8 Reasons Why You Should Watch ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’

Written by contributor Olivia H

Whether they grew up reading the books or discovered them yesterday, a good number of people are familiar with Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Over the course of thirteen novels, the series follows the three Baudelaire children — fourteen-year-old Violet, twelve-year-old Klaus, and baby Sunny — after their home burns down and kills their parents. A rather oblivious, incompetent banker is put in charge of their finances, a large sum inaccessible to the siblings until Violet turns eighteen, and places them under a new guardian’s care. Said guardian is Count Olaf, an egotistical actor and villain whose greatest desire is to steal the Baudelaire fortune. No matter what they do or where they go, Olaf is trailing them and no one will listen to the kids until it’s too late.

The first three books were adapted into a movie starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf in 2004, and the Netflix show’s first season, featuring Neil Patrick Harris as the lead antagonist, released in 2017. Neither of them are hugely popular, but the Netflix adaptation is undeniably worth the watch. Here are eight reasons why you should check it out!

1. The Series Is More Thorough

Netflix certainly does Snicket’s books justice. Each book has time in the spotlight, with the first twelve installments getting two episodes each and the thirteenth concluding the show in one. Twenty-five episodes that span the entire series is more than anyone could’ve hoped for. No matter how much of the series you’ve read, or if you haven’t read it at all, it’s easy to get sucked in to the Baudelaires’ story and the classic, simultaneously hilarious and morbid tale of good versus evil. And, of course, there’s also the complex conspiracy revealed in season two…

2. It’s Consistent With The Books Themes and Tone

Snicket frequently breaks the fourth wall in his writing, and the show does that as well. It makes an already interesting show more unique. Additionally, the writers made sure to transition the wit and dry humour from page to screen, and they did so very well. Patrick Warburton, playing Lemony Snicket himself, stays true to his character’s on-page personality and frequently interrupts the episodes to give context or add suspense to a scene.

3. It’s Great For A Laugh

If you want a dramatic, intriguing show that will also bring a smile to your face, look no further. Although it can be cringeworthy from time to time, that can and should be overlooked. Count Olaf’s questionable intelligence, large ego, and ridiculous schemes are bound to amuse you. There’s plenty of snark from other characters, including little Sunny, whose unintelligible comebacks are displayed in bright green text on-screen. Other humorous highlights include a character introduced in The Reptile Room (season one, episodes three and four), a handful of musical numbers, and Olaf’s constantly present, equally oblivious ragtag group of henchmen.

4. Neil Patrick Harris Brilliantly Brings Count Olaf To Life

While there are many three-dimensional characters for viewers to love or hate and brilliant performances across the board, arguably, Harris’ Olaf is one of the best. Harris nails the actor’s villainous, self-absorbed persona, and it seems that he enjoyed every moment of it.

There are plenty of antagonists fuelled by greed and desire, but significantly fewer with an arsenal of quips that might not make sense and disguises that aren’t good enough to fool as many people as they do. Part of Olaf’s charm, if such a word can be applied to such a character, is the clear fact that, although he’s the mastermind, he’s not the brains of any operation. In The Bad Beginning (season one, episodes one and two), he and his troupe perform a song for the Baudelaires, entirely about Olaf and all of his “good” qualities; this features the lyric, “N! For knowledge, ‘cause I’m very very smart”…I think that speaks for itself.

5. Viewers Can Watch The Actors Grow Up As The Series Progresses

Admittedly, this is only really applicable to one actress, but I stand by it nonetheless. Presley Smith, who played the youngest Baudelaire, Sunny, wasn’t quite a year old when filming for the show began in 2016. You get to see both Presley and Sunny grow as the series progresses, with both being about three years old when the show wrapped for good. Seeing the development from baby to toddler was precious, and hopefully others can agree.

6. It Has A Really Catchy Theme Song

While plenty of shows might have entertaining opening numbers that stick in your head long after you’ve stopped watching, I can’t think of any that actively try to convince you to watch something else. A Series of Unfortunate Events does exactly that. Sung by Neil Patrick Harris, “Look Away” has a lively tune and lyrics unlike anything you’ve likely heard on television. According to the song, “this show will wreck your evening, your whole life and your day” and “every single episode is nothing but dismay”. As if that wasn’t already entertaining and unique, the theme swaps out one verse for another for each book, giving it thirteen variations. How fun!

7. The Author Was Involved In The Making Of The Series

All book adaptations are hit or miss in terms of author involvement. Daniel Handler — the man behind the Lemony Snicket pen name — was hardly involved in the movie. However, for the Netflix show, he was a writer and worked as an executive producer alongside the director. More than one source has proven that Handler enjoyed the experience of making the show and, overall, he seems to be happy with the finished product. If that’s not a stamp of approval, I don’t know what is.

8. You Can Watch All Of It At Once

Finishing one season of a show you’re enjoying and realising that the next episode isn’t available to play automatically is one of the worst feelings. No need to worry about that here! The third and final season came out in 2019, so if you have Netflix, you have access to all twenty-five episodes right now. Perfect marathon material — and given the state of the world, now is the perfect time to get lost in a new show.

Hopefully, this list has convinced you to give A Series of Unfortunate Events a try. This series is truly unlike anything else available right now — to read or to stream — and the fandom could always use another person, no matter how many times you’re told to look away.

Are you a fan of this series? Have you read it? Watched it? Let us know in the comments below!