Courtesy of IMDB

  Writer David Handler has just helped release a new Netflix show after a book collection he has written, “The Series of Unfortunate Events.” The thirteen books are published under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket, who is the narrator in both the books and the Netflix show. It is a dark drama, with a melancholy tone and a wry sense of humor.

  The series is about the Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, who have just found out that their parents have perished in a fire that destroyed their house. Their family banker, Mr. Poe, takes them to their closest relative, Count Olaf, a famous actor. They find out he is after their fortune and he will stop at nothing to get it.

  The first four books are covered in the first season of the show. At the beginning, Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes), and Sunny (Presley Smith) are standing on a beach. There, they get the terrible news that their parents are dead from Mr. Poe (K. Todd Freeman). He takes them to Count Olaf’s (Neil Patrick Harris) house, and he gives them a large list of chores to do. He acts as a bad parent and the orphans despise him. Later, it is revealed that he has a plan to get the enormous fortune their parents left behind.

  In the next episodes after The Bad Beginning, Count Olaf dresses up in costumes and finds the children wherever they go. His disguises fool the relatives the children are living with, but Violet, Klaus, and Sunny can see right through his costume. Even though Olaf weasels his way into becoming their guardian, the orphans manage to escape his clutches.

  The Netflix series follows the book plot very well, only adding in a few things which make the show more interesting. The actors play their roles extremely well, and they are exactly how described in the books. Olaf is just as evil, Violet just as clever, and Klaus just as smart as Lemony Snicket makes them. It is a perfect show for all ages, and any audience will be able to enjoy it.

  There will be more seasons and the second season is going to be out this winter. Each season will probably cover four books.

  “Whether you’re a kid or just a child at heart, you’ll be giggling so much at the mock-melodramatic high jinks of each episode, you’ll go right on to the next,” David Wiegand, an assistant managing editor and tv critic to the San Francisco Chronicle, said.

  It is truly a must-see, even if you haven’t read the books.