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I really must tip my hat to cable television. As the recent Emmy nominations have shown us, this segment of the dial that used to be simple niche programming, is putting out content that is just as good, if not better, than what you’ll get on the major networks.

Sure, there’s always going to be HGTV, The Food Network and the home shopping stations that will crap out low rent, cookie-cutter reality television. However, there are several cable networks that give us some really clever original programming.

The USA Network has created a cottage phenomenon with their original spy dramedy Burn Notice. Jeffrey Donovan stars as a spy named Michael Westen that gets “burned.” He discovers that being burned goes beyond just being fired. He’s cut off completely and struggling to survive. With the help of his trigger-happy ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) and old special forces buddy Sam (Bruce Campbell), he takes odd jobs helping people to make ends meet… all the while trying to track down who burned him and why.

At the start of the show, some things didn’t set right with me. First was Fiona’s Irish brogue (which didn’t sit well with others, apparently, since it was dropped by the second episode). The other elements to the show that grated on my nerves in the first couple episodes was the too-cool representation of the city of Miami and the hackneyed narration that Michael has throughout each episode.

However, after watching some of the installments, the show did grow on me. While Michael continued to narrate, it was toned down a bit. (Still, I get a little tired of him starting sentences with “In covert operations…” or “When you’re a spy…”)

What gives Burn Notice its likeability is its good humor. At heart, Michael is a good guy. He helps people in trouble, often putting himself in dangerous situations. Fiona is a borderline nutcase, but she’s very sexy doing that. Then there’s Sam, expertly played by Bruce Campbell. In the context of relatively serious subject matter, the characters don’t take themselves too seriously, and the show balances comic relief with action and tension.

The only weak part of the show is Michael’s mother, played by Sharon Gless. Michael grew up with a tortuous childhood, and his mother is the most annoying creature on the planet. She excuses his father who beat him as a child, and she keeps burdening Michael with helping out his loser brother. I understand blood ties, but the “family first” argument should be nullified by child abuse and felonies.

Still, Michael’s mother only shows up occasionally in the show, and the main female interest is Gabrielle Anwar in bikinis and short skirts… and that’s okay by me.

Burn Notice stands out among spy stories today because it differentiates itself. It doesn’t try to be a James Bond rip-off. Michael Westen doesn’t get that kind of support. It also doesn’t try to make him as bulletproof as Jack Bauer on 24 or Syndey Bristow on Alias. In a strange way, Michael Westen is one of the most normal spies we’ll see on television. He’s got girlfriend problems, an alcoholic best friend and a mother who annoys the hell out of him. Who can’t relate to that?

Like many current cable shows, Burn Notice has a short season with only eleven episodes. The Season One DVD set includes scene specific audio commentary for every episode featuring creator Matt Nix and the stars. There’s also audition footage for both Jeffrey Donovan and Gabrielle Anwar.

The rest of the special features are a little thin, reusing content from the episodes you’ve probably just watched – a gag reel, character montages, an action montage and a spotlight on the hot girls (though I didn’t mind watching that footage a second time).

THE UPSIDE: A fun spy romp through Miami.

THE DOWNSIDE: More dysfunctional spying needed; less Cagney & Lacey.

ON THE SIDE: If you watch this show carefully enough, you just might learn how to build a homemade bomb.