Television Graveyard- plot 7, The Dresden Files

11 Apr

Following my recent Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. marathon, I marathoned Arrow– which as you know, is a favorite here at NerdLush. And my adoration for Paul Blackthorne was awakened… additionally, he has been super awesome to NerdLush on twitter, which warms the black pits of my hearts. Of course, this means that I pulled out a favorite single season television series- The Dresden Files.

In 2000, Jim Butcher introduced the character of Harry Dresden in the novel, “Storm Front”. The character, a wizard P.I., is a consultant to the Chicago Police Department- think Sam Spade but add magic. There are now over a dozen novels in print.

In 2007, Scifi (or Syfy now) premiered The Dresden Files, a television version of the books. There were some obvious differences- Bob was just a skull in the books but in the series he was generally a semi-physical manifestation (i.e. he still can’t touch anything- much to his chagrin- but at least there’s a whole person for Harry to chat with!) Though a fan of the books, I was not bothered by the changes- it made sense to give Bob a full body rather than just a voice coming from the skull.

This is the series that brought Paul Blackthorne to my (and most Americans) attention. Was this his first major role in the U.S? (Shut up, I know it was filmed in Canada) In any case, he’s since appeared in multiple major network shows and is currently more of a household name for his role on the CW’s Arrow as ~~Detective~~ Officer Lance. (Anyone else want to give him/Lance a hug every week? Just me? I’m OK with that.) As Dresden, Blackthorne got the crap kicked out of him in almost every episode. Not to mention the heartache.

Seriously, Dresden kind of has a shitty life.

Well, except for the magic.

And the fun of being a wizard P.I.- the only one in the Chicago phone book, by the way. Actually, it might not be so fun- remember how I said he was getting the crap kicked out of him? Though he does have some nifty tricks- like a protection bracelet from mom and a wand that started life as a drumstick…

Anyways- the long and the short of it is The Dresden Files was a fun- single season- romp through the supernatural underbelly of Chicago with a sarcastic, grumpy, smart mouth wizard as your guide (come to think of it- minus the magic, Dresden is a lot like Ofcr. Lance…) Dresden works with Detective Murphy, and Bob- a spirit trapped within his own skull for committing sins with black magic (and played delightfully by Terrence Mann). He has a strange relationship with Bianca, a vampire, and Morgan, the Council’s local representative. Oh? The Council? Well, let’s just say they make and govern the rules for the supernatural world. And Dresden is not their favorite person.

The series is available on DVD as well as streaming. With the upcoming end of the standard TV season looming, you might want to add this one to your queue- if you like that sort of thing.