Sarah Kanning

The Dresden Files on the Sci Fi Channel

Through the magic of Hulu, even I have now seen an episode of The Dresden Files (which airs on the SciFi Channel), based on the series of novels by Jim Butcher. Not a bad show, with those low-rent special effects that warm my heart. (Remember the first season of The X-Files? Good times.)

Seriously, the show is pretty good, with decent writing and acting, and enough of a departure from the books that it isn’t just a rehash. On TV, though, everything has to be sexier. The Harry Dresden of the books is tall, dark, and geeky, drives an ancient and decrepit VW Beetle, and lives in a basement apartment decorated in late twentieth century thrift store style. Dresden can never get a date, is behind in his rent, and is a shopworn Galahad, a charming noir anti-hero.

Harry Dresden of the TV show drives a much more macho Jeep (though equally ancient), and in the first episode is seen waking up next to a beautiful woman (whom he alienates a scene or two later, so that part is in character).

Bob the Skull is also much less lascivious and more empathetic on TV (at least from the first episode; maybe they show his addiction to romance novels later).

Still, worth watching, especially if you are home sick with a cold, sipping hot beverages and dosing yourself with over-the-counter medicines. Which is what I’m doing today.

And if you haven’t read the novels yet, I recommend them, though the lengths Butcher goes to in order to avoid writing sex scenes…sigh. On the other hand, this is the series I switched to when Laurell Hamilton’s Anita Blake series came too uncomfortably close to bad soft-core porn, so there you go. I think there’s a middle ground to be occupied, however.