Why It Makes Sense For A Series Of Unfortunate Events To End After Season 3

Count Olaf Neil Patrick Harris A Series Of Unfortunate Events Netflix

Neil Patrick Harris stated recently that Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events will come to an end after Season 3. The silly and somewhat melancholic series, based on the critically acclaimed novels, will (unofficially) reach its end one season after the yet-to-air Season 2, but it's not happening because people don't like the imaginative dramedy. Harris confirmed some fans' suspicions and stated that three seasons would be enough to cover all of the Lemony Snicket books, which is why it ultimately makes sense for the series to end at that point.

By the end of Season 2, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events will have adapted 9 of the 13 books written by author Lemony Snicket, a.k.a. Daniel Handler. Season 3 will cover the saga's final four novels, which is the same number of books that were covered in Season 1. This may be sad news for any novel fans wishing to learn more about the Baudelaire children's lives following the events of the last book, it's at least faithful to the story told by the novels. Neil Patrick Harris, who serves as a producer as well as the Count Olaf's portrayer, recently expressed to TVGuide why the TV version of A Series of Unfortunate Events won't go beyond the books, pointing to its loyalty to the source material.

We're three seasons all in. We've intentionally been very truthful and factual and loyal to the books. We've added a few characters that aren't in the books, we've added some songs that you probably couldn't put into the books, but for the most part we're sticking to the structure of what already worked.

The reveal that A Series of Unfortunate Events will only last 3 seasons is still fresh, but not entirely unexpected. Lemony Snicket had claimed in the past that the plan was to end the series after Season 3, as well as to film things rather quickly in order to prevent the show's children from aging out of their roles. At that time and now, the question is whether or not Netflix will grant the series a quick Season 3 renewal, allowing the production to keep going forward. It was widely reported last year a third season was already ordered from within Netflix, though nothing was official. Harris' recent comments would leave one to assume a Season 3 renewal is coming, even if the streaming giant hasn't publicly announced it yet.

Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events is set to premiere Season 2 Friday, March 30 at 12:01 PT. For more dates for other shows set to premiere in 2018, be sure to head over to our midseason premiere guide. For more on Netflix shows and streaming in general, check out CinemaBlend's latest episode of The Cord Cutter Podcast.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.