Is "Burn Notice" worth watching?

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨original_reader@lemm.ee⁩ to ⁨moviesandtv@lemmy.film⁩

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810788/

Some people say that it is fun, witty, and action-packed, while others say that it is repetitive, unrealistic, and boring. What do you think? Do you recommend it or not?

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GCanuck@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Both of those assessments are true.

It’s a fun background show but if you binge it, it will begin to show it’s repetitive humdrum quickly.

I enjoyed it. Bruce Campbell is always a treat. Jeffery Donovan is a good actor that should’ve been used more. And Gabrielle Anwar is not only easy on the eyes, but she plays a decent character. Shame they stopped the Irish accent after the first episode for her though. That added to her sexiness for sure.

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- jumperalex@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  But the way they stopped it was hilarious!
  
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Moobythegoldensock@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It very much follows the USA format (White Collar, Psych, Monk, etc.), especially similar to White Collar:

Ridiculous premise, most episodes are standalone and formulaic, a couple seasons at the beginning and end of each season are about the season’s story arc and are generally weaker. Later seasons get more into the increasingly silly arc and it starts to drag. But overall it’s a lot of fun.

USA shows in general make good bedtime shows IMO.

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- Mr_Buscemi@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  The Blue Sky USA network era :(
  
  Used to love watching that channel during that time.
  
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- karmiclychee@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Plus a classic transformation into a found family narrative, mind you. That part is fun, if found families are your thing.
  
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- TheRTV@lemmy.film ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Yea, I was gonna say something similar. If you liked those USA network shows, then you’ll enjoy this. I love Psych and Monk, so I’m all about the shows of that channel/era
  
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Very_Bad_Janet@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I just asked my husband. He said that he watched the show from beginning to end. This is a direct quote from him: "No one is going to be a better person for having watched it, but it somehow kept me sucked in until I finished it."

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PM_ME_YOUR_ZOD_RUNES@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Bruce Campbell makes the show. It’s worth watching just because of him and his character. I enjoyed the whole thing but probably wouldn’t of without my boy Bruce.

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- ZMonster@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  1000%
  
  Mixing romance and work is a bad idea. I mean Veronica, just the other day, she asked me if bullets came in different sizes. Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever heard?
  
  The show formula is extremely predictable, to the point that it’s the guest victims job to foil Michael’s plan. Most of the time, this is foreshadowed by Mike asking them to not do the thing that they end up doing. It’s extremely annoying, but close to the end of the show, you get a few episodes of just Bruce being fucking amazing.
  
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Puzzle_Sluts_4Ever@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
For the era? It was good. The majority of the cast couldn’t act their way out of a paper bag (The Chin included) but the writers and directors found ways to make the majority of scenes work. And, when it truly mattered, they dug deep.

But also… the premise is that a former CIA agent is an expert at gaslighting and psychological torture. His ex-girlfriend is an IRA bomber who spends the majority of the first season wanting to murder cops and everyone else. And he runs his best friend as an asset. All while kidnapping and psychologically torturing anyone who someone willing to pay them wants to go away.

For those who may not realize how fucked the IRA was: A british friend summed it up as “imagine if James Bond had a girlfriend who was in Al Qaeda but she was really really really hot”. Up to you on how much of a problem that is.

If you can get past that doozy of a premise: it is a fun show with some good humor and action scenes and a surprisingly good guest cast. Rewatched it over lockdown and had a blast.

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- Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  
  His ex-girlfriend is an IRA bomber
  
  An IRA bomber who couldn’t do a convincing Irish accent if her life depended on it. Seriously, it’s so bad.
  
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  - Puzzle_Sluts_4Ever@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Absolutely NOBODY involved in… possibly the entire first season? Could act.
    
    But yeah. Gabrielle Anwar’s irish accent was just downright painful. INCREDIBLY attractive, but painful. Like, you are trying to hold a poker face while she talks on the off chance she is dumb enough to find you attractive.
    
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Bimbus@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Its a very good second monitor watching experience. I enjoyed Psych and Monk more than Burn Notice but I would absolutely watch it again

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AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I’d say it’s like an updated version of MacGyver. The main trio will try to help someone, the plan will go sideways and they’ll have to improvise is kinda the basic premise. Some episodes are a bit too predictable imo but there are tons of good ones!! My favorite is the one where they convince a gang that Michael (main guy) is LITERALLY the devil lol. And Danny Trejo makes a cameo. It’s season 3 episode 11 called “Friendly Fire”. There’s some season long arc stuff at the start of the episode but it’s so good lol.

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schroedingerskoala@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Absolutely. "I used to be a spy."

And, bonus, a series with a nice and satisfying ending.

Plus, Bruce Campbell!

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circuscritic@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It’s dumb fun. Watch a couple of episodes and you’ll know if it’s your kind of dumb fun as the formula stays pretty consistent for pretty much the entirety of the show’s run.

