The series title refers to the 'burn notices' issued by intelligence agencies to discredit or announce the dismissal of agents/sources considered to have become 'unreliable'. When spies are burned, their connection to an espionage organization is terminated, leaving them without access to cash or influence :
"...After fleeing a blown operation in Nigeria and being kidnapped, covert-operations agent 'Michael Westen' (Donovan), finds himself in his hometown of Miami, Florida, tended to by his ex-girlfriend, 'Fiona Glenanne', but abandoned by his normal intelligence contacts, while under continuous surveillance.
"Extraordinary efforts to reach his US government handler eventually yield only a grudging admission that someone powerful wants him 'on ice' in Miami. Westen then works as an unlicensed private investigator to fund his personal investigation into his situation as a blacklisted agent..."
The fifth season of "Burn Notice" will premiere June 23, 2011.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Burn Notice"...