Thursday, January 24, 2008
Ridiculous TV, but in a good way
Originally published as my Telly Watch column in Crikey.com.au, 24 January 2008.
Burn Notice (9.30pm, Tuesdays on Ten) is ridiculous. But in a good way. Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) used to be a spy. Until he was blacklisted. Now, his bank accounts are frozen, he has an FBI tail, and he’s basically trapped in his hometown of Miami, trying desperately to find out who put the ‘burn notice’ out on him and shut his life down.
Until he does, he might as well pick up a bit of private investigation work and… god, who cares?
All you really need to know is that Burn Notice is about a cool spy in cool clothes saying cool things as he gets bad guys. He has a hot ex trying to bed him each episode, walks along streets lined by bikini-d women playing volleyball, and every so often drives really really fast in a totally awesome car.
And the stories aren’t actually all that bad. The guest characters are cardboard cut-outs for the most part, but there are little twists and amusing surprises and even the occasional moment of warmth. Michael, even though he’s in the Bourne/Bond mould, is actually a bit of a putz. He’s good at his job, sure, but the cliché of charming, witty super-spy is nicely undercut by the very charismatic Jeffrey Donovan’s flair for gentle pratfalls and understated slapstick.
If you want more, Michael’s best friend (who he can’t really trust) is played by Bruce Campbell, star of the classic schlock horror Evil Dead films, and author of magnificently-titled books If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor and Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way. It’s worth it to see him in all his bloated, unshaven glory.
So if you have absolutely nothing to do and are looking for an hour’s diversion just up from sleep when it comes to concentration, Burn Notice is for you.