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Dresden Files, The
SERIES: Sci-Fi, Sunday 8:00p (60 minutes)

7.5 based on 13 reviews read critic reviews how did we calculate this? based on 18 votes read user comments rate this tv show

Get more information on this show at TV.com.

• Official Show Site

Starring Paul Blackthorne, Terrence Mann, Valerie Cruz, and Conrad Coates

This supernatural detective procedural about a Chicago P.I. with ties to the spirit world is based on a series of books by Jim Butcher.

GENRE(S):	Crime, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
FIRST AIR DATE:	January 21, 2007

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83

Christian Science Monitor Gloria Goodale

These unsettling scenes are tough on the eyes, but happily, star Paul Blackthorne is well worth watching, full time.

80

Hollywood Reporter Marilyn Moss

Brooding, seductive and smart.

75

USA Today Robert Bianco

Like Harry, the show has yet to fully master its tricks. There are a few decent jolts, but nothing is truly frightening or even that threatening. And while the show can be amusing, it's never exactly side-splitting.

60

Variety Brian Lowry

If the series doesn't generate any grand creative magic, it at least possesses a certain old-fashioned charm.

60

Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan

If you don’t like hints of Harry Potter mixed in with fairly straightforward procedural elements, this may not be the show for you.

50

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

Even with Blackthorne's occasionally engaging portrayal of Harry Dresden, this whodunit lacks the wit and imagination that might transform it into something special.

50

Entertainment Weekly Gillian Flynn

An uneven fantasy series that's not eerie enough to be a culty favorite or goofy enough to be a guilty pleasure.

50

New York Post Linda Stasi

The series has great potential, and frankly I can't tell you why it doesn't ever quite reach it - other than it somehow lacks, er, magic.

50

New York Daily News David Bianculli

"Dresden" hasn't put a spell on me at the start - but it's not bad. It's just that on Sundays, opposite such shows as "Desperate Housewives" and "Rome," not bad is not nearly good enough.

50

Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall

It isn't until the werewolf-themed fourth episode that "Dresden Files" finally gives you a trick worth applauding. Hopefully, there's more of that to come.

50

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

"The Dresden Files" is currently mediocre, a series searching for the right tone, seemingly unsure of itself and all the while not quite selling itself to the non sci-fi crowd.

40

The New York Times Ginia Bellafante

It has the feeling of pizza with pineapple on it — which is to say, not actually for grown-ups.

30

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

Dresden's investigations amount to a lot of ho-hum hokum... and his relationships are largely paint-by-number bland.

The average user rating for this tv show is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Alex C gave it a9:
Sci-fi hurt the series a bit by showing the episodes out of order, but the more Dresden we see, the better it gets.

Kevin D gave it a2:
It's truly amazing that somebody liked the books enough to do the series but obviously has no interest in inclkuding any of the elments that make them such a great read. The pilot was so full of poor ideas and missed the point so much somebody must have made a great effort to do such a bad job. Here's hoping it gets better. But I'm not holding my breath!

Scott S gave it a9:
Very unique idea for a tv show. It has good acting in it and so far all of the storylines have been good.

Ken G gave it a5:
I loved all the books and hoped the show would really reflect them, but it's just a routine investigator into the supernatural. The charm of the books is that Dresden really is a wizard so he is always using spells (and telling us what they are and how they work) and doing wizard-type things. In the show he does a little of this but never shows the power he is able to summon up in the books. He somehow manages to survive. Very disappointed.

Mike G gave it a9:
Great show so far...Seems to improve week to week.

Dan E gave it a7:
After finding out that Jim Butcher had agreed to all of the changes that were made to his characters, I felt a little better about the show. Granted we've only been allowed to see 2 episodes. People are very quick to judge this series, but I'm going to give it a good shot. I know that a lot of things were changed to help keep the budget in check and for actors comfort (Paul B. is too tall for a VW Bug, hence the Willies Jeep). If JB is okay with the changes, then so am I.

Drew F gave it an8:
Space channel here in Canada sandwiched this in between Stargate: Atlantis and BSG on sunday nights, so I just taped it by happenstance. Gave it a shot and was surprised by just how interesting it was. I may check out the book series (now that I know it exists!) Hope this show is given a solid shot. It's pretty good.

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