Burn Notice - Season One

I bought this for my husband who has gotten hooked on Burn Notice. He can't wait for the Season 2 to come out on DVD!!

This is a cleverly written show that's a masterful blend of James Bond action and MacGyver-like ingenuity with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor thrown in for good measure. It's not your typical action show with blazing guns -- in fact, the main character, Michael, will do just about anything to avoid using violence. He prefers to use his head to help the bad guy do himself in.
The overall premise is that he's a spy who's been burned, and he's trying to find out what happened so he can clear his name. Along the way, he keeps getting talked into using his special skills to help people who have no other resources ala "the equalizer" (remember him?). The plots are clever, the humor is subtle and the cast is appealing.
Jeffrey Donovan (who was great in the short-lived US version of Touching Evil) is charming and clever; Gabrielle Anwar is Michael's unpredictable ex-spy-sometimes-girlfriend; and Bruce Campbell is the sidekick who although he acts like a goof-off, is a lot smarter than he looks. Sharon Gless as Michael's crazy, hypochondriac mom adds just the right touch of neurosis to the mix.
The writers have thrown in a liberal use of Michael's humorous voice-over explanations of his "how-to" spy tricks, a running gag about yogurt, and Fiona's cute little outfits and obsession with guns -- the bigger the better -- to win us over and keep us coming back for more. I've watched most of the episodes more than once and they do stand up to a second viewing.

Burn Notice - Season One

If you want an action-packed TV show, look no further. This series has it all. A great pace, hilarious dialogue, and awesome action. Plus it has Jeffrey Donovan (for the ladies) and Gabrielle Anwar (for the guys). DVD quality is top notch, and while short on extras, you will really enjoy the show for it's awesome awesomeness. :)

Unfortunately, most action/mystery/suspense shows that are popular these days take the form of grim police procedurals. I guess a lot of people like them, but my wife and I don't. The newspapers, news sites and TV news and reality in general provide enough grimness to fill our daily needs. That's why we've missed mystery shows with some humor, flair and even romance--shows like Remington Steele, Magnum PI, Moonlighting, Moon Over Miami, Buddy Faro, Seeing Things, the so-awful-it's-almost-good Acapulco HEAT etc. The only recent show that fits this bill that we follow regularly is Monk. So when I read a few encouraging reviews of Burn Notice (like Monk, on the USA Network) we checked it out via Netflix. Bingo! It has clever capers. Plenty of laughs. A wry, self-deprecating hero. A gorgeous but dangerous love interest. A semi-goofy sidekick. And the color and danger and tropical heat of Miami Beach. What's not to love? If you like suspense with a smile, Burn Notice is the show for you.

I was a fan of this show from the get-go and have been on a mission to get everyone I know to watch it. All who have succombed to my pleas are total converts. In fact, I bought this box set for my mom for her birthday because she missed a couple of the first season episodes. She says this is now her favorite show (that and The Closer) so she is going to flip out when she gets this box set next week. It's extremely entertaining and fun tv for people of all ages.