- Release Date: June 16, 2009
- Publisher: 20th Century Fox
- Price: $39.99 on Amazon.com (Buy It)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 684 minutes
- Special Features: Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, “NIXin’ It Up” featurette, Gag Reel
- Starring: Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless
- Genre: Spy Drama
“Burn Notice” is widely considered one of the best shows on cable. With its mix of spy tips, action, and drama “Burn Notice” actually feels more like a network show and probably could actually survive as one. I wouldn’t say it is the best show on cable like some critics think (I personally like “Leverage,” “Monk,” and “Psych” a little more) but it is definitely a show everyone should be watching.
“Burn Notice” features Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Weston, an ex-spy for the CIA who was mysteriously burned (a spy term that basically means he was fired) and forced to live in Miami. With the help of his ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) and friend Sam (Bruce Campbell), he now uses his skills to help people who have gotten themselves into bad situations. He also spends his time trying to track down the person who burned him in an effort to get back into the CIA.
Like all of USA’s shows, “Burn Notice” mixes drama, character development, and comedy and even throws in some great action scenes as well. The comedy mostly comes from Michael’s sometimes humorous spy tips and Sam but unlike the other shows on the network, the humor isn’t the main focus of the show. Instead, the series is much more dramatic and action-packed. I personally prefer the more comedic “Monk” and “Psych” but this series is still better than most network shows.
Since this is a Blu-ray video quality is obviously very important. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed with the overall quality. This show should look phenomenal with all the explosions, gunfire, and action but it really doesn’t. The Blu-ray is still a significant upgrade over the quality on the season one DVD set (I haven’t seen season two on DVD so I have no idea how it compares) but there is just too much grain for me to give this set high marks in video quality. Part of this is probably due to FOX cramming five or six episodes onto each disc to make it just a three-disc set. The show still looks alright overall but just don’t expect this to be the best looking Blu-ray you’ve ever seen if you decide to purchase it.
“Burn Notice: Season Two” includes a solid group of extras but I think a huge hit like this should have had even more special features. There are three commentaries but I thought the first two were rather dull. The last one (”Lesser Evil”) is the best thanks to Bruce Campbell and guest star Michael Shanks, who keep the commentary entertaining. Also included are an assortment of deleted scenes which don’t really add much to the story, a surprisingly funny gag reel, and a featurette called “NIXin’ It Up” which gives creator Matt Nix a chance to talk about his show. Other than the first two commentaries these are all worth watching.
“Burn Notice” is a show almost everyone will like so I definitely recommend that you pick up season two if you haven’t seen it already. Even though the quality on the Blu-ray version is a little disappointing, it is still probably worth a few extra dollars ($8 at the time of this review) to upgrade. Highly Recommended.
