"The Dresden Files" (2007) TV series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

21 January 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

If you need help, call the cops. If you need a miracle, call Harry Dresden.

Plot:

A Chicago-based wizard works as a private investigator.

Plot Keywords:

Wizard | Private Investigator | Tough Cop | Ghost | Stage Magician

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Paul Blackthorne	...	Harry Dresden (13 episodes, 2007-2008)
Valerie Cruz	...	Lt. Connie Murphy (13 episodes, 2007-2008)
Terrence Mann	...	Bob / ... (13 episodes, 2007-2008)
Raoul Bhaneja	...	Detective Sid Kirmani / ... (11 episodes, 2007-2008)
Conrad Coates	...	Morgan (7 episodes, 2007-2008)

Runtime:

USA:60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Dresden Files Productions

Trivia:

As of May 2006 the Sci-Fi Channel has ordered 11 episodes of The Dresden Files, based on the quality of the pilot. The pilot film itself is scheduled to premiere in January 2007.

Quotes:

Bob: Life is pain. So's dinner. You've burnt your garlic bread.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Eye (2008)

Started good, got really good, now brilliant-but-cancelled, lives on in DVD and awesome books.

I found the (seriously excellent) book series because of the show. I know some of the book fans initially took exception to some of the changes made when the series was brought to television. Although, I'm not sure why people don't know by now that what works great on a page doesn't always scale up well to the screen. I thought many of the changes worked fine (jeep, coat, hockey stick, shop/flat) and some worked brilliantly (Bob!). I think Robert Wolfe and Hans Beimler and the cast and crew did a fine job of bringing the feel of Jim Butcher's universe to screen-life. I ended up being a fan of both books and TV show.

The earlier episodes are pretty strong in the plots. The show really gelled by about the 5th episode and had good momentum by the end. I'm absolutely floored that Sci-Fi didn't renew the series immediately and without question. I think the show would have continued to build on the strong foundation of the first season. It seems like a lot of network executives these days expect to hit the lottery, and if a show isn't an instant juggernaut they just dismiss it. That's sad, because most shows take a little while to find their feet. They don't seem to be getting the chances these days. But I digress...

Overall, The Dresden Files is a really fun and interesting show with cool characters, engaging stories, and snappy dialogue. The magic is an important element, but it is incorporated pretty subtly most of the time as the writers were going for a sense of realism and didn't want to over-blow the fantasy aspects. The writers did a fantastic job of hitting all of the main points needed to establish the series, so the first season feels quite well-rounded. They left plenty of tantalizing hints for future stories, but did not leave us in the agonizing throes of an unresolved cliffhanger. Thank you, writers! It's definitely worth watching and will leave you wishing Sci Fi made better programming decisions. If you'd care to act on those feelings, information on how to do so can be found at dresdencity.org.