Garret Dillahunt is a busy man.
The actor has already guest-starred on CSI, Lie to Me and Law & Order: SVU over the last year. Up next? A stint on Burn Notice.
As first reported by Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly, Dillahunt will portray Simon, an intelligent new client of Michael’s. The episode will air this winter and also feature the return of John Mahoney.
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A trio of shows announced interesting casting tidbits this week. Here's a look at each:
Burn Notice ended the first half of its third season on fire.
The Jeffrey Donovan-led series drew the most viewers in the history of the USA network for its mid-season finale last Thursday night.
According to Variety, "Long Way Back" drew 7.6 million total viewers, along with 2.8 million in the valued 18-49 year-old demographic; it was the top scripted show of the evening.
That's the good news for fans. The bad news?
Michael Westen and crew won't be back until the winter.
Forgive the obvious pun, but as Burn Notice moves toward its season three finale, storylines are heating up.
So is viewer curiosity.
Thanks to E! News, here's a look at a few of the more pressing questions on the minds of fans...
What does the future hold for Nate Westen?
He's getting a wife! "I don't think they cast her yet," said actor Seth Peterson. "I'm going to try to get my own wife in there. And also he's back at the casinos, so his gambling has revved up again. I just happen to be a poker player so, for me, it's easy to play."
Is Michael Shanks' Victor really dead?
Producer Matt Nix isn't sure: "I love Michael Shanks. He is a friend. Honestly, my wife has this thing where she made me promise if you kill somebody he's got to be dead. We talked about if there is some flashback we can do. Maybe we can come up with something someday because we love him and we love working with him. He's an amazing actor. And it was a character that was fun in the beginning, but in the end, we all really came to care about."
Is Jay Karnes reprising the role of Brennen?
Here is what Jay Karnes told E! about his character's fate "It seems to be breaking down in one of two ways. Brennen comes back as an über, über bad guy, or Brennen comes back as a client, which I think is kind of interesting. Brennen needing help from Michael Westen, I like that idea.
The two biggest shows on the USA network aren't going anywhere for awhile.
Burn Notice and Royal Pains have both been renewed for additional seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The pickups aren't a surprise. Each show has put sizzling numbers over the last few weeks: In recent airings, Burn Notice earned 7.3 million total viewers, while first-year hit Royal Pains drew an equally powerful 7.1 million.
The Thursday duo helped USA finish first in the second-quarter ratings race, as it became as the most-watched cable network of July.
Most of the cast and creators of Burn Notice were at Comic Con for their panel ready to answer questions. Most notably absent was the show's recently arrested star Jeffrey Donovan.
Luckily the show's comic relief and Comic Con regular, Bruce Campbell, was ready to handle the crowd. When an audience member asked if Bruce helped write some of his character's lines, he answered, "Mike at one point says, 'Sam I could kiss you.' Sam says, 'Get in line.' That was mine. But whatever, we throw them out whenever they are appropriate and if they use them."
Bruce also joked that there's a "Xena out there that I want to boff." When asked if his playboy character would ever settle down, Campbell said his character is "still putting the hammer down, [but] I have a new girl named Miss Reynolds, but you never see her. Sam just talks a lot. So maybe he's lying. Maybe he doesn't have that many chicks."
As previously reported, Ben Shenkman will guest star on Burn Notice.
The actor will come aboard on the July 16 episode and kick off a recurring run as Tim Stickler, a quasi spy broker that "offers Michael an opportunity that's rather hard to refuse," star Gabrielle Anwar told TV Guide. "And that puts Michael and Fiona on very tenuous footing."
As for Shenkman himself, Anwar pays him a major compliment by saying he "brings an element of smooth perversity to his episodes. It's kind of nauseating how he gets under your skin!"
The odds of Fox's latest medial drama, Mental, remaining on the air beyond this summer are extremely low.
But star Chris Vance has already lined up his next gig.
According to Michael Ausiello, the British actor has booked a four-episode arc as Gilroy on Burn Notice. The character is a sophisticated and ruthless former MI-6 agent; he now oversees freelance black ops.
In other words: look out, Michael Westen.
Look for Vance on the USA hit in early 2010, during the second half of Burn Notice's third season.
Chris Vance is coming to Burn Notice.
Will Michael and Fiona soon hook up on Burn Notice?
Not in the romantic sense, no.
But, yes, in the fisticuffs sense.
Show runner Matt Nix told E! Online that Michael and Fiona's issues this season will grow serious, though they won't exactly communicate in any way outside of fighting. Take note of episode six's sparring scene.
"Michael and Fiona are not people who like talking about their feelings," Nix said.
Having premiered to six million viewers this season, Burn Notice is officially a hit.
While gorgeous star Gabrielle Anwar gave us an idea of what's ahead, during an interview with TV Guide this week, the real man with the plans is show runner Matt Nix.
He spoke with E! News and revealed the major themes of season three:
Is Michael trying to get back with an intelligence agency? "The answer is yes, that's his agenda, but it's a very, very hard thing to do. A burn notice essentially destroys someone's reputation, and as we all know, it is much easier to spread rumors [that] destroy someone's reputation than it is to take all that back."
Who is new character Tom Strickler? "Tom's like an agent. Not a [covert] agent - more like a Hollywood agent. He [feels] that Michael is... talented, and there are plenty of people who would be interested in his services. Strickler comes to Michael and basically says, 'I'll help you if you help me.'"
What's the deal with Michael and Det. Michelle Paxson? "When we talked to Jeffrey and [actress Moon Bloodgood] about it, [we said] in another life, she could have been the spy, and he could have been the cop. But because spies are people who essentially break laws for a good cause, it's not really a divide they can get over.
Michael can't really tell her the truth about what he's doing, and even if he could, she can't really say, 'Oh well, then, fine.' They're two people who under other circumstances might have been friends, but under these circumstances it's an immovable object meets an unstoppable force."
