Television series

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Name: A Series of Unfortunate Events
Genre: Drama, Family, Horror
Released: 2017
Cast: Presley Smith, Louis Hynes, Malina Weissman, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Warburton

Three orphaned siblings are relentlessly pursued by a vain, murderous actor scheming to steal their fortune, while a chorus of oblivious adults fails them at every turn. It's gothic children's fiction played completely straight — gorgeous production design, deadpan narration, and a persistent hum of dread under the whimsy. Funny, sad, stylised, and unafraid to let bad things actually happen. Best for people who liked being a little scared as kids.

TVMaze rating

7.3

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Macabre, arch, and completely committed to its own dark logic, with children who are unbothered by horrors that would flatten anyone else. The tonal ancestor of the Baudelaires' unflappability.

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The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

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A black-and-white expressionist nightmare about two children fleeing a charming, murderous predator posing as their guardian — gothic imagery so striking it still looks unlike anything else made since.

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A brilliant, underestimated child outwitting grotesque, cruel adults through wit and quiet defiance — the Baudelaire formula in Roald Dahl's key.

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Estranged siblings with distinct talents, a dead-parent mystery, and a heightened, stylised world where disaster is always one step behind them.

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Nanny McPhee2005

A fable-like tone, inventive children, and a story that trusts kids to handle real loss and real consequences without losing its lightness.

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A wrongly persecuted innocent, a delicious, theatrical villain, and a story that takes both its warmth and its menace completely seriously.

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The Spiderwick Chronicles2008no page yet

Siblings, an inherited mystery, a menacing figure hunting them for what they possess, and a story that doesn't flinch from real stakes for its child leads.

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Spirited Away2001

Same engine, different costume: a child surviving on cleverness and courage in a world run by adults who are indifferent, greedy, or transformed into something worse.

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Orphan2009

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