The Dresden Files: Season 01 (The Sci-Fi Channel, 2007)
IMDB LinkLike a lot of cancelled shows, those that enjoy it slowly make it seem better than it is. Because the only people who will watch it and talk about it are people who already like it and since it is cancelled, new people will generally not discover it at the same rate as fans.
Like a lot of cancelled shows that people insult the networks over, “The Dresden Files” deserves to have been cancelled. It is a show with a fun idea. A modern day wizard in Chicago helps the police solve unusual case. When I say wizard, don’t think Gandalf and Merlin with flowing white beard and a pointy hat. Harry Dresden is a scruffy private investigator that knows magic and has a ghost friend.
The show is adapted from a series of books and reading the difference between the two made me feel like the book might actually be great. The book seems dark and noirish, combing pulp detective stories with magic, with Dresden being a powerful magic user. The show has two huge issues. One of them is that Dresden annoyingly tries to hide his magic from his female police friend and others. I don’t see how this makes any sense when he advertises himself as a WIZARD in both the papers and on his door. And the other is that Dresden himself is a boring character. He is always taking on dangerous cases without any fee just for the sake of helping someone, his too good attitude gets tiring very fast. We want heroes to risk their lives but if he always mentions that he is risking his life, then it gets boring.
While I did not enjoy the show, I did like the idea and might read (or listen to) the books. If handled well, it does seem like it could be a lot of fun.
2/5