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gogorocketpower@reddthat.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It’s pretty formulaic but entertaining. Especially if you play the Burn Notice drinking game. Drink every time: a gun is shot, there’s a random flash of a girl in a swimsuit, there’s a voiceover, a fake name is used. There’s probably more rules I’ve forgotten.

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- droans@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  The formula is basically:
  
  Michael wants to investigate his main mission for the season
  
  Someone wants him to do something else instead
  
  He chooses to do the other thing
  
  Final thirty seconds of the episode is the main mission
  
  Exceptions for the last episode or two of each season where he actually does focus on the mission.
  
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  - AEsheron@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    To fill in a bit, gathers information on target, formulates a well thought out plan, new development forces him to scrap the plan and improvise something else on short notice.
    
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- 1hitsong@lemmy.film ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Ah, so drink every 2.3 seconds. Got it.
  
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Ketram@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Honestly still one of my favorite shows, maybe my favorite ever. It can be campy and unrealistic sometimes, it stays within the realm of “I guess that’s possible” that you will still be curious about how they will beat the monster of the week. It’s a lot of fun.

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- mosiacmango@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Mcguyver is right up your alley mate. You might even like A-team.
  
  If you like severe 80s sloch, knightrider calls.
  
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  - dutchkimble@lemy.lol ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    The golden 3
    
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- lazylion_ca@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Guns make you stupid. Duct tape makes you smart.
  
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- mrnotoriousman@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  "sometimes" lol. But yeah I loved it for the same reasons. Don't take it seriously and just enjoy it.
  
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themeatbridge@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
First few seasons were pretty good. Bruce Campbell is always fun. It’s not a great show, and it’s not built for binging (see: repetitive) and the premise of wading through the murky gray waters of ethical espionage gets pretty old pretty quick. He’s supposed to be shady and dangerous, but the show needs a protagonist, so he basically becomes Plot Armor Man, able to dodge bullets and ethical quandries with equal aplomb.

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original_reader@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Thank you all for your opinions.

Forgot to ask. Did it get a proper ending?

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- fishos@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  A proper and satisfying ending, imo. And there’s a really cool wrap up gag they do that loops it all back to the first episode. Definitely worth the watch, but take breaks. Do a season at a time or something.
  
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- schroedingerskoala@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Yes, a very satisfying and enjoyable ending.
  
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- fishos@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Also, don’t forget The Fall Of Sam Axe. It’s a movie they made that tells the backstory of what happened to Sam. Watch that after season 4 of Burn Notice.
  
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  - original_reader@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Noted. 🙂👌
    
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fartington@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Anything with Bruce Campbell in it is worth watching.

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- mosiacmango@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Brisco county jr, yo.
  
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Boiglenoight@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The first season is fun. After that…I think you got your money’s worth already.

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Zoift@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
“What if ‘NCIS’(2003) had the writers of ‘Psych’(2006)”?

Its bad folks.

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guleblanc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I watched it for several seasons. It’s set in Miami, so there were a lot of girls in bikinis, so that was good. The writing is pretty good, the acting also, but the plots became quite repetitive. So I switched to The Glades, also in Florida. Much worse writing and acting, but more bikinis.

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- h3mlocke@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  But how do you feel about bikinis?
  
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Atroxus@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
This is one of my favorite scenes for some reason and sums up the show pretty well: Thermite

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- AEsheron@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I’m a suckered for the suits. This episode and the one where he was “Diablo” have got to be my two favorites.
  
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- PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks [bot] ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
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- curiousaur@reddthat.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Why is that your favorite?
  
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yip-bonk@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
If you’re looking for a good show to binge with someone, it works well. Lots of fun guest stars and guaranteed explosions. It’s not a science documentary, but it’s not garbage reality television, either. Just fun.

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GenesisJones@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It’s definitely worth seeing if you like it. It’s a really fun show that sticks to a formula.

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CloutAtlas@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Watching whilst doing something else sorta TV.

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- Case@unilem.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I’ll agree with that statement.
  
  Its good background noise, you don’t have to follow too many subtle nuances or anything.
  
  The formulaic nature actually helps with this, just catch the quips and mcguyver stuff and you’ve gotten 90% of the shows value.
  
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Jiggzy@reddthat.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It’s a good bit of fun and has strong ‘MacGyver’ vibes.

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lath@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It’s all of the above and yes, i’d recommend it.

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Turious@leaf.dance ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It’s got amazing characters and a fun premise. Writing is pretty mid but the standout moments are incredible.

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judgeholden@hexbear.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
it’s a bad show but I kinda liked it

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Transcendant@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Definitely worth a watch. Not sure if I’d re-watch it, but it’s generally good fun (especially Bruce Campbell)

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SoggyBread@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I enjoyed the first couple seasons but i was much younger at the time and never saw the ending.

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108@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
If you wanna be a spy

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