![]() It seemed unlikely that my first TV script, based on spy books I read when I was a kid, would get made. Matt Nix: To be honest, I didn’t take TV seriously. ![]() Matt had no TV experience whatsoever, but he had an idea. He had a solid career writing features, with the caveat that nothing was ever made. We made deals with independent producers one was with Fuse and Mikkel Bondesen, who introduced us to Matt. The Hollywood Reporter: How did the project come to fruition?ĭavid Madden: In 2005, we decided to focus on series business. “ Burn Notice has been instrumental in launching other dramas,” says Sepiol, “first Royal Pains then Suits, which have become hits for us - and hopefully that continues this season with Graceland.”īefore the final season premiered June 6 to 4.3 million viewers, Fox TV Studios president David Madden, Sepiol, Nix and castmembers Donovan, Gless, Campbell, Coby Bell and Gabrielle Anwar sat down with THR to talk about the show’s origins and success. Syndicated in 99 percent of the U.S., Burn‘s also a huge performer internationally, airing in more than 200 territories. Its value is not lost on USA and Fox Television Studios, which produces the series. PHOTOS: TV Swan Songs: 9 Shows Ending During the 2012-2013 Seasonīurn has seen viewership reach an enviable series high of 9.1 million in live-plus-7 ratings for the season-three finale the most recent sixth season drew an average of 5.7 million viewers. Franchises followed, including a 2011 TV movie starring fan favorite Bruce Campbell (who co-stars as Sam Axe) that drew 4.2 million viewers, partner DC Comics’ digital comics, five tie-in novels, extensive second-screen videos and ephemera - as well as a supporting actress Emmy nomination for Sharon Gless in 2010. “Now I laugh that I was pitching the USA Network of 2006 the show I was pitching them,” says Nix, citing the network’s blue-sky principle for which Burn has become the poster child. When the script crossed the desks of USA co-president Jeff Wachtel and senior vp original scripted programming Alex Sepiol, a new directive emerged: Brighten the tone, and move it to sunny Miami. The major ingredients were there, including the series-defining sardonic humor, but something wasn’t clicking. More than a year before the drama - which centers on burned (or blacklisted) spy Michael Westen, played by Donovan - debuted in June 2007, showrunner Matt Nix envisioned a darker series set in gritty Newark, N.J. Suffice it to say, Burn Notice has been anything but. “Let’s just have a happy accident,” says Donovan. It’s a few days into production on the seventh and final season of USA Network’s flagship series, and already the vibe on set is loose and relaxed. On a March morning in Miami’s Coconut Grove Convention Center, Burn Notice star Jeffrey Donovan settles into his director’s chair moments before the day’s first scene gets under way.
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