History Trivia / BurnNotice

** Simon is [[Series/TheSarahConnorChronicles Cromartie and John Henry]]! The scene with him slow-motion walking towards an injured Michael in a police uniform with a pistol gripped at his side is a clear ShoutOut. The show seems to have a habit of hiring former Terminators on.

** Team Westen had an encounter with yet another [[Series/{{The Sarah Connor Chronicles}} Terminator]] during the season 6 finale.

** Dead Larry is, depending on your age, [[Series/TheWestWing Vice President Hoynes]] or [[AnimalHouse Otter]].

** [[{{Series/TheShield}} Lem]] [[spoiler:killed Nate.]] in Season 6.

** The NSA agent in the series finale is [[Film/FerrisBueller'sDayOff Cameron]]!

** The NSA agent in the series finale is [[Film/Ferris Bueller's Day Off Cameron]]!

* There are a number of similarities between ''Series/BurnNotice'' and ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'' -- main character named Mike, a basic theme of a spy who has been cut loose by his own agency and is on the run, betrayal, and so on.

** [[Series/TheWalkingDead Merle]] shows up as a kidnapper in Season Four.

** Also, in "Fast Friends," Sam mentions that he once got to the "Michigan State Quarterfinals" with his arm (shot put? football?); Bruce Campbell is from Michigan (the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak, to be exact).

** [[{{The 4400}} Tom Baldwin]] gets scammed out of a painting by Michael in "Seek and Destroy."

** Jesse's good-hearted government contact Marv is [[Spin City Paul Lassiter]]!

** Jesse's good-hearted government contact Marv is [[EvenStevens Uncle Chuck]]!

** Vaughn is [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Uriel]] and [[Series/TheWire Bunny Colvin]]. A number of others from ''Series/TheWire'' also show up. Rawls became a Congressman, Ziggy apparently escaped from jail only to become a MadBomber, while Dennis "Cutty" Wise and Kima are now in the CIA.

** Vaughn is [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Uriel]] and [[Series/TheWire Bunny Colvin]]. A number of others from ''Series/TheWire'' show up. Rawls became a Congressman, Ziggy apparently escaped from jail only to become a MadBomber, and Dennis "Cutty" Wise is now in the CIA.

* ActorAllusion: Sam and Fiona approach a group of con artists while under the guise of federal agents who had been monitoring them. Sam introduces himself and Fi as detectives Cagney and Lacey, alluding to costar Sharon Gless.
** Additionally, in the second season Fiona starts dating a man named Campbell. In one episode, a conversation between Fiona and Sam takes place, with Fiona commenting on how good-looking a particular man is, to which Sam (played by BruceCampbell) replies, "Well, he's no Campbell."
** Michael also makes contact with a middle-eastern operative named Anwar in one episode.
** Inverted in a "Signals and Codes" where the client of the week was played by an actor named Michael Weston.
** In one episode, Sam and a contact are discussing people who only use one name, and Sam says "Spider-Man" as an example. Bruce Campbell has a cameo in all three of the {{Spider-Man}} movies.
** And in the winter premiere of season 3, [[Series/CagneyAndLacey Tyne Daly]] guest stars.
** WordOfGod mentions that as a general rule, they write characters with a specific actor in mind. This is in part due to the need to quickly establish characters and chemistry (see the above Tyne Daly instance) as it is just having fun.
** There was also "False Flag", where Fi said Sam's bulletproof vest smells like Old Spice and bourbon. Bruce Campbell is a spokesperson for Old Spice.
** In one episode, Sam is doing surveillance on Carla, who takes time to swim. Commenting on her ability, Sam says: "The woman is a machine." Carla's actress, Tricia Helfer, played a robot on ''[[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined Battlestar Galactica]]''.
** In 5x6, Sam compliments Mike on his chin. Mike instantly turns to face Sam, seemingly very surprised, and notes that it means a lot coming from Sam. Bruce Campbell (Sam) really is known for [[LanternJawOfJustice his chin]] among other things - he even titled the book he authored after his chin.
** A recent episode showed Gabrielle Anwar once again getting to [[ScentOfAWoman tango]].
** John C. [=McGinley=] plays Michael's former CIA mentor Tom Card. References to [=McGinley=]'s role as Dr. Cox on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' abound: among other things, Card displays expasperation and impatience with his young protege, he does a ton of {{Deadpan Snark|er}}ing, and he even does Dr. Cox's frustrated whistle in one scene.
** Barry the money launderer refers to Sam's shotgun as his [[ArmyOfDarkness "boomstick."]]

* HeyItsThatGuy: Jeffrey Donovan himself can be seen in a dozen small roles before he hit paydirt with this show, notably as the slimy businessman WillSmith beats up in ''{{Hitch}}''.
** Michael's first post-burn notice client has the distinction of being [[{{Dexter}} Angel Batista]] (or [[TheExpendables General Garza]]), and [[TwinPeaks Leland Palmer]] (or [[{{Reaper}} the Devil himself]]) functions as the first VillainOfTheWeek.

** [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined Number Six]] is Carla, who is also [[{{Starcraft}} Sarah Kerrigan]] and [[MassEffect2 EDI]].

** [[Series/{{TheX-Files}} Alex Krycek]] is still playing on the wrong side of the law when Michael has to take down his squeaky clean politician brother, in what appears to be an inversion of Michael and Nate's relationship.

