The Baudelaire orphans continue to be pursued by the villainous Count Orlof and his lackeys, this time taking refuge in a strict boarding school.

I’m sorry to report some very unfortunate news – those nitwits at Netflix have financed five more two-part adaptations of Lemony Snicket’s books. What were they thinking? If I were you, I’d look away right now! Still there? I guess you’d better read on…

There’s a real joy to this wonderful series based on the phenomenally successful series of children’s books, not least because it appeals to such a wide demographic. The children lap up the way that the adults are played as idiots – not being able to recognise the obvious disguises Orlof employs – while adults can chuckle at the witty wordplay and glorious set design.

Neil Patrick Harris is a delight as the ridiculous villain, supported by an entourage of equally useless henchmen and henchwomen. There’s a certain comfort you take in knowing that Orlof will always fail, thwarted by the smarter Beaudelaire siblings. Directed by The Addams Family’s Barry Sonnenfeld, this season opener is not the strongest of the series, but is helped by a screenplay from Snicket’s real-life author Daniel Handler.

The siblings Violet, Klaus and Sonny meet another set of orphans – the Quagmires – at the titular academy, which is like Hogwarts without the magic. Evil Vice Principal Nero (yes, he plays the fiddle) is a deranged performance from Roger Bart, but he’s overshadowed by Shirley Temple’s tap-dancing evil twin, Carmelita Spats, who doesn’t have to wear school uniform because she’s gosh darn adorable.

Because baby Sunny (Presley Smith) was so little in the first series, a joke is made to cover off the fact that she’s now a toddler, but she’s still a sweetheart, whether gnawing at hard materials or typing reports. In addition to new characters the Quagmires, Jacques Snicket (a very earnest Nathan Fillion) and a school librarian are brought in to provide a through line, giving some perspective away from the children

Verdict: Even with one of the book series’ least engaging books as its source material, the Beaudelaire saga makes a welcome return, dialling up the intrigue and introducing us to new locations and new words. 7/10

Nick Joy

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events series 2 arrives on Netflix on March 30