I’m hesitantly optimistic. I like Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books, but it seems that SciFi is making a few changes. I’m not opposed to changes for good reasons (for example, not to hijack my own thread, I thought leaving Tom Bombadil out of the LOTR movies was a good things) but I dislike changes done to put the writer’s own urine scent on the source material (for example again, Aragorn falling off a cliff did nothing for me). Since I have not seen it, I reserve judgment, but avoid too much hoping.
Anyone else have a perspective? Blackthorn, the guy cast as Harry, was apparently good in 24, but since I don’t watch 24, I have real idea what that means.
Im looking forward to it but also hesitant due to one big change (not sure if this is really a spoiler but just in case):
Bob the skull is no longer a skull.
Part of Bobs personality comes from the fact that he’s literally stuck in one place never being able to move unless Harry let’s him out to roam.
Does anyone know if this is based on the first book and if it is will we be seeing his little pet fairy?
Not sure how closely they’ll be able to follow the books if they don’t include the summer and winter courts.
It will also be interesting to see how and if they (spoiler for book 3 on):
show the war between the Wizards and Vamps.
(Would be nice to see how his mentor took out Arkangel(?) with the satelite )
in later episodes/seasons.
Hmmm might have to look at this as an alterna-verse Dresden and go in with no expectations whatsoever, so Im not disappointed.
I have no idea what this series is about, despite having seen multiple plugs on SciFi. Is it based on a novel, or movie, or what? What is the backstory?
Basically, Harry is a wizard who does work as a private detective, and does some consulting for the Chicago Police Dept.'s Special Investigations division. In other words, he hunts down spooks and vampires and werewolves and all sorts of strange things in between. If you like fantasy and noir, the books are a definite must read. They’ll suck you in like a wizard’s soul gaze.
Back in August I heard Jim Butcher speak about the show, and he was pleased with what they had done so far.
He said they couldn’t use the Blue Beetle because it’s too hard to film people in one. I think Harry will be driving a jeep. They have also replaced his wooden staff with a hockey stick. And he mentioned that they wouldn’t let Bob be housed in a skull.
The thing about Bob is no longer exactly true. They decided (rightly so) that a talking skull would look really stupid, so now Bob is a spirit bound to his own skull. In other words, Harry still has Bob’s skull on his shelf, but when he needs to wake him up for a chat the ghost appears, played by an actor (Terrence Mann, a noted broadway actor who originated the role of Inspector Javert in Les Miserables).
Cautiously hopeful, because I like the books (they got me through my surgery recovery last spring.) However, I heard some “insider” scoops that the writers are less than what one might want. We’ll see, I guess.
Ahh cool, that actually makes things a lot better imo. I just couldn’t see Bob (my favourite character by far) being done justice as a free-roaming ectoplasmic entity .
Now all I need is a series based on Vlad Taltos and my TV viewing schedule would be complete.
A good begining. I thought the actor playing the young Harry was fantastic at catching just the right blend of adolescent sulleness and rebellion to foreshadow what becomes of him later. I like the actor playing Bob the Skull, but I wish they had writen him a little raunchier.
It wasn’t terrible, but I was a little disappointed. For one thing, they should have made the pilot two hours long if they wanted to fit in all of those flashbacks to his childhood and still have time for a decent mystery.
I did like the guy playing Harry. I thought it was strange that they didn’t show him doing much magic - nothing to show how powerful he is. I figured they would do one good demonstration of him blasting somebody.
I liked Bob okay, although he’s not much like the Bob in the books. Actually, the name “Bob” seems inappropriate for the character they showed.
Surely they won’t have that cute kid hanging around, as they seemed to imply.
I thought the first show was a little dodgy and disjointed, but I’m keeping in mind that it’s The First Episode and they’re trying to pack a lot in. I’m hopeful that things will get better as it goes along.
I’ve only read one of the books, so I don’t have any real background for the characters/plots. Sometimes that’s a GOOD thing.
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