Burn Notice season 1
| Burn Notice | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 DVD cover art | |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Release | |
| Original network | USA Network |
| Original release | June 28 – September 20, 2007 |
| Season chronology | |
Season one of the American television series Burn Notice originally aired from June 28, 2007 to September 20, 2007.
Season overview
The first season of Burn Notice introduces Michael Westen. He is burned while on a covert op in Nigeria. After fleeing, he soon finds himself in Miami, where he is reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Fiona Glenanne, and another old friend, Sam Axe. For several episodes, Michael is tailed by Harris (Marc Macaulay) and Lane (Brandon Morris), two FBI agents who are sent to keep tabs on Michael. Sam reports to them, mildly straining his relationship with Michael. Eventually, Harris and Lane are pulled from the case and replaced by a CSS agent, Jason Bly (Alex Carter). Bly makes Michael's life miserable, even going so far as having his loft raided.
Finally, Michael discovers the identity of the man who burned him: Phillip Cowan (Richard Schiff). He gets in touch with Cowan, and they eventually meet. However, Cowan is shot by a sniper after saying "This is much, much bigger than us, my friend." Michael is later contacted by a mysterious woman (later identified as Carla), who tells him that they should meet. Michael suspects that she is part of the organization that burned him, and he makes a long journey to meet her. The season ends with Michael driving onto a truck to be taken to his new "handler."
In addition to hunting for the people who burned him, Michael works as a freelance spy, helping people with cases involving kidnapping, arms dealers, con artists, and drug traffickers.
Cast
Main
- Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen
- Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne
- Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe
- Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen
Recurring
- Seth Peterson as Nate Westen
- Paul Tei as Barry Burkowski
- Marc Macaulay as Agent Harris
- Brandon Morris as Agent Lane
- Audrey Landers as Veronica
- Alex Carter as Jason Bly
- Richard Schiff as Phillip Cowan
- China Chow as Lucy Chen
- Chris Ellis as Virgil Watkins
Characters
Jeffrey Donovan was cast as burned spy Michael Westen. Gabrielle Anwar was given the role of ex-IRA operative Fiona Glenanne. The character of Sam Axe, an ex-Navy SEAL, was given to long-time action star Bruce Campbell, while Sharon Gless was given the part of Michael's hypochondriac mother, Madeline Westen.
Various recurring characters made appearances throughout the season. Paul Tei portrayed Barry Burkowski, a money-launderer. Seth Peterson was cast as Michael's brother, Nate Westen. Two FBI agents in charge of Michael's case at the beginning of the season, Agents Harris and Lane, were played by Marc Macaulay and Brandon Morris, respectively. Audrey Landers made various appearances as Sam's "lady-friend", Veronica. Alex Carter portrayed the difficult Agent Jason Bly. Phillip Cowan, the man who wrote Michael's burn notice, was portrayed by Richard Schiff. A former associate of Michael's, Lucy Chen, was played by China Chow. Characters that would return in later episodes, the drug-dealing Sugar, client Virgil Watkins, and heroin dealer Carmelo, were played by Arturo Fernandez, Chris Ellis, and Todd Stashwick, respectively. Other prominent guests included Lucy Lawless, Mark Pellegrino, Dedee Pfeiffer, and Ray Wise.
Episodes
In the following table, "U.S. viewers in millions" refers to the number of Americans who viewed the episode on the day of original broadcast.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot"Note 1 | Jace Alexander | Matt Nix | June 28, 2007 | BN100 | 3.99[1] |
| 2 | 2 | "Identity" | Rod Hardy | Matt Nix | July 5, 2007 | BN101 | 3.94[2] |
| 3 | 3 | "Fight or Flight"Note 2 | Colin Bucksey | Craig O'Neill & Jason Tracey | July 12, 2007 | BN103 | 3.25[3] |
| 4 | 4 | "Old Friends"Note 2 | David Solomon | Alfredo Barrios, Jr. | July 19, 2007 | BN102 | 3.33[3] |
| 5 | 5 | "Family Business" | Sanford Bookstaver | Matt Nix | July 26, 2007 | BN104 | 3.51[3] |
| 6 | 6 | "Unpaid Debts" | Paul Holahan | Nick Thiel | August 2, 2007 | BN105 | 4.41[4] |
| 7 | 7 | "Broken Rules" | Tim Matheson | Mere Smith | August 9, 2007 | BN106 | 4.14[5] |
| 8 | 8 | "Wanted Man" | Ken Girotti | Craig O'Neill & Jason Tracey | August 16, 2007 | BN107 | 4.23[6] |
| 9 | 9 | "Hard Bargain" | John T. Kretchmer | Alfredo Barrios, Jr. | August 23, 2007 | BN108 | 4.08[7] |
| 10 | 10 | "False Flag" | Paul Shapiro | Matt Nix & Ben Watkins | September 13, 2007 | BN109 | 4.02[8] |
| 11 | 11 | "Dead Drop"Note 3 | Jeremiah S. Chechik | Craig O'Neill & Jason Tracey | September 20, 2007 | BN110 | 4.78[9] |
| 12 | 12 | "Loose Ends"Note 3 | Stephen Surjik | Matt Nix & Alfredo Barrios, Jr. | September 20, 2007 | BN111 | 4.78[9] |
- Notes
- ^ The pilot was originally produced to be shown as a two-hour movie or as two one-hour episodes. When USA decided to broadcast it uninterrupted, it was edited to fit a 90 minute time slot; this version is also on the Season 1 DVD. The two-part version was eventually shown in Australia, and is now routinely re-run on USA and Cloo.
- ^ "Fight or Flight" was originally intended for broadcast after episode "Old Friends", however these episodes were slightly re-edited and shown in reverse order.
- ^ "Dead Drop" and "Loose Ends" were shown as one continuous two-hour finale, but originally produced to be aired as two separate episodes. "Dead Drop" is sometimes referred to as "Loose Ends", Part I.
- ^ Season One was originally broadcast in 1.33:1 (full screen) format. Beginning with the June 5, 2008 rebroadcast of "Wanted Man", the show began airing in 1.78:1 (widescreen) format.
References
- ^ Kissell, Rick (July 3, 2007). "Fox keeping it real". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ "Cable Series by Total Households week of 07/02/07-07/08/07". zap2it. Archived from the original on July 10, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Steinert-Threlkeld, Tom (August 17, 2007). "Summer Viewing: How Less Becomes More". Multichannel News. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
- ^ Kissell, Rick (August 7, 2007). "Audience habits shifting for drama". Variety. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
- ^ Kissell, Rick (August 14, 2007). "'Big Brother' hits new highs". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Crupi, Anthony (August 21, 2007). "Musical Helps Disney Win Weekly Ratings". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on September 21, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Kissell, Rick (August 28, 2007). "'Brother' gives CBS a boost". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Berman, Marc (March 7, 2010). "Burn Notice Ratings". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Fitzgerald, Toni (September 25, 2007). "TNT's 'Saving Grace' stands up alone". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved June 11, 2010.