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Dresden News
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Dresden Campaign Picks Up Speed… |
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Saturday, 14 July 2007 |
Because Apparently the SciFi Channel Likes to Shoot Itself in the Foot
The SciFi Channel - run by apparently clueless executives whose last personal interaction with a real sci-fi fan was probably the nerdy kid sitting next to them in chemistry class in high school - seems to be about to shoot itself in the foot once again with a pending cancellation of The Dresden Files. I say “pending,” because rumors do suggest that the show is toast, and we all know that when given the choice between doing the right thing and the stupid thing, SciFi will pick the stupid thing each and every time. I’m not a hardcore fan of The Dresden Files, but I would like to see a show like that available on SciFi. It’s got longevity written all over it. It’s just one of those shows that a family can enjoy together, and it’s not so arc-based that it’s confusing in reruns. Plus, we have Harry Potter now burning up the theaters with the latest Potter movie - so why isn’t SciFi promoting their own wizard named Harry? Are the marketing people over there completely clueless or what? Instead, they’ve renewed Painkiller Jane already (WHY?) and they’ve bent over backwards to obtain live wrestling for SciFi. My prediction here is that SciFi is positioning itself to move away from its core niche and expand the channel to become more of a “guy’s” channel like SpikeTV. I honestly would not be surprised if they suddenly change the name from SciFi and rebrand the entire network. I would hate to see that happen, but it’s clear to me that the Powers That Be really don’t understand the sci-fi audience, nor do they understand how to leverage that hardcore sci-fi audience to reach the wider mainstream audience. Science fiction fans could be SciFi’s greatest ally - if SciFi only acknowledged them and used their considerable passion and energy to help promote their good shows. But who wants to get behind a network that constantly spits in your face and is probably going to pull the plug on the new cool show you just found? SciFi - get it together. You’ve got to let some of your shows breathe a little. I’m glad you’ve committed to Eureka (it’s one of the better things you’ve done in the past two years), but many of your other programming decisions make me wonder if you guys are on crack or something. At any rate, if you want to help out The Dresden Files, some guy threw up a campaign website in about a day and you should check it out: you can check it out here. http://www.dresdencity.org Also you can check out the info we have here and go straight to the man!! |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 14 July 2007 )
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Something's magical about 'Dresden Files' |
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Friday, 11 May 2007 |
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By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY Harry's no Angel, but he has his charms. Even for a genre that tends to share themes and plots, crime-solving wizard Harry Dresden and his Sci Fi series The Dresden Files beg comparisons to the Angel/Buffy family that hardly work in the newcomers' favor. Like Angel, Harry is a supernatural detective with a fantasy-favorite assistant, a link to some mystical High Council and an as-yet-unexplored dark secret. All that's missing is the blond vampire-slaying girlfriend — well, that and that magical mix of first-rate wit, chills and drama that made the Buffy-universe the gold standard for such shows. Still, if you can get past the similarities and tamp down your demands, you'll find much to like in Dresden, much of it provided by Paul Blackthorne. Probably best known to American audiences for his stint as a 24 villain, Blackthorne makes the transition to flawed hero with ease, adding deadpan humor and a shade of regret to the show's crime-solving palette. Based on the books by Jim Butcher, Dresden is a detective story filtered through a magical lens. Harry has his own agency, as witness his wizard ad in the phone book, and a testy/sexually tense relationship with a cop (Valerie Cruz) who sometimes calls on him for help. And he has an assistant, Bob, who is the ghost of a medieval alchemist, played with amusingly restrained hauteur by Terrence Mann. Sunday's case finds Harry helping a little boy who sees monsters that may or may not exist. Of course they exist; Dresden is, after all, that kind of show. But there are many different kinds of monsters, and Dresden does a fine job of keeping you guessing what the monstrous plan may be. The same plot-twist compliment can be paid to a future episode that has Harry chasing ghosts, convicts and ancient Egyptian curses. 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. A wonderful wizard? No. But a good one, and with no angels in sight, good may have to be good enough. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 11 May 2007 )
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Dresden Files Episode Hints |
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Thursday, 10 May 2007 |
The Dresden Files executive producer David Simkins revealed some information about the next few episodes of the SciFi Channel show. The next episode, "Things That Go Bump," will air Easter Sunday, and it will reveal many details about the workings of the High Council. When an entity traps Ancient Mai, Morgan, several other Council agents, and Dresden inside of his apartment, things get ugly. The relationship between them has been strained, because the Council suspects that Harry used dark magic to kill his uncle. However, it was revealed in the episode "Birds of a Feather" that the uncle is actually still alive and well.
Simkins added that the season finale, "Second City," won't be a cliffhanger, saying "While that does work for a lot of shows, we just kind of wanted to, I don't know, be a little a friendly towards Dresden and the audience." The show now airs at it's new time of 10 PM. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 May 2007 )
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Dresden Producer Lifts the Curtain |
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Thursday, 10 May 2007 |
 The Dresden Files executive producer David Simkins talked to interviewers recently about the writing process for the show, saying "It was a bit of a rough course in the very beginning trying to land on the tone and everything. But I think we've gotten there, and I think a lot of the credit goes to Paul Blackthorne as Harry Dresden and Terrence Mann as Bob. They bring so much life to their characters, and it really helps us in the writers' room. In the beginning, you're creating this stuff in a bit of a vacuum."
The writers found inspiration in Izzy, writer Laurence Walsh's pet dog. They were joking around that a werewolf would eat the poor pooch, when it struck them that a sympathetic, likable victim is needed in every episode for a show like this to work. Now, they ask "Who's the Izzy?" when they sit down to pen an episode. "What we found in the werewolf episode and 'Rules of Engagement' [is that] when there's someone early on who comes to him who becomes a sympathetic character who he can affect or change or help or save, not only is Harry solving the mystery of the week, but he's also changing a life. ... It opens the door to Harry's character and makes him more likable," Simkins revealed.
He also added that Paul Blackthorne contributes to the script in his own way. "When we talk to him on the phone he is, in a sense, the last writer. Paul holds us accountable to ideas that have come before or, if he's aware them, of ideas that are upcoming. He'll help us straighten out some scenes or clarify some moments. It's a rare experience that I've had where an actor is that involved and that honestly concerned about the whole picture." The show, which airs Sundays at 9 PM, follows wizard and private investigator Harry Dresden as he tries to protect Chicago innocents from magic gone bad. |
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Thursday, 10 May 2007 |
 SCI FI has yet to make a decision about whether or not it will renew THE DRESDEN FILES. We are in need of your help in an effort to encourage the cable network to grant the series a second season. If you are a fan and want to support the show, please see what you can do to help bring Harry back below. This is a great show and we really need your suport to help save it, it would be a pity to see another great show go down the tubes... If you've enjoyed The Dresden Files, please take a minute to write the SciFi Channel and ask them to put this show back on the air for one more season.
Two ways to contact the SciFi Channel:
Snail Mail: I'm told that a postcard or letter from a fan has a much bigger impact on tv execs than email, so if you can spare the time, here are the two individuals you want to write:
Mark Stern, Executive VP Original Programming
NBC Universal/Sci-Fi Channel
100 Universal City Plaza, Bld. 1440, 14th Fl.
Universal City, CA 91608
Bonnie Hammer, President
NBC Universal/Sci-Fi Channel
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
Email: If you have time for both, or if you can't manage snail mail, you could also send an email to:
\n
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
No need to write a masterpiece -- a short, polite note telling them what you like about the show and asking them to keep it going is enough. If you've introduced others to the show, it probably wouldn't hurt to mention that either. |
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