The Dresden Files Entertains

Posted on January 22, 2007

The Dresden Files premiered last night and is off to a great start. Harry Dresden is the only wizard in the Chicago phone book and he solves cases using magic. He also consults for the Chicago police department and his long-suffering friend Detective Karin Murphy.

The bestselling series, written by Jim Butcher, is funny, witty and full of action. The televsion show -- for those who haven't read the books -- is a cross between The X-Files, House and Angel, with a touch of Charmed.

The entire show is dependent on the lead, in this case played by Paul Blackthorne. Blackthorne does a nice job of underplaying his role as Harry. Harry's interactions with Terrence Mann as the ethereal Bob are quite entertaining. In the books Bob is a spirit trapped in a skull, but in TV-land he has a form that viewers can see. In fact, the whole Bob thing really worked for us. Valerie Cruz as Lt. Murphy is a bit of a cipher, and we're not sure she has much chemistry with Blackthorne, but it's still early going. The script, special effects and acting were all good. But it's Blackthorne that makes this show shine. We'll be tuning in next week for sure.