Royal Pains Series Premiere Review:
By: Rebekah Miller

The new USA network show Royal Pains is a medical comedy-drama staring Mark Feuerstein as Hank Lawson. The show has a fairly typical plot line starting off with Hank losing his job and then accidentally happening upon a new one. The show does do a good job of balancing drama with comedy, as it has its share of suspenseful life threatening moments surrounded by hilarious antics from the various characters that make appearances throughout the show.

The show is filled with all the usual character types. In the pilot episode alone we see the spoiled rich teen who is neglected by his parents, the middle-aged wealthy lady who is made of plastic surgery, and the slightly crazy attractive young woman who thinks she is in love. Then of course there is Hank's sidekick brother, Evan, who is the typical shallow partying type. Even though he is pretty much the opposite of Hank, he always seems to get Hank to go along with his plans.

One thing that does not seem to add up quite right is the character of Hank. He avidly stands up for what he feels is right like when he sacrifices his job at the beginning to save a life, but he also very easily gives in to pressure from others like when he lets his brother convince him to go to party in the Hamptons or when he provides private medical service to those who call after he claims he does not want to do that. But perhaps as the show progresses we will learn more about Hank and his character will be better defined.

Taking place in the Hamptons in the summer Royal Pains has a backdrop that is just as gorgeous as the people that fill it. But what is even more pleasant about the show is the music. There was a wide variety of songs used in the pilot episode ranging from indie to top 40, and from rock to club music. The show could easily have a successful soundtrack.

While the show is somewhat predictable, it makes up for it with the range of well planned characters, humorous elements, and excellent music. Royal Pains will fit well into the mix of shows on the USA network.

Burn Notice Season 3 Review:
By: Kristyn Clarke

When the second season of Burn Notice ended one of the major plot mysteries of the first two seasons had been solved, Management has been revealed and viewers were left to ponder what would become of Michael, and how would life on a show like Burn Notice continue now that major questions have been answered.

Michael is now left with no higher power to protect him, as he, Fi, and Sam jump right back into to their usual antics, only this time they are learning about the prices they may have to pay for some of their actions in past. Michael soon learns that their were some benefits from being under the protection of Management, and now that his location has been revealed we are sure to see a lot more individuals popping up from Michael's past, and trust me, they aren't looking to rekindle friendships, more like most would like to see him dead. This fact will lead to a new direction for the show, and the ability for show creators to create new sticky situations for Michael and introduce new characters as we move forward in the story.

The premiere episode picks up right where the season two finale left off, and the show never lose a moment of steam! The same sarcastic wit, dead-on action sequences, and drama that made this show a hit in the first place are all still here, and this season promises to be hotter than ever!

This crime drama focuses on Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack - PMC interview), a U.S. Marshal attached to the secretive Federal Witness Protection Program. She loves her job, but knows that it is not easy to lead a doubble life and getting shot regularly is a normal occurance.

Mary is based in the greater Albuquerque/Santa Fe area and manages and protects Federal Witnesses who have been relocated from all over the country. The witnesses she protects can been anyone from criminals, cronic liars, thieves, or murderers who have been a witness or victim of a crime. These witnesses have had to leave behind everything and everyone they know by cutting off all contact, changing their identities, and relocating. Even though these people are given the opportunity to start a new life, they all have someone that wants them dead.

Mary works alongside her partner Marshal Mann (Fred Weller - PMC interview) who is her polar opposite. Mary helps witnesses establish their new lives--which are not always fully sucessful or satisfying to the witness--while protecting them from threats. Even though Mary and Marshall spend a lot of time disagreeing, they always seem to get the job done.

Since Mary's family and friends can't know the true nature of her work, she often struggles in her personal life. It is always difficult for Mary to keep her work a secret while living with her co-dependent mother, Jinx (Lesley Ann Warren) and sister Brandi (Nichole Hiltz - PMC interview). Jinx can never seem to keep a job and has an alcohol problem. Brandi is somewhat ambitious, but her ambitions were driven by the desire to sell a suitcase of crystal meth for her boyfriend Chuck. Raphael Ramirez (Cristian de la Fuente - PMC interview) is Mary's on-again-off-again boyfriend who does not get much of Mary's attention due to her job and family commitments.

James Roday stars as a young police consultant Shawn Spencer in this quick-witted comedy/drama. Shawn uses acute observation to solve crimes which cause Santa Barbara PD detectives to think he is psychic.

Dule Hill stars as Sawn's best friend and sidekick, Gus, Corbin Bernsen plays Henry, his disapproving father who ironically helped Shawn develop his observation skills as a child.

Shawn was raised in Santa Barbara by a family of cops and was carefully groomed by his father for his future career. After a disagreement between Shawn and his father, Shawn takes on a series of random jobs rather than becoming a detective.

For fun, Shawn calls in tips to the police about cases he reads or sees on television. When one of his tips appears too close to the truth, the police arrest Shawn because they think he is an accomplice.

However, Shawn is able to convince the cops that he is psychic and they hire him to help solve though cases. Gus reluctantly assists Shawn with his observations and he becomes a decective opening his own PI agency--Psych-- and continues to assist the police force.