The Tape was on time!

The morning column link: a double-bill, starting with a review of USA's new "Burn Notice" (which I wish was better than it is, especially with the presence of Jeffrey Donovan and Bruce Campbell):

"Guns make you stupid," explains Michael Weston. "Better to fight your wars with duct tape. Duct tape makes you smart."

Michael, the ex-spy hero of USA's new series "Burn Notice" (which debuts tonight at 10), then attempts to prove his point by scaring off the homicidal drug dealer next door using items from the local hardware store, including a roll of MacGyver's and Tim Taylor's favorite all-purpose material. But somewhere in the middle of his eviction notice, Michael has to pull out his gun and fire a few rounds into the drug dealer's leg.

Much like its main character, "Burn Notice" often talks -- and talks, and talks -- a better game than it's capable of playing. It wants to be a smart-aleck comedy/thriller hybrid in the spirit of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen, but the jokes are rarely clever enough and the thrills rarely exciting enough. If it weren't for the presence of an interesting cast, headed by Jeffrey Donovan as Michael, it would be completely skippable.

To read the full thing, click here. There's also some more thoughts on the events of last night's "Rescue Me," though most of it's similar to what I wrote in last night's post. (Also, if you missed the link there, you should really go read Matt Seitz's interview with the relevant castmember, who is not happy.)