Original Desmond

Never known anything about this show but it sounds cool

Is it any good and what shows is it similar to ?

DVD Josh

Did you suddenly forget how to search?

RocShemp

It's very good and has a vibe similar to The A-Team. However, the actual burn arc has grown tired and, frankly, idiotic. The case-of-the-week episodes are the show's strength rather than the main arc.

slop101

Agree with Roc, but at this point, even the case-of-the-week have become tiresome with a rinse-&-repeat quality to them. It's not bad, it just treads waters.

pjflyer

Aziz Ansari's cousin likes it.

Jay G.

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http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-li...-show/1199695/

Ranger

I think it's most similar to MacGyver, because the main character Weston uses practical set-ups/tricks a lot. A-Team is a good example, too.

It's a cool show, season 1 and 2 are the best, but there's still some good episodes now and then.

slop101

If it wasn't for Bruce Campbell I would've stopped watching long ago. Actually, if it wasn't for him, I never would've started watching the show in the first place.

Michael Corvin

RocShemp hit it on the head. The show suffers the same fate as How I Met Your Mother, and by that I mean they are slaves to the title show runners went with. The "burn notice" arc grew tiresome years ago, so it's very much "just tell us who the mother is" at this point.

That being said, if you choose to watch, you have to power through the pilot. It's really not good and not a good indicator of the series as a whole.

Lastly, if you are in for the full ride, skip the stand-alone Sam Axe movie. It's worse than the pilot.

Jay G.

I likely wouldn't have watched it from the beginning without Bruce Campbell, but the first few seasons are solid. It's getting a little long in the tooth, but I still enjoy it.

Ranger's comparisons to A-Team and MacGyver are apt, except that Burn Notice doesn't shy away from the bad guys occasionally dying. The show's hero is also more pragmatic, such as a framing a target for a crime they didn't commit if they can't pin them for the crime they actually committed, or chasing the target out of town or letting him get whacked if he can't get arrested.

The closest show that's currently running that I'd compare it to is Leverage, which works on a similar underdog premise of helping those who can't go to conventional authorities for help. And Burn Notice often employs cons as well. Burn Notice tends to be a bit more "believable" than Leverage though.

Jay G.

I actually liked the pilot, although it hinted at a different direction for the show than they ultimately went for. The pilot's a bit darker and even more pragmatic than the show turned out to be (the bad guy in the pilot gets off easier than any other bad guy they subsequently take down). There was also the friend that worked at the private security firm that seemed like a possible avenue for new cases of the week to come from, who disappeared after the pilot.

Also, they dropped Fiona's horrible Irish accent soon after.

Michael Corvin

^ It also suffers from having Nate as a main character. Probably the worst characters on television this side of Dom on Entourage.

DJariya

I'm shocked Original Desmond. Burn Notice has been on 5 going on 6 seasons and is in syndication right now and it's never even crossed your mind to watch it? What did you think it was a sit com?

The previous comments pretty much sum up what I think.

Tscott

I've been watching from the start and still enjoy it.

Why should you watch it?
1)
Love her.
2) Bruce Campbell. What's not to love?
3) The voice overs. I love the explanations given for how to trail someone, breach security, make a fast exit, etc. given in every episode.
4) Seeing Jeffrey Donovan pull off the different characters he does fool his mark each week.

Does it get repetitive? Sure. After several seasons, it still keeps to the formula and has slightly different variations of the main story arc. But that's the nature of most American TV. It's still fun to watch if you like the characters.

Matthew Chmiel

This.

However, in terms of the current USA lineup, Psych is my personal favorite.

DJariya

As Michael just earlier, if you choose to watch it, you can skip that awful piece of shit Sam Axe prequel. I saw the BD of it on sale a few weeks ago for $10 and I was debating whether I wanted it to be a completist since I own every season on DVD. I just couldn't pull the trigger because I know I'll never watch it again.

Heat

Good one!

Seasons 1 and 2 were really good, I watched a little bit of 3 and it was OK. Haven't watched any more but I will at some point.

gmanca

Really was into it for that first season but the show became redundant. I do agree that the pilot was different in tone and that threw me for the rest of the time I saw it.

movieking

I watched the first episode of this season, and have the rest to catch up on, but at this point, I don't think that I will bother. I didn't even get around to watching the Sam Axe movie. Can't believe that it is only 5 seasons in, seems like it's been around for a lot longer. It's definitely grown tiresome, as has been mentioned. Definitely better with a self contained plot as opposed to the whole series arc.

mdc3000

I agree that some of the serialized plot stuff is stretched out way further than it needs to be - I do prefer my shows serialized though, so if this show went exclusively to case of the week format, I'd probably be out... It's not as funny as Psych, the standalone stuff is not as interesting as Suits, and I'd probably put it behind White Collar as well. I do like the characters but wish they'd find a new season long threat that had nothing to do with Michael getting burned.

devilshalo

To me, it's more Magnum PI than A-team, but that's just me.

Double_Oh_7

Is it actual spy "tricks of the trade", or just shit the writers make up?

RichC2

The show is also a bit corny, the serious scenes with Mike and his Mom in the first season were particularly bad about it. That said, it fits the show, and overall it's very enjoyable, I just wish the overall arc were a bit better (starts strong - goes strong - then treads water for a little while). I agree with the Pilot not being great, it tries too hard and Fi's accent is horrible.

Jay G.

It's mostly real stuff.

That quote comes from the following article. WARNING: the article has Season 2 spoilers.
http://www.eonline.com/news/watch_wi...#ixzz1kyEaNKhj