When Burn Notice first started airing, it was a fresh, clever show with dynamic characters and an interesting concept (it was a sort of spy show in "tilt" mode). Early on, the writers and actors did a great job of balancing serious situations with a sense of humor (the only show that rivaled Burn Notice in that regard was NCIS).
Jeffrey Donovan was terrific as the burned spy Michael Westen (when a spy is fired, he's BURNED..his credit is cut off, bank accounts frozen, etc). Michael wants to clear his name and get his spy gig back. While trying to find out who was behind him getting burned, he supports himself by acting as a sort of "problem solver for hire," using his spy skills to help various people in distress. Helping him out are his borderline psycho ex girlfriend(and former IRA member) Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), whose idea of problem solving usually involves guns or explosives. Also Bruce Campbell was hilarious as Michael's buddy, a drunken washout ex-Navy Seal named Sam Axe, who sponges off of rich divorcees and other various "cougar" types when not helping Michael with his jobs. And early, Sam is informing on Michael to the FBI (without giving them anything they can really use). Occasionally helping, but mostly getting in the way is Michael's attention-starved hypochondriac mother Madeline (Sharon Gless). There were also some great recurring characters, including Barry (the money launderer), Seymour (the arms dealer with serious ADD issues), Sugar (the drug dealer), and Dead Larry (played by Tim Matheson), former-operative-turned-hired-hit man who faked his own death, and now keeps trying to get Michael sucked into his murder-for-hire schemes.
If Burn Notice was still as good as it was in the first two seasons, it would get a 10 out of 10 from me. Unfortunately, the show has since degenerated into taking itself waaay too seriously while at the same time becoming a parody of itself, with the writers recycling plot lines, only trying to make them darker and in the process sucking the life out of the show's characters, particularly Sam Axe. He morphed from being the funniest part of the show to being a brooding whiner. The slow descent started in Season 3, but really hit bottom with the end of season 6 (as of this writing). It's gotten to the point where the main characters aren't even particularly likable anymore. It pains me to say it, but the Burn Notice writers have run out of compelling ideas. They're hanging it up after this season, and based on what they've done with the show recently, it's long overdue.
Jeffrey Donovan was terrific as the burned spy Michael Westen (when a spy is fired, he's BURNED..his credit is cut off, bank accounts frozen, etc). Michael wants to clear his name and get his spy gig back. While trying to find out who was behind him getting burned, he supports himself by acting as a sort of "problem solver for hire," using his spy skills to help various people in distress. Helping him out are his borderline psycho ex girlfriend(and former IRA member) Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), whose idea of problem solving usually involves guns or explosives. Also Bruce Campbell was hilarious as Michael's buddy, a drunken washout ex-Navy Seal named Sam Axe, who sponges off of rich divorcees and other various "cougar" types when not helping Michael with his jobs. And early, Sam is informing on Michael to the FBI (without giving them anything they can really use). Occasionally helping, but mostly getting in the way is Michael's attention-starved hypochondriac mother Madeline (Sharon Gless). There were also some great recurring characters, including Barry (the money launderer), Seymour (the arms dealer with serious ADD issues), Sugar (the drug dealer), and Dead Larry (played by Tim Matheson), former-operative-turned-hired-hit man who faked his own death, and now keeps trying to get Michael sucked into his murder-for-hire schemes.
If Burn Notice was still as good as it was in the first two seasons, it would get a 10 out of 10 from me. Unfortunately, the show has since degenerated into taking itself waaay too seriously while at the same time becoming a parody of itself, with the writers recycling plot lines, only trying to make them darker and in the process sucking the life out of the show's characters, particularly Sam Axe. He morphed from being the funniest part of the show to being a brooding whiner. The slow descent started in Season 3, but really hit bottom with the end of season 6 (as of this writing). It's gotten to the point where the main characters aren't even particularly likable anymore. It pains me to say it, but the Burn Notice writers have run out of compelling ideas. They're hanging it up after this season, and based on what they've done with the show recently, it's long overdue.