Burn Notice

I recently finished Burn Notice and I to say that I ended up absolutely loving it. I watched it here and there when it was on but never really had the time to commit to watching it. I finally watched it all the way through and I couldn't binge it fast enough. I watched all 7 seasons in record time. I'm actually mad at myself for waiting for so long to watch this. I just had no idea it was as good as it was. It's definitely far fetched and not believable but if you can just turn your brain off you'll have a great time watching this. The main cast of Jeffery Donovan, Gabrielle Awar and Bruce Campbell (and Coby Bell starting in season 4) all do an incredible job. The all have such great chemistry between the 4 of them. If you're looking for a fun show to binge then give this a try...you won't be disappointed.

Last week Thursday was one of those days: The kind that gives you the choice of staring at the ceiling, or perusing your DVR in hopes of finding something worthwhile (but rarely finding anything).

After sifting through the various MythBusters episodes and my regularly recorded series', I came across something that had me utterly confused, "'Burn Notice'? The hell?" I hadn't heard anything about the show, so I thought, "Screw it, I'm bored, let's see if I can't squeeze some water from a stone." I can honestly say, I'm utterly impressed with the show. I was floored by the entire piece.

Jeffery Donovan leads a very talented cast as the 'burned' spy-turned-private-eye Michael Westen, a man just trying to figure out why someone would put a 'burn notice' out on him. (For those who haven't seen the show or the commercials a 'burn notice' is when a spy is cut off, no jobs, nothing.) Donovan's acerbic delivery and amusing narration pull the show together, and his on-screen chemistry with acting veteran Bruce Campbell really keep the laughs coming.

I'd highly recommend the show for those who like a mix of comedy and espionage.

Which is a comment you will seldom find in my reviews.

First of all, the concept. The whole idea of a "burn notice" forcing a spy to take roots in a community is very clever. Really.

And the casting. I call this "Leprechaun Casting" because Donovan's career both before and even after the show was unspectacular. But in this part, in a successful series which ran for years, he was nothing less than brilliant. Almost as though elves pulled him out nowhere just for this role, and then disappeared into the forest with him after.

The setting is also clever, relying on an old Hollywood adage which says, to improve your odds, cast in a city that people wish they lived in. Check.

Even the voice-over works and works well. Voice-over seems like an easy thing to pull off, but in fact it isn't. Which is why it dropped out of favor in the 1940s and has been used very sparingly ever since.

Estrogen content? Check. Gabrielle Anwar, in a part which really is more a sidekick than a love interest, manages to "sashay" between scenes (yet another word I do not use often) and also manages to give the impression that she is on "slow simmer" even when all she is doing is mixing explosives or hot-wiring a car. (If you are a male reader, you will get that.)

Supporting cast? Bruce Campbell plays his role like he was already happily retired and the casting director begged him to come out of retirement just for this part, and then gave him permission to sit down and drink while delivering his lines. (Which may be the way it actually happened, I don't know).

I will confess it took about three episodes for me to get hooked. Like I said off the top, this is a one of a kind. But it is a fun ride.

I watched this show when it first came out and now i'm doing a full on binge-watch 14 years later.

If you like clever, well written, and spy stuff, you're probably gonna like this show a lot.

The narration style really gives Burn Notice that extra edge. So good.

By the end of the first show, the 1-1/2 hour premier, I was hooked. Donovan (remember him from The Pretender?) is charismatic and believable as the spy left out in the cold. I was pleasantly surprised to see Gabrielle Anwar. She starred in a friend's indie film and I wondered what happened to her. And Bruce Campbell.. well who doesn't like him? He adds good depth as Michael Western's grizzled friend. Great cast and sharp writing with Miami serving as a superb backdrop. This series has a load of potential so I'm hoping people will jump on board and start watching. I'm tempted to give it 10/10 as I didn't see anything that I didn't like. I'm looking forward to the new episode tomorrow (Thursday). This show is better than most movies coming out this summer. Great blend of action and humor.