As the opening theme of the show warns viewers, to look away, look away I highly suggest you do the same with this review. The release of the Netflix original series A Series of Unfortunate Events was highly anticipated for many reasons. One being that the talented actor, Neil Patrick Harris graced us with his incredible acting ability by playing the role of Count Olaf, as well as Stephano, Captain Julio Sham, as well as Shirley the receptionist. Confused yet? This Netflix series is based off of the bestselling book series by Lemony Snicket.

The story follows the recently orphaned Baudelaire children who are being hunted by Count Olaf who is attempting to acquire their enormous fortune. The plot of quirky characters and mysterious secret societies makes the series intriguing. A Series of Unfortunate Events is beloved by many children who learned sarcasm and dark humor from the unique writing style of  the books.

As a child who also loved this series, and read all thirteen books, I immediately shut myself away in my room to watch all eight episodes of the first season the day it was released. Not only was I impressed with the acting, but the plot brought to life the plot of the books just as tragic and unfortunate as I had remembered.

The eight episodes follow the plot of the first four books of the thirteen book series; The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room,  The Wide Window, and The Miserable Mill. The Netflix series did a remarkable job of staying true to the whimsical and often dark notes of the original book series. Often, the fourth wall was broken by the narrator Lemony Snicket (played by Patrick Warburton) in order to explain the meaning behind phrases, metaphors, and words that are not commonly used by the audience the show is geared toward.

Though the series is famous for being for being a hopeless, tragedy of a tale, Neil Patrick Harris had me laughing at his variety of sinister yet humorous characters. Even the three young actors that played the Baudelaire children (Malina Weissman as Violet, Louis Hynes as Klaus, and Presley Smith as Sunny) took on their iconic characters and brought them to life.

So if during an uneventful weekend or terribly boring school night you feel the need to be thoroughly disturbed and saddened by the woeful tale of the Baudelaire children, I highly recommend you sit down comfortably and watch this new Netflix classic.