Dresden Files TV Show Canceled

We finally have our answer, and it’s just as we suspected: the Dresden Files TV show has been canceled. Read more about the decision at TV Guide.com.

While we wish SciFi could have decided differently, we’re still grateful for the twelve great episodes that aired earlier this year. Largely thanks to the TV show, book sales tripled, and no doubt more new fans will continue to discover the series through reruns and the DVDs. Speaking of which, the DVDs will be released this Tuesday! Buy them here on Amazon.com.

Additionally, fans of Paul Blackthorne will be cheered to learn that he has joined the cast of ABC’s Big Shots.

Discuss this story on the forums here.

Addendum, 2014: This show was canceled in 2007. There’s no bringing it back. The rights have reverted to Jim.

Author: priscellie

Priscilla Spencer has been Jim's creative consultant since 2007. In addition to managing content for Jim-Butcher.com and its social media channels, she beta-reads all of Jim's works, serves as a thematic consultant on the graphic novels and role playing games, and illustrates the maps for his books. The whole "Year of Dresden" thing is largely her baby. Her latest claim to fame is directing the official book trailers for Peace Talks and Battle Ground. In her professional life, Priscilla is a Producer, Writer, Photographer, and Fantasy Map Illustrator working towards a career in producing TV. She enjoys musical theatre, gluten-free cooking, sci-fi/fantasy, and weightlifting. She aspires to travel the world and pet every dog.

170 thoughts on “Dresden Files TV Show Canceled”

  1. Just want to chime in and say sorry that the series got cancelled, Paul Blackthorn made a great Harry, and even though she was a brunette, I thought the actress that did Murphy was superb. Like a lot of people, I went out and bought one of the books after seeing the series (many people bought more than one.) Having a TV series of your books made and run on the Sci Fi channel is something many writers only dream about – you actually saw it happen, and better still, the TV series was pretty darn good. Congratulations on your good fortune, and hope you get to see it happen again in the future.

    1. Wow. Came across the Dresden Files on Netflix. I had never heard of the books but really enjoyed the show and was really getting into when I realized I was watching the final couple of episodes. It’s a bummer because this show and so many others like it (firefly) are on and off the air before you even discover they are out there. Show was great and I will absolutely be checking out the books. I also agree the lead cast in the show was great.

      1. just finished watching the tv series and I agree, I loved the series! Why was it cancelled! I actually read some of the books before I found the series. I want more Harry and Bob!!! Why do they always cancel the good shows?! I am so sick of the BORING reality shows. Please, please bring Harry and Bob back!

        1. I agree totally, I really wonder about scifi and their decision making when it comes to cancelling shows. This is not the first time!
          This show had me gripped from the beginning, I had not heard about it before I watched in Netflix. Give me shows like this any day to the crap that’s being aired now!

          1. In one sense I’m annoyed because I only got to see the last five minutes of the final episode that was aired in England recently, I didn’t even know the series was showing. But in another sense I’m very grateful as it caused me to check out the Dresden Files and I’ve just finished Blood Rites and I’m enjoying the books immensely. I hear what people say about the series being a stand alone project but would still be glad to see it when it is next shown.

  2. I liked the show. Actually, that’s how I found the books. Ended up buying every book in the Dresden series. Just can’t get enough.
    –Kevin

  3. Damn! I just finished book eight and watched the whole series, rented, about two months ago, and was looking forward to season II. The same thing happened with “Firefly,” another fantastic show on Sci-Fi that was canceled for some unknown and ridiculous reason.
    In the meantime, I can watch people eat bugs, drink snake urine, or Brett (disgusting) Michaels make out with plastic bimbos. Uck. No thanks. If this is what America wants to watch, no wonder we can no longer do math and science; our brains have atrophied!!
    As for me, I’m going back to the books. Two left to read, then I’m moving on to the Alerra books.
    Keep up the good work Jim! Our brains need you! 😉
    Sparkly Jules in Monterey, CA

    1. I don’t mean to be “that guy,” but Firefly originally aired on Fox, not syfy, which is actually a major factor as to why it was cancelled. Reasons also include it running a massive budget, lack of viewers due to a horrible time slot, and the general soulless coal-hearted worms who work at Fox beimg supreme idiots.

  4. I just want to say as one of your youngest fans (14) that the books rock and ask when the war will end or if it goes on thoughout the books?

  5. Hi,
    I watched the show on the NET. It got me interested in the books and this website. I’m looking forward to buying one of your books for my Xmas holiday reading.

  6. Please
    I want Dresden back:)
    make more seasons
    Harry & Bob Rulez!!!
    why’s cancelled ?
    that is mistake there’s a chance for Dresden

    1. yes yes i freaking totally agree man i just finished reading ghost story and it would be awesome to have a tv series catching up with the book
      its just because more people didn’t know about it. >.< all they care about is making money

  7. It was canceled because the ratings were not good enough. People who air TV shows only care about ratings probably. In my opinion the show is much better than many such as buffy the vampire slayer, Angel I am not saying they are bad i liked those shows very much, but The Dresden seemed like it was shot with much more effort (special effects for example did not look so fake probably due to the fact it was shot later then those two… the story was very very good But that is just my opinion… Most people did not like it and so it was doomed.
    It seemed perfect to me… I was shocked when I learned it was canceled. I would love to see them make another season but people have spoken that means that the show is probably bad and that I am very bad at judging things so I will be more careful next time when choosing a show to watch because watching only one season of a show that to me was absolutely fantastic sucks very very very bad!!!!!!

