Starting in the middle of 2016, there was word of a Series of Unfortunate Events Netflix Series to be released straight to the web in 2017 starring Neil Patrick Harris. The series is based off of the book series with the same name by Daniel Handler under the pen name “Lemony Snicket.” This announcement came as a surprise, but also a relief to many of the Lemony Snicket lovers who were disappointed in the 2004 Jim Carrey film made by Nickelodeon. The movie not only sped through only three of the 13 books but also left much to be desired in terms of film adaptations.

The story of the Baudelaire siblings, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, starts with the children being informed of their parents death by an untimely fire in their own home while the children were at the beach. From this moment on, the Baudelaires go through many (as the title of the series suggests) unfortunate events which all have something to do with Count Olaf, a vile, “actor” who is after the family’s fortune left for them when the parents died, chasing them throughout their stays with other guardians.

Starting the show with a theme song filled with the phrase “Look away” and a warning of “This show will wreck your evening, your whole life, and your day. Every single episode is nothing but dismay,” It is no surprise that the show takes some dark turns.  The show covers the first four books of the total 13 in the series, “The Bad Beginning,” “The Reptile Room,” “The Wide Window,” and “The Miserable Mill.”

Neil Patrick Harris, who plays Count Olaf, is the perfect mix of creepy and charming, effortlessly moving back and forth between the two as he encounters the children and their acting guardians. As the story goes on, it closely follows the book which could be in part because the script was written by author of the books, Daniel Handler.

However, the end of the first episode shows one major plot line the books never showed or even hinted at, (SPOILERS AHEAD) a set of parents trying to get back to their children before something else bad happens. As the show goes on you see these parents, played by Will Arnett and Colbie Smulders, through their trials and tribulations getting back to their children. All the ending scenes of the parents make you think that the Baudelaire parents are very much alive and accidentally helping their children escape the clutches of Count Olaf.

Near the end of the Baudelaires stay at the Miserable Mill the twist is revealed to the viewers that the couple shown are not the Baudelaire parents, but the Quagmires who are trying to get back to their triplets, Duncan, Quigley, and Isadora. The Quagmires are a set of triplets who the Baudelaires meet at Prufrock Preparatory School after their parents meet the same fate as the Baudelaire parents.

The Netflix series was one of the biggest hits of the year, so far, with more people bingeing it in the few days after it was released even if you hadn’t read the books. As a lover of the books, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and hope for it to be picked up for a second season.

Be sure to check out the show on Netflix and keep up with the author and official Twitter to keep informed of what is coming up next.