Since its debut on USA Network, Burn Notice was named the number-one new cable show of last summer every Thursday night at 10pm, and now you can see why with all 13 episodes of Season One, available on DVD.
Jeffrey Donovan (Touching Evil, Crossing Jordan) stars as Michael Westen, a spy who has been blacklisted by the people he worked for. After years of covert operations in the intelligence community, Michael received a “burn notice,” and when one is burned, you have nothing. No money, no account — nothing but your skills and wits. Michael has been dumped in Miami, where he is forced to face the troubled past he has spent years running from — and the people he left behind.
Meanwhile, he decides to use his elite training to aid those that the law can’t or won’t help in order to fund his own investigation of who burned him and why. Helping Michael is his former ex-girlfriend/ex-IRA operative Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), longtime friend Sam (Bruce Campbell), who is an ex-everything in government yet resourceful — but he is also a gigolo. Also involved is his mother Madeline (Sharon Gless) and little brother Nate, who sometimes bring him clients.
The DVD features exclusive audio commentaries from the cast and crew, gag reel, montages, and audition footage.
The series definitely fits in real well with quirky yet light-hearted detective/mystery shows Monk and Psych. Burn Notice has elements of The Equalizer, MacGyver, and Alias. The main character, Westen, is an ex-spy that assists of those in need but also uses his brain to deal with the problem. While every episode is self-contained, there is a season-long arc involving Michael finding out who framed him.
Burn Notice also has elements of Magnum, P.I., in which this is an ensemble series focusing on the characters and the relationships between them, with the actors giving a chance to shine, while still maintaining the action, drama, suspense, mystery, and comedy when the characters come together to help each other.
The new season will begin on July 10 on USA Network, but until then, catch every punch, kick, chase, and explosion of Burn Notice: Season One, now available on DVD.