  8. Rats – as so often the case, by the time I get around to checking out a series and finding it to be good, they cancel it! Will be buying the books, that’s for certain – at least I’ll have that…
    Thanks so much for the show and the books!
    -Kevin

  9. Just finished watching the series on hulu. My husband, who does not like to read, really liked the show and was sad to know it got canceled. I read somewhere online that they aired the pilot as the 8th episode and the 3rd as the first? I think from that, I can tell why it was canceled. I don’t think it was because people didn’t like the show. It was because some production screw-up made people confused. For some reason, all of a sudden, the main character’s house is different, his trustee ghost companion is missing, and he has a cat. I believe, if they would have kept as close to the original story line and aired them in order, ratings would have been much higher and there would have been more than one season. Seriously, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of the pilot airing in the middle. Now, if HBO would decide to do this, THAT would be something. Personally, I would be ecstatic to see the Alera series on HBO.

  10. Damn it, syfy. Every-time they air a decent series, they go and cancel it because of the ratings!
    Unfortunately its not my favorite station, so I was unlucky not to watch it while it aired, but was lucky enough to watch the dvd.

  11. Ratings? – check out Wikipedia and it notes that, “The stated reason [for Scifi as it was called then] was that the Dresden Files was the “biggest screen failure” of all time, despite being rated third in its time slot and outrating every episode of the popular Battlestar Galactica with its bottle episode, “Things That Go Bump”.”

    I can say that I discovered the Dresden Files from the TV show too… and loved it. Then I forgot all about finding the books to read them. Then I found “the Dresden Files RPG” in my local game store and remembered the TV series. So I picked it up and LOVED it! I’ve been table top gaming for many years – my previous favorite being the original Mage: the Ascension RPG – and this was right up my alley. From the RPG, I then started reading the books.

    TV Series in 2007… RPG in 2012… ‘s funny how things connect sometimes! Keep up the great stories!!

  12. I agree about the production mess up – the Pilot airing in the middle had us all going eh ? what ? THIS is whay they cancelled – rubbish programme planning confused the heck out of us too. Basically, WE WANT MORE DRESDEN ON TV ! Ones we watched – all 12 – were just darn brilliant ! THANK YOU !

  13. I also discovered Harry Dresden as a consequence of tuning into the last five minutes of the final episode of the series. I’ve just finished Storm Front and am looking forward to reading the next installment of Harry’s adventures. I’ll also buy the DVDs as the series sounds great. A similar scheduling screw up took place with another fave series of mine called Alias. This was hopping about from one channel to the next so that you could not watch the storyline in sequence. I eventually bought it and would recommend it to anyone who has missed it. Anyway, here’s hoping that someone has the foresight to see future potential in the Dresden Files as it’s failure could simply be down to bad timing.

  14. I also found Dresden files on netflix and loved it only to realize it was cancelled after only twelve episode.the show had everything…well written,great acting,action with enough supernatural flare to keep you glued to the screen. like so many great series that are cancelled we are left with trash tv. i for one will read more books untill more quality shows return.

  15. I’m sure that someone else has mentioned it, but one of the reasons why the show didn’t work for people who were fans from the books was that it seemed to make strange concessions (hockey stick? really?). Frankly, they ought to have produced a book over the course of a season. Because monster-of-the-week shows just seem quaint, antiquated, and kitschy.

    I heard the rights got bought back – maybe Starz or Netflix or Hulu or a Kickstarter can get this done. Because its working for Game of Thrones, right?

  16. Netflix brought back Arrested Development. Maybe there’s hope for the Dresden Files too!

  17. Great Show. It is a shame they will not make more of them. I am an avid fantasy/scifi/mystery reader. T his show should be brought back or its rights sold to someone who could do it justice.

  18. Bring Dresden back! Mr. Nicolas Cage, come on! This show is way better than the other mindless crap that’s on tv now. I came across one of the audio books first before I knew there was a series, and now I’m listening to another Jim Butcher novel. Great work! I actually kinda liked that Murphy was a brunette in the show, and it was cool that Harry drove a jeep, just made me wonder if that was a replacement for his buggy 🙂

    Guaranteed viewers if you bring back more of Harry and the gang! So…please make it happen!!!

  19. Just finishing up the tv series on pick tv in the uk mon@9pm. Really liked the cast but I agree with the earlier comment I would have liked a book per series. One of the things I like in the book is the character development and that would have been nice to see on tv. 🙂

  20. I think the people that decided to can this show has no idea what people really want to watch. My family and I enjoyed this show very much and who ever decided to cancel it need to be fired

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