A series of fortunate adaptations

The story begins small and a little repetitive but grows into a global conspiracy of secret organisations, dastardly villains and intriguing mysteries.

The series follows the three equally ingenious and unlucky Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus and Sunny, after their home is destroyed in a mysterious fire. They are constantly forced to move from guardian to guardian under the sinister eye of the series’ villain, Count Olaf.

The new Netflix series gives a fresh interpretation of the Baudelaire’s story, devoting two episodes to each book and covering the first four books in the opening season. The story was always supposed to be episodic, and the new series is structured more like the immersive experience of the original books than a typical tv show.

The successful translation from page to screen is partly due to Daniel Handler, pen name Lemony Snicket, leading the writing team with his unconventional and creative flair.

The series was first adapted for the screen in 2004, when Jim Carrey led a stellar cast including Meryl Streep and Billy Connolly as some of the orphan’s hapless guardians. The film was a heavy handed amalgamation of the first three books in the series, which swapped and interchanged plot points to squash the thirteen book series into a feature length film.

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