The first season of Burn Notice --- A new series from the USA Network

Burn Notice is a new show that the USA network debuted in 2007 that brought a lot of originality and flair along with it. Its clever writing combined with some unique story-telling and “fun” approach to the genre of covert operations made it an almost over-night hit for the network. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, who is a spy that has been working for the U.S. and who discovers something quite unfortunate while on a secret mission in Nigeria; he has been burned. In his field, being burned means that he has been deemed unreliable in his line of work, and that all ties have been cut to him in relation to the job. You could say he has basically been blacklisted, but has no idea why this has happened. He is barely able to escape the mission he is on, and with his finances locked and no former co-workers wanting anything to do with him, he finds himself trapped in Miami, Florida.

The background of the show allows the story to be set up, and the main back-drop of the story is set in Westen’s goal of figuring out exactly what went wrong, and who burned him from the agency. It’s not going to be an easy task though, because all of his past channels have been closed off from him. We do find out early on though, that he is a man with great instincts, and that he can probably take care of himself until he does find out the truth. Along the way, he does pick up a few allies that will help him in his dual-roles, first that of trying to figure out his past, and secondly in a private-eye type business that he has set up to try and earn a living during the interludes of information gathering. The first friend from the past is his ex-girlfriend Fiona, who at first is ticked off that he hasn’t called (of course), but now finds it beneficial to help him out and work with him. The other is Same Axe, who is a semi-retired spy himself, and though enjoying his time sipping drinks on the beach, is up for a few exciting “missions” with his old friend from the business. Together, the three of them from a sort-of “A-Team” for the new generation; solving those crimes and mysteries that can’t be helped by police or the FBI.

The cast is really what makes the show strong, and is led by Jeffrey Donovan who has been on numerous television shows including an interesting story arc in NBC’s Crossing Jordan. He was also the star of the ill-fated Touching Evil, which didn’t stay on television all that long. He brings a lot to the show, and his comedic timing is perfect with the lines he is given, often getting the chance to narrate the movements and thoughts of his character as he goes into tough situations on the show. Opposite him in the role of Fiona is Gabrielle Anwar, who brings her own flair to the show, presenting a very tough character that isn’t going to take crap from anyone. It’s a nice change from the bleach-blonde side-kicks in shows like this, and gives her a lot to work with in the deep character. Anwar was seen as Princess Margaret on The Tudors, as well as playing the young queen in Disney’s The Three Musketeers. Probably the most intriguing member of the cast though, is Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe. Many remember him as Ash from the Army of Darkness movies or Brisco Country Jr. from the show of the same name. He brings that sardonic comedy that really makes you laugh, and has his own style that really works well on this show.

The first season of Burn Notice was a short one, with a run of only 12 episodes on USA, but you get all of them on the 4 disc DVD set. The set is not all that expensive as a result, and is one of those shows that are well worth the risk of a purchase, even if you haven’t seen one before. It provides a lot of action as Westen and his pals try to figure out why he got burned, and there are a lot of very smartly written storylines that combine drama and intrigue to present a lot of great entertainment during that first season. It is a very exciting show at times, and at other times it combines a lot of methodical plot-lines that can at the same time make you think and laugh at some of the great one-liners and tongue-in-cheek remarks that the characters shoot at one another. It’s a new show, so it is still getting its legs under it, but I think that Burn Notice is going to be one of those shows that grabs its audience and turns them into returning viewers every week. In regards to owning the DVD set, it’s well worth it to both fans of the show and new-comers to its existence.