The title, A Series of Unfortunate Events, doesn't begin to cover just how bad things get for the three primary characters of this story, as well as the many well-meaning "volunteers" who try to help them along their way. "Unfortunate" is too weak a word; were these things to happen to an actual trio of children in real life, "tragic" and "horrific" might be better suited to describe the events in question.

That doesn't stop A Series of Unfortunate Events, the series that began airing on Netflix in 2017, from being an excellent interpretation of the 13-book series by Lemony Snicket, aka Daniel Handler. The show aired over the course of three years and 25 episodes -- each book being covered by two episodes, with the exception of the conclusion, aptly titled "The End," which was handled in just one.

The book focuses on the travails of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, whose parents die (offscreen) in the first scene in a terrible fire. A well-meaning banker and kindly judge place them in the care of their closest living relative, Count Olaf, who secretly orchestrated the fire and is after the Baudelaire fortune. When his efforts to steal their money fail and his scheme is revealed, the orphans are placed with a series of strange and eccentric guardians, most of whom have the children's best interests at heart but who consistently fall victim to Olaf's increasingly sinister and homicidal capers.

It's natural to compare the series to the movie, A Series of Unfortunate Events, which was released by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies in 2004 and covered just the first three books of the series. (The anticipated sequels never materialized after the movie failed to perform well at the box office.) Barry Sonnenfeld, who was originally slated to direct the movie and instead helmed the Netflix project more than a decade later, is obviously the bigger fan of Snicket's series. And, to ensure a more faithful adaptation, Sonnenfeld brought Handler in to work on the script. So, while my 10-year-old son, who recently read the entire Snicket book series, gleefully points out every variation in the plot, even he concedes this version is pretty darn accurate.

Script aside, the Netflix series also brought in a tremendous cast, with Neil Patrick Harris doing a phenomenal job as the sinister but multifaceted villain Olaf, who adopts many guises (which fool everyone but the Baudelaires) in his efforts to steal the Baudelaire fortune. Harris is an evil delight, whose incredible acting skills bring Olaf's terrible acting skills to life.

Patrick Warburton is Snicket, a sad survivor of the story who relates each occurrence out of a sense of duty but persistently warns viewers to watch something else. Snicket in the Netflix series is a much more active role than he was in the movie, and Warburton gloomily recounts the sequence of events with dry, deadpan wit.

The orphans are brought to life by Malina Pauli Weissman, Louis Hynes and Presley Smith, and the young cast does an excellent job showing the stages of grief, hope, despair and extreme cleverness for which the Baudelaires are known.

Aiding them along the way -- and often paying a heavy price for their involvement -- are "volunteers" who worked with the Baudelaire parents: Uncle Monty (Aasif Mandvi), Aunt Josephine (Alfre Woodard), Jacques Snicket (Nathan Fillion), Kit Snicket (Allison Williams), Larry Your-Waiter (Patrick Breen), Jacquelyn (Sara Canning), Olivia Caliban (Sara Rue), and a pair of mysterious parental figures (Will Arnett and Cobie Smulders). There are also a few friendly faces, including Justice Strauss (Joan Cusack), Jerome Squalor (Tony Hale), Charles (Rhys Darby), Phil (Chris Gauthier) and Hector (Ithamar Enriquez). K. Todd Freeman is the banker Arthur Poe, who means well but is utterly inept and gullible.

It's important to note that, although this series was intended for and is appropriate for younger viewers, several of these likable characters are killed (usually off screen) in decidedly gruesome ways. Examples include burned alive, boiled alive (in curry, no less), beaten to death with a crowbar and torn apart by lions. It's pretty horrible to contemplate.

Assisting Olaf with his vile machinations are Esme Squalor (Lucy Punch), Dr. Orwell (Catherine O'Hara), the Hook-Handed Man (Usman Ally), the white-faced women (Jacqueline Robbins and Joyce Robbins), the Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender (Matty Cardarople) and the Bald Man (John DeSantis). There are also some mean folks who might not be evil but certainly aren't nice, such as Vice Principal Nero (Roger Bart), Carmelita Spats (Kitana Turnbull), Sir (Don Johnson), the Man with Beard But No Hair (Richard E. Grant) and the Woman with Hair But No Beard (Beth Grant).

Max Greenfield plays multiple roles -- some good, some bad -- as the Denouement Brothers.

I watched this series with glee when it first aired, and recently rewatched the entire run because my son had read the books. It is still every bit as good as I remember, a testament to good writing, great acting and a faithful respect for the source material.

For those who haven't read the books, the titles are The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window, The Miserable Mill, The Austere Academy, The Ersatz Elevator, The Vile Village, The Hostile Hospital, The Carnivorous Carnival, The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto, The Penultimate Peril, The End. You should check them out!