Tubegazing

In the mood for an early summer distraction? Try the fun new USA series "Burn Notice" – or the campy sci-fi of "Stan Lee's Harpies."

from the June 22, 2007 edition

Burn Notice

(USA Network, June 28, 10 p.m.): According to this new series, when spies get fired, they don't just get a pink slip. They get a "burn notice." After special-operations agent Michael Weston (Jeffrey Donovan) gets "burned" in the middle of an operation, his accounts are frozen and all his contacts cut off. While he tries to find out why, Weston works as a private investigator to finance his personal quest for both answers and reinstatement. He's helped, in part, by old-flame Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar). Brisk and witty, this is a good showcase for Donovan's super-tough-guy-with-a-heart-of-gold persona (he teaches a little boy some spy chops so he can beat the schoolyard bullies). Grade: B+

Stan Lee's Harpies

(Sci Fi Channel, June 23, 9 p.m.): If campy science fiction is your thing, then this is the summer delight for you. A divorced and disgraced cop, played by Stephen Baldwin, becomes a museum security guard. One night, he puts an amulet in a glowing obelisk because "it fits." This wise move flings him back to the 10th century to battle a greedy wizard bent on getting back to the future. The bad guy's goal, of course, is world domination. Just like the heroines in teen-horror flicks, this guy does everything wrong (including, possibly, starring in this film), but in the end he manages to take the girl of his dreams back to the 21st century. Grade: C+