TV is the New Reading

'Dresden Files' features

world-weary wizard-for-hire

It’s what he won’t do that tells you he’s serious: No love potions. No endless purses. No parties or entertainment.

Rather, Harry Dresden is a serious wizard, and is only available for serious wizardry.

Dresden, played by Paul Blackthorne, is a private investigator, and the only wizard featured in the Chicago area Yellow Pages directory, as we learn in the first episode of “The Dresden Files,” premiering 8 p.m. Sunday on Sci-Fi.

His main focus is on helping people find lost items, consulting and giving advice. Initially, however, it looks from the promos as though the main focus of the show will be in his line of “paranormal investigations.”

As a consultant to Chicago’s Finest, Dresden turns up obscure leads and unravels some of their more baffling crimes. The dialogue seems to acknowledge past competence in these areas – as indeed it might. According to the editor of “The Dresden Files” site at (tv.com), the first episode has undergone a lot of re-engineering. Initially it was imagined as a two-hour standalone movie. Then it was winnowed down to a single hour, and then it was determined that the fourth episode in the series would work better as a pilot episode.

This sounds familiar to fans who have seen other new shows struggle into cancelation, and the show’s premiere – smacking right up against what promises to be an incredibly revealing episode of the wildly popular “Desperate Housewives” – seems terrifically ill-timed.

There are a number of things in its favor.

First, the target audience is different. “Dresden” seems aimed at a younger, more sci-fi influenced demographic. Secondly, the numbers that translate into a basic cable program being a hit are far more forgiving than network television.

Thirdly – and this is likely to be the magic potion – it’s positioned as the lead-in for Sci-Fi’s critically acclaimed third season premiere of “Battlestar Galactica.”

And if that isn’t enough to shift your remotes from network programming, Sci-Fi is airing encore presentations of “Dresden” and “BSG” immediately following the back-to-back premieres. That does translate into some late-night viewing, but your TiVo can pick up anything you miss while dozing off.

Blackthorne has made a number of appearances before taking on his role as a world-weary wizard in the Windy City. Viewers may remember him from “Deadwood,” as Doc Lawson in “ER” or as a 1950s-era cad in “Medium.” His highest-profile role may have been as international terrorist Stephen Saunders in “24.”

Familiar as he might be, however, this role seems unique in broadcast television, and I for one am looking forward to it.

Features Editor Terry J. Aman compiles the Best Bets for The Minot Daily News.

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