Dos Mojito, Bruce Campbell

The new season of Burn Notice, one of my favorite TV series, begins tonight. I love the show and its characters, especially Bruce Campbell, the rangy actor who stars as Sam Axe. Bruce is perfect in the role. Let me tell you why.

(You'll pardon me, Mr. Campbell, if I call you Bruce. Your persona is way too informal for me to address you so formally.)

When Burn Notice debuted, I loved it from the first scene. In fact, I fell in love with the personality of the show and with Sam Axe when Bruce, as the ex-Seal Sam, leaned back in his chair and told Michael Westen: "You know spies. Bunch of bitchy little girls."

That's still the best line in a series where every episode has great lines. Kudos to you writers. You know what you're doing.

No Second Bananas

What makes Burn Notice so intensely enjoyable isn't just Jeffrey Donovan who is Michael Westen, burned spy. I've liked him since he was the younger brother in The Pretender. I can't imagine anyone else playing the Westen role. The secondary characters and what they bring to the party is that same element of being the only ones who could play their respective roles.

Gabrielle Anwar is Fiona, sometimes gunrunner, and Bruce is Sam Axe. (Sharon Gless is superb also but needs to be used more. I'm waiting for a character arc where she tries to quit smoking. She would be one mean bitch, and that makes the comedy quotient high.)

Bruce Campbell Has Charisma

What I find so interesting is the considerable charm and charisma Bruce exudes. I'm often puzzled when I find myself watching one of his B films i.e. Terminal Invasion which was on a while back. No matter how campy or cheap the film, there's something about him that makes you watch.

I'd love to see him win Best Supporting Emmy for Burn Notice along with the show sweeping the awards. It deserves them all. But it seems to be a rule of thumb that the things I like best never get the awards.

Takeaway Truth

Great TV is rare. Burn Notice is great TV. Don't call me tonight. I'll be in front of the television, absorbed in the world of burned spy Michael Westen and his buddies. I plan to have a pitcher of mojitos available too.