A Series of Unfortunate Events backdrop
Action & AdventureFamilyComedy

The Best Episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events

Every episode of A Series of Unfortunate Events ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events!

Binge this in 19h 43mPeaking at 8.7/10

The orphaned Baudelaire children face trials, tribulations and the evil Count Olaf, all in their quest to uncover the secret of their parents' death.

Airs on

Seasons3

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 6 - Penultimate Peril (2)
    8.7/10(1201 votes)

    #1 - Penultimate Peril (2)

    S3:E6

    Big secrets are revealed when Count Olaf goes on trial in the hotel lobby. The Baudelaires are the first to take the stand, but will justice be served?

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 5 - Penultimate Peril (1)
    8.6/10(1174 votes)

    #2 - Penultimate Peril (1)

    S3:E5

    Various parties converge at the Hotel Denouement, where the mysterious "J.S." has called the V.F.D. together -- and things aren't always what they seem.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 7 - The End
    8.5/10(1348 votes)

    #3 - The End

    S3:E7

    The final chapter takes the orphans to a deserted island: a place of lost lives, old stories and new beginnings. It all ends here.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 10 - Carnivorous Carnival (2)
    8.4/10(1242 votes)

    #4 - Carnivorous Carnival (2)

    S2:E10

    Still posing as conjoined carnival freaks, the Baudelaires brace themselves for a beastly fate. Will good fortune intervene ... for once?

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 8 - The Miserable Mill (2)
    8.3/10(2037 votes)

    #5 - The Miserable Mill (2)

    S1:E8

    Klaus just isn't himself after seeing Dr. Orwell, an optometrist with oddly optimistic patients. Meanwhile, Violet works to clear her parents' names.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 9 - Carnivorous Carnival (1)
    8.3/10(1227 votes)

    #6 - Carnivorous Carnival (1)

    S2:E9

    Come one, come all to the creepiest circus the world has ever seen, a place where puzzling mysteries -- and a familiar face -- await.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events

    READ
  8. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 7 - The Hostile Hospital (1)
    8.2/10(1253 votes)

    #7 - The Hostile Hospital (1)

    S2:E7

    Life on the lam leads the Baudelaires to a horrifying hospital with an enormous library that could hold the answers to all of their questions.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 3 - The Reptile Room (1)
    8.1/10(2286 votes)

    #8 - The Reptile Room (1)

    S1:E3

    After the Baudelaires move in with Dr. Montgomery, a renowned expert in reptile behavior, their new guardian hires a frighteningly familiar assistant.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 4 - The Reptile Room (2)
    8.1/10(2166 votes)

    #9 - The Reptile Room (2)

    S1:E4

    Klaus and Violet suspect Count Olaf and his evil cohorts when a lifeless body turns up in the reptile room. Sunny sees the inside of a suitcase.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 3 - The Ersatz Elevator (1)
    8.1/10(1337 votes)

    #10 - The Ersatz Elevator (1)

    S2:E3

    Violet, Klaus and Sunny get new guardians in a fashionable building, where stairs are in -- and the elevator's out. Jacques Snicket trains a recruit.

    Director:Bo Welch

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 4 - The Ersatz Elevator (2)
    8.1/10(1292 votes)

    #11 - The Ersatz Elevator (2)

    S2:E4

    The Baudelaires find their friends -- and then lose them -- at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Count Olaf conducts an auction in disguise.

    Director:Bo Welch

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 8 - The Hostile Hospital (2)
    8.1/10(1224 votes)

    #12 - The Hostile Hospital (2)

    S2:E8

    A bearded Klaus and Sunny comb the hospital's crumbling halls for Violet, who's being held prisoner under Count Olaf's questionable "care."

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 7 - The Miserable Mill (1)
    8.0/10(2025 votes)

    #13 - The Miserable Mill (1)

    S1:E7

    The children arrive at the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill and unearth some unsettling accusations about their parents. Count Olaf courts an old flame.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 1 - Slippery Slope (1)
    8.0/10(1204 votes)

    #14 - Slippery Slope (1)

    S3:E1

    While Count Olaf makes his way to V.F.D. headquarters with Sunny, Klaus and Violet are exactly where we left them: careening toward the edge of a cliff.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 2 - Slippery Slope (2)
    8.0/10(1065 votes)

    #15 - Slippery Slope (2)

    S3:E2

    Sunny sends a signal from Count Olaf's camp, where a sinister duo is awakening old insecurities. A clue at V.F.D. HQ points the way to a fateful meeting.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 2 - The Bad Beginning (2)
    7.9/10(2508 votes)

    #16 - The Bad Beginning (2)

    S1:E2

    While Mr. Poe's secretary works overtime, Count Olaf casts Violet and Klaus in "The Marvelous Marriage," a work of theater with alarming implications.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 1 - The Austere Academy (1)
    7.9/10(1525 votes)

    #17 - The Austere Academy (1)

    S2:E1

    The Baudelaires begin life at boarding school and meet a pair of mysterious siblings whose tragic lives sound eerily similar to their own.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 6 - The Vile Village (2)
    7.9/10(1231 votes)

    #18 - The Vile Village (2)

    S2:E6

    The orphans find themselves under suspicion in the wake of a devastating murder. But time behind bars leads to an important realization.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 2 - The Austere Academy (2)
    7.8/10(1399 votes)

    #19 - The Austere Academy (2)

    S2:E2

    While the Quagmires keep up the search, the Baudelaires struggle to balance their studies with a punishing workout schedule, courtesy of Count Olaf.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 4 - Grim Grotto (2)
    7.8/10(1023 votes)

    #20 - Grim Grotto (2)

    S3:E4

    With Sunny's fate hanging in the balance, Violet and Klaus race to find a life-saving antidote and learn the location of the Last Safe Place.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 6 - The Wide Window (2)
    7.7/10(1980 votes)

    #21 - The Wide Window (2)

    S1:E6

    Klaus and Violet look for clues in a suspicious note that passes custody to Captain Sham, a seafaring scam artist with clear ties to Count Olaf.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 5 - The Vile Village (1)
    7.7/10(1238 votes)

    #22 - The Vile Village (1)

    S2:E5

    Mr. Poe brings the Baudelaires to V.F.D., a bird-loving village with an Old West vibe. Jacques and Olivia continue their search for the Quagmires.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 1 - The Bad Beginning (1)
    7.6/10(3181 votes)

    #23 - The Bad Beginning (1)

    S1:E1

    The dreadful history of the Baudelaire children begins with a deadpan narrator, a terrible fire and the ominous arrival of a distant relative.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 5 - The Wide Window (1)
    7.6/10(2030 votes)

    #24 - The Wide Window (1)

    S1:E5

    The orphans arrive at the aptly named Lake Lachrymose to meet their widowed Aunt Josephine, a strict grammarian who's haunted by the past.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  26. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 3 - Grim Grotto (1)
    7.6/10(1040 votes)

    #25 - Grim Grotto (1)

    S3:E3

    A young submarine captain with ties to the V.F.D. reveals she's looking for the sugar bowl. But so is Esmé Squalor, who's on a mission to find it first.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"Penultimate Peril (2)" is the best rated episode of "A Series of Unfortunate Events". It scored 8.7/10 based on 1201 votes. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Joe Tracz, Daniel Handler, it aired on 1/1/2019. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Penultimate Peril (1)".