Quick reviews

Couple of new shows to update you one... one I'm a little behind in reviewing, but you're over it, right?

HEARTLAND: TNT says it knows drama. This show is proof that at least it knows drama from 18 years ago. It looks and feels like a show my parents may have watched while I was being put to bed at 7:30 p.m. ... or maybe playing with my He-Man toys. Remington Steele-era stuff with GE sing-songily bringing good things to life for you.

It's a medical drama set in a transplant clinic, so it has "overdone" written all over it. And it does lay it on pretty heavy, but it's not a horrible piece of cable crud. It's biggest problem is likely that it's compartmentalized itself in a specific area with a small cast. The cast is strong though, despite the merely tolerable dialogue it's faced with.

If you're a medical drama fan or into really heart-tugging stories then this one's for you. IT doesn't take much thought, just a hope for an easy to follow story. If you're looking for excitement or suspense or even thoughtfulness, then move on. If I had a rating system, I'd give it a 2 out of 5.

BURN NOTICE: This is what you get when you try to infuse a spy show with the same cleverness as USA's big shows Monk and Psych. Lead (Jeffrey Donovan) isn't as strong as the guys in those other shows, and the show's obviously not that confident in itself, considering the amount of skin that crosses the screen in a given 10 minute period. But it's Miami and everyone walks around in a bathing suit 24/7, right?

Anyway, it's still entertaining and has some potential. It's a very different type of spy story. Mike can't leave Miami and he's doing odd jobs (solving a framing and stopping a kidnapping in the pilot) to make some cash so he can figure out why he's been blackballed by the government.

I'm going to give it a few more weeks. I have a bit of confidence that with some investment, it'll be a very likable show.