A Series of Unfortunate Events season 3 is now streaming on Netflix, which may have fans wondering if there will ever be a season 4. Based on the children's book series of the same name by Lemony Snicket, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events TV show stars Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, Malina Weissman as Violet Baudelaire, Louis Hynes as Klaus Baudelaire, and Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket. It premiered in early 2017 and quickly became an outstanding success for the streaming service, who set about adapting the rest of the series.
A Series of Unfortunate Events begins with the death of the Baudelaire children's parents and them being placed in the custody of their distant relative, Count Olaf, which then inspires him to claim the Baudelaire family estate (and fortune) for himself. Since there are several books in the novel series, A Series of Unfortunate Events season 1, which consisted of eight episodes, adapted Snickets' first four books, with season 2 adapting the following five installments in the series over the course of 10 episodes.
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One month after announcing that they renewed A Series of Unfortunate Events for season 2 back in March 2017, Netflix confirmed plans to release another season in 2019, which would adapt the final four books in Snickets' A Series of Unfortunate Events novel series, thus bringing the story (and journey) of Count Olaf and the Baudelaire children to a fitting end. Unfortunately, since there's no more story to tell, that means the chances of A Series of Unfortunate Events season 4 happening are slim to none.
A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Was Always The Final Season
Judging by how quick A Series of Unfortunate Events season 1 went through the first four books in the novel series, it was clear that the TV show would always be short-lived. That notion became true when Neil Patrick Harris said in February 2018 that A Series of Unfortunate Events season 3 would be the final season. And to the surprise of many people, Netflix stuck by the vision of the show's creators - Mark Hudis and Barry Sonnenfeld - to not only remain faithful to the source material but also wrap up the series in a timely manner, so that they don't overstay their welcome and potentially ruin what's arguably the definitive adaptation of Snicket's stories.
The ending of A Series of Unfortunate Events season 3 is a little different from the books, showing more of the story after the Baudelaires' trials are over, but none of that directly sets up more to come.
Netflix Won't Make A Series Of Unfortunate Events Season 4
When Netflix first ordered A Series of Unfortunate Events season 1 in 2014, the streaming service was still trying to establish themselves as a worthy competitor in the entertainment industry. Needless to say, they've come a long way since then, having debuted multiple award-winning and highly-watched TV shows, including Stranger Things. So, they have little need to pointlessly continue A Series of Unfortunate Events if they don't have to. The story perfectly wraps up with season 3, so season 4 would just be a cash-grab (or... subscriber-grab?). Bottom line: A Series of Unfortunate Events season 4 doesn't need to happen, and so, it won't happen.
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Netflix Could Do A Series Of Unfortunate Events Spinoff
However, "The End" isn't really the end. Daniel Handler, the author behind the Lemony Snicket pen name, has written several more books set in the world of the Baudelaires and V.F.D. These mainly explore the history of the writer himself, with "Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography" detailing his past and "The Beatrice Letters", which explored his romance with Beatrice and what happened next to the orphans. None of these would be suitable for a direct adaptation, and many of the ideas have been used in Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events season 3, but do show there's definitely room for more. Of course, that doesn't seem likely at this point.