** [[{{Dexter}} Sergeant James Doakes]] makes a brief appearance as one of Michael's temporary meeting facilitators in Season 3. Mike even injects him with a syringe [[ShoutOut Dexter-style]] to make him think he's been poisoned.

** [[TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] comes calling as a terrorist leader bent on capturing Fiona and dragging her back to Ireland. Needless to say, [[BerserkButton Michael makes sure]] it doesn't end well for him.
** Simon is [[TheSarahConnorChronicles Cromartie and John Henry]]! The scene with him slow-motion walking towards an injured Michael in a police uniform with a pistol gripped at his side is a clear ShoutOut. The show seems to have a habit of hiring former Terminators on.

** Vaughn is [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Uriel]] and [[Series/TheWire Bunny Colvin]].
*** A number of others from ''Series/TheWire'' show up. Rawls became a Congressman, Ziggy apparently escaped from jail only to become a MadBomber, and Dennis "Cutty" Wise is now in the CIA.
** Kendra the assassin is [[{{NUMB3RS}} Amita]].
** Sherry, aka "Babycakes", in "Damned if You Do" is [[{{Carnivale}} Libby]].
** John Barrett, the Big Bad for the first half of Season 4, is played by Robert Patrick, aka T-1000/Tom Ryan.

** Ian, TheAtoner client from Season 5, is [[{{Payback}} Val Resnick]].
** In Season 5 finale, Michael's CIA team includes [[{{Terminator}} T-X]] and [[LoisAndClark Superman]]. And they try to capture [[TheExpendables agent Monroe]].

** After Michael gave Harlan to the Colombians, he managed to escape and is now in deep cover in CougarTown, with a severe drinking problem.

** Once there was a poolside DesignatedGirlFight between Fiona and [[TheAdventuresOfSuperboy Lana Lang]]. No, not ''that'' [[{{Smallville}} Lana Lang]].
* ShoutOut:
** In 3x04 "Fearless Leader," a pack of "Morley" brand cigarettes show up--the favorite choice of the [[XFiles Cigarette Smoking Man]]. Also in that episode, the VillainOfTheWeek is named after actor (and frequent episode director) Tim Matheson.
*** There are a few of these. A hotel at the end of season 2 is named after William Wages (executive producer?) and the VOTW from "The Hunter" is named for Jeremiah Chechik, director.
** See the Creator/GordonKorman book [[http://gordonkorman.com/weston.htm "Our Man Weston"]] for a possible source of Mike's surname.
** In 3x14 "Partners in Crime," Sam, while pretending to be an [[CSIMiami uber-cool crime lab technician]], does a GlassesPull while delivering a pitch-perfect [[QuipToBlack Horatio Caine one-liner.]] Twice. ''Yeeeaaahhhhh!''
** Perhaps a subtle or unintentional one but in Season 3 finale [[spoiler: while fighting, Simon takes Michael from behind and slams him repeatedly against a wall. The short sequence uses the much of the same cinematography as the fight between the T-800 and T-1000 from Terminator 2. Earlier in the episode, Simon walks out from behind the heat haze of an explosion in a police outfit - again, sharing similar cinematography to what the Terminator series of works have used prior. Garrett Dillahunt (Simon) previously played a Terminator and AI in TheSarahConnorChronicles.]]
** Simon and Fiona also got to talk to Olivia Benson.
** Max and Strickler were patients at Seatle Grace hospital, agent Pierce was a nurse there.
** In "Good Soldier", Sam says about Carla "she's like a machine." Tricia Helfer played quite a famous machine on ''[[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined Battlestar Galactica]]''.
** In "Where There's Smoke", a gang of kidnappers is led by two brothers named [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Eddy and Jacob]].
** In "Breach of Faith", Sam mentions how he really wanted a [[AChristmasStory Red Rider]] BB rifle as a kid.
** In "Out of the Fire", Sam dryly quips to [[spoiler: Brennen: "Don't take my silence for stupidity. I was just trying to [[{{Firefly}} kill you with my mind]]".]]
** In "Last Stand", Michael [[spoiler: is taken to Washington D.C. and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spy_Who_Came_in_from_the_Cold given a coat by his handler before being escorted into a building]]]]. FridgeBrilliance at its finest.
** In "Hard Out" the front that the Oil company uses to hire the mecenaries is called [[Comicbook/{{Watchmen}} Pyramid Group]]
** The last fight in "Better Halves" evokes the mallfight in MrAndMrsSmith and Michael and Fi spend the episode to be Mr. and Mrs. Johnes.
** One of Mike's nemeses is called Carla. [[TheQuestForKarla Not Karla.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: WordOfGod mentions that originally, Burn Notice would have been a lot darker and taken place in Newark, New Jersey.
* There are a number of similarities between ''BurnNotice'' and ''AlphaProtocol'' - main character named Mike, a basic theme of a spy who has been cut loose by his own agency and is on the run, betrayal, and so on.

** In "Out of the Fire", Sam dryly quips to [[spoiler: Brennen: "Don't take my silence for stupidity. I was just trying to [[{{Firefly}} kill you with my mind]].]]

** In "Hard Out" the front that the Oil company uses to hire the mecenarys is called [[Comicbook/{{Watchmen}} Pyramid Group]]

** See the GordonKorman book [[http://gordonkorman.com/weston.htm "Our Man Weston"]] for a possible source of Mike's surname.

** And in the winter premiere of season 3, [[CagneyAndLacey Tyne Daly]] guest stars.

*** A number of others from The Wire Show up, Rawls became a Congressman and Dennis "Cutty" Wise is now in the CIA.