For a long time, it seemed that TV action series had lost their sense of humor.

No matter what the situation, today's TV action hero confronts it with a grimace on his face and a growl in his throat. Witness the surly determination of "24's" Jack Bauer, or the square-jawed tenacity of "Prison Break's" Michael Scofield.

Even Sydney Bristow, heroine of the fairly campy "Alias," had surprising gravitas considering those skimpy outfits she wore. With all this seriousness, viewers were left to wonder if there was no way a show could mix action with a little levity. Couldn't Jack Bauer smile even once as he vanquished a terrorist?

Alas, it seemed that fans of thrillers would have to get their humor unintentionally, from wooden acting or ridiculous plot twists.

That is, until last year, when the USA network debuted the bright, witty spy series "Burn Notice."

The show, which starts its second season at 10 p.m. Thursday, centers on Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan), a highly-skilled spy who suddenly finds himself blacklisted by the government after a mysterious "burn notice" is issued on him. He winds up stranded in Miami, trying to find out what happened and scrounging up cash with private investigation and security gigs. Michael's only allies are his ex-girlfriend (and ex-IRA operative) Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), boozy military intelligence contact Sam (Bruce Campbell) and his chain-smoking mom (Sharon Gless).

Though Michael seems like your typical tough, ticked-off

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modern action hero, he's actually a lot closer to the wisecracking stars of the kinder, gentler action shows of the 1980s.

Michael might be a trained killer, but he isn't above flashing a toothy grin that Thomas Magnum would envy. And, much like the ever-inventive MacGyver, Michael is a firm believer in the motto "Guns make you stupid. Duct tape makes you smart."

"Burn Notice" instantly sets itself apart from every other action show on television by offering two elements that its peers largely lacked — humor and charm. Add in a sly, charismatic lead performance by Donovan, and fun work by noted hams Gless and Campbell, and you had one of last year's nicest surprises.

The new season picks up where the last one left off, with Michael turning himself over to the people who burned him. Expecting answers, he instead finds himself accepting an assignment via phone from the mysterious Carla ("Battlestar Galactica's" Tricia Helfer), who apparently works with the burners.

She wants him to help a computer geek steal some secure information. Michael wants to know why. She says she'll tell him more when he does what she wants.

So, Michael goes along with the plan, all the time trying to figure out who Carla is and what her motives are. Meanwhile, Sam and Fiona continue to help Michael in his endeavors, both calling on their own special skills. Judging from the two episodes sent to the press, the second season of "Burn Notice" seems just as much fun as the first. It nicely balances Michael's spy work with his personal life, as when his mom constantly interrupts his work to nag him about fixing her coffeepot. It also continues to serve as sort of a dummy's guide to espionage. Michael's purring voiceover is always instructing the viewer on the fine points of his business, such as how to avoid breaking your cover, or how to cause a distraction.

My only quibble with the show is that sometimes it tries too hard to be stylish, too often relying on freeze frames, jump cuts and other irritating tricks.

But this is a minor flaw in an otherwise enjoyable series. "Burn Notice" is a glowing reminder that action isn't all violence and angry glares. Sometimes it involves humor, brains and just a little bit of duct tape.

Newsroom@ctpost.com Amanda Cuda can be reached at acuda@ctpost.com. Visit her blog at forum.connpost.com/turnedon.