Television: The Dresden Files
I finished watching the The Dresden Files on Hulu last night. It was fairly entertaining, although the main character's pronounced accent (as compared to most other characters on the show) didn't make much sense. At first, I thought perhaps he'd adopted it to fit into the neighborhood where he lives and works now, but no: in the flashback with his uncle, he still broadcasts what I believe is supposed to be a blue collar Chicago accent. We're to believe he was exposed primarily to his uncle and Bob, and neither of them fit that accent profile. His father's accent wasn't pronounced, and even if it had been, Harry was taken away too early for much of it to last. I know of what I speak: I have an English cousin who moved to the States at about the age that Harry went to live with his uncle.
Despite that flaw, which could be specific to the television show, I was mostly entertained. I thought Valerie Cruz's performance as Murphy was kind of flat, but based on the difference in her portrayal of the character in the pilot episode as opposed to the rest of the series, I think that might've been the director's decision rather than the actor's.
I'm interested in reading the books at some point -- just about everyone I know says they're better.