--- title: "A Series of Unfortunate Events: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/a-series-of-unfortunate-events/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/a-series-of-unfortunate-events" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 16 reviews: 14 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews lean clearly positive, and most critics agree the adaptation gets the books right: the wordplay, the ghoulish whimsy, the balance of real darkness with broad comedy. Praise clusters on two performances. Neil Patrick Harris’s Count Olaf is called inventive, exuberant and note-perfect, and Patrick Warburton’s deadpan Lemony Snicket draws nearly as many compliments. The production design, with its inventive sets and distinctive costumes, is the other department singled out again and again. The reservations are mild and mostly structural. Several critics find the episodes repetitive, particularly early on, and a few think the young leads come across as flat or overly precious. The Guardian breaks with the majority on Olaf, finding him short on menace, and The i Paper is the coolest voice, calling the series only intermittently engaging and awkwardly split between adult and child audiences. The spread is narrow: no review is negative, and even the dissenters still find it watchable. ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Rating A-. 13 January 2017. Travers finds the series inspirational and endearing despite its bleak premise. He especially praises the Baudelaire children’s resilience and the production design’s vivid, carefully realized darkness. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-review-netflix-lemony-snicket-series-spoilers-1201764180/) ## Variety — Sonia Saraiya Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2017. Saraiya praises the series as a weird, wonderful, bewitching modern fairy tale. She especially applauds how the performances, production design, set pieces, and pacing cohere into a complete vision. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/tv/reviews/review-series-of-unfortunate-events-netflix-lemony-snicket-1201953483/) ## Empire — Nick de Semlyen Fi1m's normalised score 82/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2017. The critic says the adaptation largely nails the books and is entertaining despite some baggy, repetitive episodes. He especially praises its witty wordplay and Patrick Warburton’s dry narration. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/lemony-snicket-series-unfortunate-events-review-2/) ## Evening Standard — Emma Powell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2017. The critic finds the series entertaining and its time well spent. They praise its ghoulish whimsy and Neil Patrick Harris’s exuberant Count Olaf. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/lemony-snickets-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-review-time-spent-with-this-series-is-not-at-all-unfortunate-a3440276.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Keith Uhlich Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 January 2017. The critic finds the series a perversely delightful and engaging adaptation. Neil Patrick Harris’s inventive comic performance as Count Olaf stands out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/a-series-unfortunate-events-review-960300/) ## The AV Club — Erik Adams Rating B. 5 January 2017. Adams finds the Netflix adaptation a much better home for the story, though its early episodes become repetitive. He especially praises Patrick Warburton’s dry, deadpan portrayal of Lemony Snicket. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/orphaned-at-the-cinema-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-1798190075) ## The Telegraph — Tristram Fane Saunders Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2017. The critic finds the series a delightful, stylish adaptation, despite the young leads sometimes seeming flat. He singles out Daniel Handler’s writing and the show’s gorgeous visuals for praise. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/series-unfortunate-events-netflix-review-delicious-gothic-romp/) ## The Guardian — Sam Wollaston Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2017. Wollaston finds the series smart, funny and faithful to the books, though he never fully gets drawn into its world. He praises its Burtonesque look and inventive sets, but says Count Olaf lacks menace. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jan/13/lemony-snickets-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-review-netflix) ## Vulture — Jackson McHenry Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 2 February 2017. The critic finds the series engaging, despite its repetitive structure, because Harris’s exaggerated Count Olaf keeps it lively. They praise how his conspicuously bad disguises balance comic absurdity with the menace of Olaf’s power. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/neil-patrick-harris-lemony-snicket-great-bad-actor.html) ## Radio Times — Huw Fullerton Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 January 2017. The review presents the adaptation as extremely faithful, though not to every viewer’s taste. Its faithfulness to the novels is the clearest point of praise. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-review-a-good-beginning/) ## The i Paper — Alex Nelson Rating ★★★. 13 January 2017. The review finds the series watchable but only intermittently engaging, with an awkward split between adult and child audiences. It singles out Neil Patrick Harris’s nuanced, funny performance as Count Olaf for praise. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-netflix-review-41052) ## Den of Geek — Gabriel Bergmoser Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 January 2017. The critic calls the series a brave, funny, imaginative success and an absolute treat. They especially praise its faithful adaptation and its deft balance of darkness and humor. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/culture/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-review-spoiler-free/) ## Collider — Aubrey Page Rating ★★★★. 5 January 2017. The critic finds the adaptation an entertaining, faithful take that should delight longtime fans, though its tone may exhaust newcomers. The writing’s acerbic wit and dark humor stand out, while the young actors’ performances feel overly precious and two-dimensional. [Read the review](https://collider.com/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-review/) ## Digital Spy — Tom Eames Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2017. The critic finds the series bonkers but brilliant and well worth watching. They especially praise its balance of genuine darkness and laugh-out-loud comedy, along with Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a818619/lemony-snicket-netflix-review-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-neil-patrick-harris/) ## /Film — Jack Giroux Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 20 January 2017. Giroux finds the series a big-hearted, entertaining blend of goofy humor and darkness, despite some unevenness. He particularly praises the cast and the visually distinctive sets and costumes. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/548792/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-review-a-delightfully-unhappy-show/) ## Paste — Zach Blumenfeld Rating 7.8/10. 12 January 2017. Blumenfeld finds the series a witty, visually distinctive adaptation that largely captures the books’ charm, though its emotional moments and some performances are uneven. He especially praises Neil Patrick Harris’s versatile, note-perfect Count Olaf. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/a-series-of-unfortunate-events/netflixs-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-is-an-absu) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/a-series-of-unfortunate-events.md