This Sunday night, the Sci Fi Channel hopes to create ratings magic by pairing up The Dresden Files, featuring the wise-cracking, crime-fighting, wizard Harry Dresden with sci-fi juggernaut, Battlestar Galactica.

MeeVee caught up with the trio responsible for bringing Dresden to life: Executive producers/writers Robert Hewitt Wolfe and David Simkins, and series star Paul Blackthorne, the scruffy-jawed Brit who plays the mysterious man himself.

Paul Blackthorne is such a wonderfully supernatural-sounding name. Do you have any superstitious rituals?
Paul Blackthorne: Nothing superstitious, but I do a little yoga just to stretch my body.  I used to play Cricket in the U.K. I’ve got a creaky old back because of that, and Yoga helps me keep it in order.

What’s the creative process like, behind the scenes?  Is there a special incantation for bringing the world of Harry Dresden to life?
David Simkins: One of the first decisions we made at the very beginning was whether or not The Dresden Files was going to be a serial like Battlestar Galactica, where there is a continuing journey and storyline. Or would the episodes be stand alone, where the audience could drop in whenever they wanted to and not feel like they were missing anything.

We decided to do stand-alone episodes with a continuing, underlying mythos, where we approach each story as though it is its own little jewel box, paying attention to where the characters of Henry Dresden’s world are, where they’re going, and what’s happening in the world they’re living in. The writers have since been operating in the specific mode, for lack of a better term, of “Monster of the Week.” That’s the handle for us to identify who and what the villain is, what his goal is, and then most importantly, how he’s affecting our characters. What are the villain’s actions revealing, and how do they affect Harry’s? Everything is symbiotic in the story.

Your main character’s a wizard, so at least on paper, The Dresden Files isn’t your typical one-hour drama, though, is it?
Robert Hewitt Wolfe: We really did approach this more as a detective show than a genre show. We’re looking at it that the way into Dresden’s world is the mystery, the crime. David was saying “Monster of the Week” but it really is, in more ways, the “Mystery of the Week” rather than the crazy piece of technology or the spell that’s gone awry. Really, it’s been about telling a satisfying mystery that illuminates the character.

Have you taken any inspiration from shows that have come before, like The X-Files or Kolchak: The Night Stalker?
David Simpkins: One of the things we learned from Battlestar Galactica is the ability within that universe to tell very human stories. Sci Fi Channel, to their credit, has been pushing us in that sort of direction, making the stories less about the magic and more about the emotional and character aspects.

Paul, are you a fan of the speculative genre?
Paul Blackthorne: No particular genre appeals to me above any other. It’s really what’s happening in the relationships, the characters, that catch my attention, whether it’s an Indie film, Hollywood, Bollywood, Sci Fi, whatever.

What do you do on your downtime?
Robert Hewitt Wolfe: I think what Paul actually does when he’s not working is sleep! (laughs)

Do you think you’ll sleep easily when you have that eerie experience of seeing the little Harry Dresden action figure with your face on it?
Paul Blackthorne: (laughs) No, I haven’t thought about that, though it will probably be a very weird experience. Until then, I’m only focused upon making this show the best that it can be. Whatever happens after that, we’ll see.

The Dresden Files premieres Sunday Night on the Sci Fi Channel.