Review of Burn Notice

Burn Notice (2007–2013)
7/10
Entertaining - but wears thin quickly
21 May 2009
Michael Westen was a spy until he became the subject of a "burn notice." The show is about him trying to find who was responsible, and his weekly acts of do-gooding. It's a good way to make you keep coming back; weekly satisfaction and yet you need to see how he will resolve the big picture of who burned him. Set in Miami, it is a light-hearted spook show that can't quite seem to make up its mind whether it is hard (like 24), varied (like Alias), camp (like the A-team) or, as I see it, a new kind of Seinfeld. Donovan's voice often sounds like Seinfeld and many of the lines are Seinfeld-es que. Campbell (very good) as the faithful side-kick cum occasional source of trouble is a George at times and at others a Cramer. Anwar is the on-again/off-again love interest, just like Elaine. I was hooked on the first series, and the ending had me looking for more. Unfortunately, series 2 is more of the same and the tension and threats in the saga to find who burned him are at odds with the humour and con games in the weekly trials. Westen takes on jobs that seem to pay nothing for no other reason than he is asked. Very much against his avowed spy creed of not caring for people. There is, of course (American TV just HAS to slather on the emotions) a running subplot with Westen and his mother and brother. However, since these people are not particularly nice, and I find the mother very one-dimensional, it is hard to care about them. If the show were clearer about the direction it wanted to take instead of trying to be all things to all people, it would be more interesting. Instead, I find myself slipping away wishing it all could have been better.
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