Netflix announced the release date for "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (ASOUE) this week with its first-ever teaser. Featuring Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket, the new trailer hints that the show will be breaking the fourth wall with his presence. It is assumed that he will be narrating and commenting on the episodes as the story progresses.
However, not everyone seems to be happy with the said idea, much less think that the characterization of Lemony Snicket in Netflix's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" as apt. Has Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket failed with fans?
The teaser, which Netflix launched on its official YouTube account, has Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket introducing Netflix viewers to the upcoming "A Series Of Unfortunate Events" adaptation. In a tone similar to the books, he said that the story featuring the Baudelaire orphans can be so "upsetting" that the production people are already suffering from low morale. "A phrase, which here means, 'under medical observation for melancholia, ennui, and acute wistfulness,'" the actor explains, per The Verge.
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But as Lemony Snicket, who sounded remorseful and satirical in the books and who also had a British accent in the 2004 movie, Patrick Warburton's confident and assured American-speaking voice threw off some of the fans of "A Series of Unfortunate Events." The new teaser also seemed to hint that Lemony Snicket is going to show his face in the episodes, which was not what fans expected.
"The tone of the books is very dark and serious, with lots of dry humor. It's a very British book series," one commenter said in the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" Facebook page. "The trailer was much too light and silly for the series, much too American, and the worst part is that we're never supposed to see what Lemony looks like!"
But there are some fans who quite get Patrick Warburton's delivery as Lemony Snicket in "A Series of Unfortunate Events" on Netflix. "Perhaps the 'sad British narrator' trope is overdone," one Redditor said in an ASOUE discussion. Besides, author Daniel Handler, who created the books the show is based from and assumed the character of Lemony Snicket as his pen name, is actually American.
For now, there's a certain amount of disconnect for the Lemony Snicket characterization that was showcased in the initial "A Series of Unfortunate Events" teaser. But the discussion among fans is an indication of just how eagerly-awaited the Netflix series is.
Mark your calendars for Friday, Jan. 13, 2017, as Netflix will release all eight episodes for Season 1 in one go. Check out the much talked about ASOUE teaser below.
