A Series of Unfortunate Events TV Review

Growing up, I was a fan of the book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket. So, when I found out Netflix was developing a series based on it, I was immediately interested,

The series follows the Baudelaire orphans, three children who lose their parents and are chased by the sinister Count Olaf, played excellently by Neil Patrick Harris. The first season is based on the first four books, on a strict schedule of two hour-long episodes for each book. I think that this is a good schedule, giving each book what could be considered a movie length adaptation. The series stays very faithful to the source material, even including the humorous dedications at the start of each book, but also includes many story-lines that were not included in the original series.

This show does a great job of capturing the darkly comedic tone of the books. It is shot in a very Wes Anderson-ish way, which adds a colorful feel to the dark story. And there are plenty of good silly jokes, even some that happen at the darkest moments.

Also, the characters are portrayed very well. While the child actors playing the Baudelaires acting may fall flat at times, the adult actors bring a colorful and energetic performance to all the characters. Neil Patrick Harris's performance sticks out in particular. He gives an energetic and fun performance as Count Olaf. Over the course of the season, Olaf wears many disguises, playing different characters, which Harris is able to do with ease.

In conclusion, this is a faithful and highly entertaining adaptation of the popular children's book series. It may be somewhat aimed for children, but I could see it being enjoyed by adults just as much. Though not all of the jokes hit, there are a lot of good ones with great delivery. This is essential for fans of the books.

4 out of 5 stars