Magical Fantasy Series That Deserves A Remake Can Be Streamed Without Netflix

Based on the dark fantasy series of the same name by author Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files follows the adventures of Harry Dresden. What makes Dresden unique (both in his fictional universe and our own) is that he is both a wizard and a private detective, and he often takes on difficult cases that require his unique expertise in both areas.

The Dresden Files books have told an epic story that is still going to this day. Unfortunately, the television show (which premiered on the SciFi channel back in 2007) only lasted for one short season of 12 episodes. That’s a shame for many reasons, including the fact that Paul Blackthorne (best known to Arrowverse fans as the paranoid but determined Detective Lance) does a great job bringing the prickly fictional detective to life.

Additionally, The Dresden Files is one of those shows where the talent behind the cameras is almost more impressive than the talent onscreen. For example, Nicolas Cage (yes, the Nic Cage) is one of the executive producers, as is Robert Hewitt Wolfe (best known for his extensive writing work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). On top of that, the development of the pilot episode was the kind of saga that we practically needed the White Council to unpack.

Originally, producers wanted The Dresden Files to have a two-hour pilot, but thanks to various delays, the third episode was the first episode anyone saw. Meanwhile, the pilot was cut down to one hour and was used for the eighth episode. Later, footage was restored and other edits were made to turn the pilot into a standalone episode that no longer fit within the continuity of the series itself.

One of the many reasons we think The Dresden Files deserves a remake is that fans embraced the original even when critics hated it. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a 58 percent critical rating but an 85 percent audience rating. Critics notoriously don’t always know what to make of genre television, but it’s obvious that the show won over actual fans.

We also want a remake of The Dresden Files because there are now so many other books from original author Jim Butcher to draw from. Originally, Butcher warned fans that the show and its title character wouldn’t be exactly like the books. Now, however, a network or streamer could give us something even more authentic to the books; those books are a hit among nerdy literature lovers, and a faithful series would instantly have a legion of fans.

Streaming The Dresden Files on Tubi may feel like you’re getting away with something, but doing so won’t violate one of the rules of magic. That means you won’t have to worry about council judgment, but if you don’t fall in love with this series, you might need to hire Dresden’s services. In that scenario, you’d clearly need a professional to undo the curse that took away your good taste.