Burn Notice

Burn Notice is a canny, clever comedy-thriller show about a covert operative with a heart of gold. Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) is in the middle of a top-secret mission when he discovers he's been "burned"--basically, fired without warning. After barely extricating himself from danger, he wakes up in Miami, where the government has abandoned him and locked him out of his own bank account. To make ends meet, he takes on private detective jobs (helping an old lady who's fallen victim to a con artist; rescuing a young girl who's being tricked into white slavery; helping a mother whose son has been kidnapped by the boy's father... only it turns out the father is the rightful parent and the "mom" is an assassin sent to kill him--a nice guest star appearance by Lucy Lawless, Xena: Warrior Princess), while trying to figure out who burned him and why. Westen tries to remain clinical in his approach to these problems, but he always ends up protecting the helpless with his sophisticated spy skills. Over the course of the first season, he gradually uncovers a mysterious conspiracy that plans to use his talents for their own nefarious ends. Burn Notice deftly mixes the old and the new. The old: Our hero has a hot ex-girlfriend (Gabrielle Anwar, Scent of a Woman), a goofy sidekick (cult hero Bruce Campbell of the Evil Dead movies), and a meddling mom (Sharon Gless, Cagney & Lacey) who help and hinder him in his investigations, as well as a MacGyver-esque skill for making deadly devices out of common household products. The new: A media-savvy way of deconstructing the tricks and techniques of spies and government agencies, often resulting in smart and highly entertaining plot twists. Donovan, handsome but cheeky, combines a light comic touch with a convincing secret agent cool, and the supporting cast fill their niches with aplomb. Their escapades are pretty breezy and occasionally skirt being glib, but most of the time the show finds an extremely entertaining balance between action, romance, and humor. The extras are few (some montages of characteristic moments from the series, including one of the many bikini-clad girls the Miami locale provides) and the commentaries, rather than covering entire episodes, just discuss a few select scenes from each show. Fortunately, the series itself holds up; imagine a cross between Magnum, P.I. and The Wild Wild West (the classic series, not the insulting Will Smith movie) and you're on the right track.

Burn Notice settles into a satisfying groove in its second season. The cast is cool and confident, the writers have mastered the mix of stand-alone stories and the season-long hook, and the blend of retro-70s flavor with 21st century self-awareness is delicious. Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) still hasn.t figured out who .burned. him--i.e., got him blacklisted as a covert agent and left him trapped in Miami. But he has uncovered a lead in the form of Carla (Tricia Helfer, Battlestar Galactica), a mysterious manipulator who assigns Michael unexplained tasks. But if he resists these tasks, everyone he loves is at risk--including his mom, Madeline (Sharon Gless, Cagney & Lacey), his sleek and violent ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar, Scent of a Woman), and his squirrelly best pal, Sam (Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead II).
In each episode, while wrestling with Carla.s ongoing schemes, Michael gets drawn into helping some hapless innocent, such as a waitress being stalked by a drug dealer, an accountant to a rap mogul with a gangster background, or a father who.s been scammed out of the money he needs for his sick son. While these smartly-plotted stories unfold, the true pleasure of the show is listening to Michael reveal techniques for forging checks, explain how to make a crude x-ray machine, or describe the active ingredients of pepper spray--all the tricks of the spy trade. Are they genuine? Who knows and who cares! They.re completely entertaining, clever enough to be plausible, and they go hand-in-hand with Michael.s arsenal of cheesy accents and cheerful quips. Burn Notice: Season Two features a good dose of deleted scenes, chatty audio commentaries by cast and crew, a genuinely charming gag reel (featuring Donovan doing a little soft-shoe), and a genuinely illuminating featurette with the show.s creator, Matt Nix, describing the process of preparing to direct an episode. All in all, it.s an excellent package, ready for delivery.

For a man with a "burn notice," ex-spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) leads a productive life. After a swim back to Miami and a tango with the police, the quick-change artist returns to work in the third season of the hit USA Network series. With help from ex-IRA fighter Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar, who could pass for Katharine Ross's sultrier sister) and ex-Navy SEAL Sam (Bruce Campbell, always good value), he starts by lending a hand to Harlan (Cougar Town's Brian Van Holt), a former associate. Then, he tangles with a smarmy arms dealer (The Shield's Jay Karnes) and a realtor with a secret (Rescue Me's Callie Thorne). Other cases occupy his time when he isn't dodging Detective Paxson (Moon Bloodgood), a persistent police officer, and working for the smooth-talking Strickler (Ben Shenkman), a recruiter who offers him a return to spy duty. Then there's sociopathic black op Gilroy (Chris Vance) and the nefarious Simon (Garret Dillahunt). If he can outsmart these two tricksters, Management (Frasier's John Mahoney) just might wipe his record clean. Unfortunately, Fiona is losing patience with all these shady characters, who are endangering their relationship--and their lives.
Filled with real explosions and set to a revved-up score, the show plays like a high-tech version of a Stephen J. Cannell production in its mix of action and humor. If yogurt addicts Michael and Fi keep fit, Sam and Michael's mother, Madeline (Emmy nominee Sharon Gless, recalling her role in Queer as Folk), drink and smoke with impunity, but they always come through in the clinch. Furthermore, Tyne Daly drops by for a guest spot, making for a welcome Cagney and Lacey reunion. Though this set eschews commentary, it includes a featurette on the hard-working stunt team and highlights from a Comic-Con panel.