How unnerving is Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of the classic children’s tale Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events? So unnerving that it’s caused jolly cutup Patrick Warburton to become superserious. In this new clip teasing the eight-episode series, which premieres Jan. 13, 2017, the former Tick assumes the role of Lemony Snicket, the narrator for these Unfortunate Events who chronicled the sad case of the Baudelaire orphans over the course of 13 books. “The entire crew is suffering from low morale,” Warburton says, walking through the darkened soundstages where the series is being filmed.

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Well … maybe not the entire crew. In the middle of his stone-faced soliloquy, the actor is interrupted from offscreen by a maniacally happy singer. He sounds an awful lot like Neil Patrick Harris, who plays the orphans’ sinister guardian and constant nemesis, Count Olaf. “Look away before this dire tale is even filmed,” Warburton warns viewers. Look away when NPH is having this much fun being bad? Fat chance.

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events premieres Jan. 13, 2017, on Netflix.