There are a million things I'm trying to get done before the holiday weekend, but I wanted to offer a few brief thoughts on the fifth season of 'Burn Notice,' as well as this exclusive clip from the USA Network show's mid-season finale.

I've enjoyed how the show has mixed it up a bit in season 5, and I've especially appreciated the ways in which the continued presence of Jesse (Coby Bell) has allowed the show to vary its approaches to both weekly storytelling and the ongoing tale of Michael's dealings with the CIA and his rocky re-entry into the espionage world.

Creator Matt Nix explained his rationale for keeping Coby Bell's Jesse around this season in an interview earlier this year (you can find it here and here), and I can see now why it was a good idea.

Last week I posted a 'Burn Notice' feature that contained excerpts from an interview with the show's creator, Matt Nix. The USA show returned Thursday night, and so today seemed like a good time to post more from that interview, including some areas of discussion that didn't make it into last week's feature.

Below, Nix talks about Miami ex-spy Michael Westen's relationship with his new CIA boss, the dilemmas Michael and Fiona face this season, the show's stable of supporting characters and, as they say, much, much more.

He's back! They're back ... it's back! We're talking about 'Burn Notice,' which kicks off its much-anticipated fifth season this week (Thurs., June 23, 9PM ET on USA).



To celebrate the show's return, we're walking down 'Burn Notice' memory lane, A to Z-style. This also happens to serve as a nifty primer for those uninitiated to the ways of the 'Burn' (are there such people?!), and as a little sneak peek for those who already know what a delicious slice of summer viewing Michael Westen and his pals make.

The exciting fifth-season opener of USA's 'Burn Notice,' which arrives on USA June 23, alters the world of spy Michael Westen in tantalizing ways.

As viewers learned at the end of the previous season, Michael has finally "come in from the cold." After spending years uncovering the nefarious deeds of the bad guys who got him 'burned' (or exiled) from the spy community, he's been embraced by the CIA once more. So everything's groovy now, right?

"One of the things that emerges early in the season is that the typical intelligence agency job is not necessarily a high-stakes, high-octane thrill ride," the show's executive producer and creator, Matt Nix, said in an interview. "It's not necessarily something Michael is even particularly interested in doing anymore."

"It's still 'Burn Notice,'" Nix hastens to add. "I didn't want to be like, 'Okay, now he does paper-shuffling."

The British are coming for 'Burn Notice!' It's been announced that both Gavin Rossdale and 'NCIS' alum David Dayan Fisher will be keeping their compatriot Gabrielle Anwar company in the upcoming Season 5.

'Entertainment Weekly' reports that Bush frontman Rossdale will appear in the eighth episode, playing the villainous Armand, a wealthy and powerful man "with a hand in nefarious projects all over the world." Fiona (Anwar) asks him for help, but he'll only lend a hand if she helps him with a major heist job.

Fisher, who has a recurring role on 'NCIS' as C.I.A. agent Trent Kort, is set to play an ambitious and ruthless mercenary in the same episode.