MovieChat Forums > The Pretender (1996) Discussion > Any Burn Notice fans among The Pretender...

Any Burn Notice fans among The Pretender Fanbase?


I'm curious about this.

When I started watching Burn Notice, it was because I didn't see Jeffrey Donovan, it was because I saw "Kyle".

To me, it's like seeing what Kyle might have been able to do if he had lived. (Whenever I watch Red Rock Jarod it really breaks my effing heart.)

But basically, Burn Notice is an ex-spy, who often has to PRETEND to be someone he's not, in order to help "defend the weak and abused." And in the end, the bad guys always get what they deserve, often suffering fates FAR more grim than anything Jarod ever inflicted.

Of course, the differences are he has his family, and his family have often been used as thumbscrews. So has Jarod, but often they use Jarod's family or simply _knowledge_ of his family as bait.

I love both these shows. I have the entire Pretender series on DVD, and Burn Notice season 1 on DVD. There are similarities, and there are differences, but I enjoy them both. Both main characters, Jarod and Michael, have such compassion for the "weak and abused" and go to great extremes to liberate them, that, for me, is the primary appeal of both shows.

Character palettes and dynamics are different, and interesting, but I prefer the Pretender's character palette which is much richer.

I say all this to make clear that I'm not saying "Burn Notice is better" or "The Pretender is better." or "You all should like Burn Notice, too, because it's the same" or anything like that. Though I prefer The Pretender, there's room in my heart, (and DVD cabinet), for both of these fantastic shows.

Does anyone else out there feel the same?

I'd also like to see Donovan and Weiss paired up again in Donovan's show (but I'd find it more interesting to find them in an adversarial relationship.)

reply

I really, really need to rewatch The Pretender, because I absolutely did not pick up on Jeffrey Donovan being Kyle!

reply

I've tried watching "Burn Notice," but I can't get into it. Mostly because of Jeffrey Donovan. I don't mind him as Kyle on "The Pretender," but on his own show I can't stand him, and his narrations are annoying. Not even Bruce Campbell can keep me tuned into "Burn Notice."

reply