I’ve taken a break from Mad Men. The show just got too depressing for me. No one ever did anything redemptive, and it was just too doom and gloomy for me. So Netflix swore up and down that I would like Burn Notice, and I thought Denisa and I might give it a shot.
It’s not a bad show. In fact, it’s quite fun. Fun in a heavy-on-the-small-plot and light on the large plot sort of way, but fun nonetheless. The basic premise is that a contract spy gets thrown out of the spy world when someone frames him for some crimes against the government. The overarching plot is him trying to figure out who framed him and get even. The smaller, episode by episode plots are focused on him trying to earn some money to fund that search–mainly by helping people in need of help, ala the A-Team. (Then again, in later episodes, he keeps turning down the money, which makes one wonder how in the world he pays rent.)
The show is light fun. If you’re looking for some adventure, some spy action, and some I-wonder-if-that’s-really-true explanations for how spies do things in the real world (hint: it’s all about cell phones), then you could do much worse than this show. Of course, Netflix thought I’d give it 5/5 stars, and I think it’s more of a 4/5, but that’s quibbling. I prefer my TV shows to have more big plot elements, but then again, I keep coming back to Burn Notice night after night. It’s a great release show–especially when you’re looking to escape a broken elbow. Plus (compared to many of the other offerings on TV these days), it’s surprisingly light on sex and violence. (Swimsuits, yes. Simulated sex, no. Explosions, yes. Blood, no–that sort of thing.)
Denisa and I are now a third of the way into season 2. Gotta love that Netflix streaming.
Is this a show I should have known about a long time ago? Have I been under a rock? Any other fans out there–please share!
I hadn’t clicked over to read the actual review when I commented on FB, but it gets increasingly better regarding the larger plot, and additional seasons are still being produced. With the exception of the Miami bikini blips I like most that it’s PG rated, not a lot of language and stuff that you find on the major network, USA has become known for that in our house.
Plus, ya gotta love Fi!