More than 10 years and a canceled movie deal later, young adult author Daniel Handler has adopted the pseudonym Lemony Snicket again to revamp his infamous book series, “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

Only this time, the crew at Netflix took the film adaptation into their own hands, breaking up the 13-book series into an episodic television show.

The first season consists of eight one-hour long episodes telling the stories of the first three books of the series.

The Baudelaire children Violet, Sunny and Klaus have a string of bad luck when they are informed of their parents’ untimely deaths caused by a great fire that burned down their childhood home.

Soon after, the three children are placed into the care of multiple guardians that are not all they seem to be. Like the title, the Baudelaire children face a series of unfortunate events that are both tragic and comical.

Despite the long hiatus and anticipation for the show, the series did not disappoint. Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” captured the dark humor and cleverness of the books perfectly.

From the steam punk setting to the appropriately placed breaking of the fourth wall, the show has it all.

Every single situation, piece of dialogue and minor detail seem to have almost literally come straight from the books.

The writers of the show also managed to slip in references to the books and to Lemony Snicket himself.

The dialogue and execution of each unfortunate event is a combination of witty, comical and practical.

I was a little wary of the casting but was pleasantly surprised at the abundance of talent found in each actor.

The Baudelaire children looked the appropriate age they are supposed to be as described in the books, and they had fantastic on-screen chemistry.

Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes and Presley Smith played Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, respectively, successfully displaying each child’s written talents.

We cannot forget the infamous role of Count Olaf played by Neil Patrick Harris.

Although I grew up familiar with the character and Jim Carry’s interpretation of the role, Harris’s portrayal is equally as funny and menacing.

In fact, Harris plays the role so well I found myself just as annoyed with him as I was when I read the books as a child.

And like the books, the writers of the show also capture the mystery behind the story. Many questions and new concepts arise, leaving you wanting more.

Netflix has successfully released a wildly entertaining television show yet again, all the while staying true to the stories and true to the characters.

It will be very interesting to see what the next season has to offer.

Angelica Cataldo can be reached at 581-2812 or amcataldo@eiu.edu.