the Baudelaire’s. Guest stars such as Aasif Mandvi as the eccentric but well meaning Uncle Monty, Alfre Woodard as the constantly terrified Aunt Josephine, and Catherine O’Hara as the villainous Dr. Georgina Orwell provide plenty of fantastic moments with their over the top performances. Meanwhile the series is anchored by Patrick Warburton narrating the series as Lemony Snicket himself who’s deep booming voice and woeful delivery of dialogue makes the show feel complete.
In all regards, A Series of Unfortunate Events is a must watch series for everyone.The eight episode first season can be found on Netflix now.