--- title: Series of Unfortunate Events: Neil Patrick Harris Interview description: The star returns to television as Count Olaf in a Netflix adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s children’s books, A Series of Unfortunate Events canonical: https://time.com/4633471/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-netflix-neil-patrick-harris/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-13T15:26:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-24T06:56:55.527Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Neil Patrick Harris on How A Series of Unfortunate Events Is Like The Muppets og:description: NPH is back on TV with a new Netflix series og:url: https://time.com/4633471/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-netflix-neil-patrick-harris/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc562744b18fc78d5/6988b56286f68e5e9b6e321d/gettyimages-631509452.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: "Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events" Screening og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Neil Patrick Harris on How A Series of Unfortunate Events Is Like The Muppets twitter:description: NPH is back on TV with a new Netflix series twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc562744b18fc78d5/6988b56286f68e5e9b6e321d/gettyimages-631509452.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Neil Patrick Harris on How _A Series of Unfortunate Events_ Is Like _The Muppets_ > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: This Video Is No Longer Available [Watch (HLS stream): This Video Is No Longer Available](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8) (0:10)  _Published 2026-06-23. NPH is back on TV with a new Netflix series_  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Jan 13, 2017 3:26 PM UTC  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Jan 13, 2017 3:26 PM UTC After forays into film (_Gone Girl_), theater (_Hedwig and the Angry Inch_) and hosting (_Best Time Ever_), [_How I Met Your Mother_](http://time.com/4533546/how-i-met-your-mother-reunion-jason-segel/) star [Neil Patrick Harris](http://time.com/4630094/neil-patrick-harris-james-corden-sing/) returns to serialized television. He plays Count Olaf, a man scheming after three orphans’ vast fortune, in a new Netflix adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s delightfully macabre children’s books,[ _A Series of Unfortunate Events_](http://time.com/4592213/netflix-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-trailer/). A far cry from _HIMYM_‘s genial playboy Barney, the new character afforded Harris the opportunity to don myriad disguises—the villain adopts many personas as he stalks the Baudelaire orphans—and practice his maniacal laugh. **TIME: You hadn’t read the books before. What made you want to do the series?** Harris: I was looking forward to acting as a character again and not as myself. I’d spent a large chunk of the year before on a variety show, _Best Time Ever,_ that was all-encompassing. I was proud of it, but it was exhausting. I was just anxious to get back to acting. **How is this version different from the film adaptation starring Jim Carrey?** Daniel Handler \[who uses the pen name Lemony Snicket\] and Barry \[Sonnenfeld, the director\] were both involved with the movie that came out, gosh, 13 years ago? And they both left for creative reasons before it was completed. So in many ways, I feel like this is a redemption tale for the two of them. **Since** **_How I Met Your Mother,_** **you’ve taken on some villainous roles:** **_Gone Girl,_** **_American Horror Story_** **and now this. How does Olaf compare evilness-wise?** He’s probably the most dastardly, but he’s villainous in a family-friendly way. So he can be over-the-top terrible. You don’t have to spend a lot of time with motivation or backstory. There’s an absurdist freedom to Olaf. **Any theories as to why kids love this kind of darkness?** I think kids are fascinated by the morbid. I know my kids are. Harper, our daughter, likes us to tell her scary stories. I’m thinking back now to Grimm’s fairy tales. Kids are told a lot how to behave well, so I think creatively it’s fun to indulge in the sinister. **You’re a big fan of Jim Henson, and it’s striking that both** **_The Muppets_** **and** **_A Series of Unfortunate Events_** **are children’s tales that also wink at adults.** Totally. Over the holiday, we were playing the “Who would you want to have a conversation with, living or dead?” game. I said Jim Henson. Something like _Sesame Street_ or _The Muppet Show_ was brilliant because it plays on two levels: it teaches you the alphabet and then makes a joke for the parents. The kids know it’s there but don’t quite get it. Now that I’m a parent, I really value that. This shows does that too. **Do you have a favorite vocabulary word, in the spirit of** **_Unfortunate Events_** **?** Um, awesometown. Is that a word? A place which you would strive to go. Oh, actually, splediferous. I think that’s a word. Something particularly splendid. 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