From the moment Neil Patrick Harris began singing, “Look away, look away,” in the opening theme song of Netflix’s new series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, I was hooked. For a show that claims it will “wreck your evening, your whole life, and your day” it sure does anything but.
I should make it clear that the show might not be enjoyable to anyone who hasn’t read the books. Not because the show does a poor job of introducing viewers to the storyline, but because of how strongly it adheres to the design of the books. If you’re not expecting it, it certainly might be jarring to have Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket dryly tell you to stop watching time after time. It’s an unusual style, considering that most television shows spend episode after episode trying to get you to watch more, not less, but it just wouldn’t be A Series of Unfortunate Events without its quirkiness.
Admittedly, the last time I read one of Snicket’s books (penname Daniel Handler) was years ago. While the television adaptation adheres strongly to the original flow of the books to the best of my recollection, it’s also very likely that I’ve forgotten plenty of details. I can recognize a couple of places where Netflix’s adaptation diverges from the books, perhaps most notably by introducing some things far earlier in the story and by the addition of three new characters: Mother, Father, and Jacquelyn.
Personally, I didn’t find any of the changes off-putting. I rarely endorse any sort of divergence from the books in an adaptation, but all of the modifications worked so well in A Series of Unfortunate Events that I have no complaints. I imagine that this is largely due to Daniel Handler’s influence, as he was an executive producer, wrote the majority of the episodes and worked with the writers on the remaining episodes.
In addition to staying true to the feel of the books, the characters were perfectly cast. K. Todd Freeman was hilarious as Mr. Poe, Patrick Warburton was the perfect choice to narrate as Lemony Snicket, and Alfre Woodard and Joan Cusack particularly stood out as Aunt Josephine and Justice Strauss. Of course, Neil Patrick Harris was outstanding as Count Olaf. He kept a perfect balance between being evil and being comical, managing to make Olaf funny (when the situation called for it) without being sympathetic. Furthermore, his costumes were amazing. For a show about three children, the Baudelaires certainly didn’t steal the show, but they were adorable, precocious, and strikingly like what I had always imagined they would be.
Season 2 of A Series of Unfortunate Events has already been confirmed, and Daniel Handler is currently working on the new scripts. After such a great first season, my expectations are high, but I have every faith that Handler, Barry Sonnenfield (an executive producer and director), Neil Patrick Harris, and the rest of the cast and crew will meet them.