My take: “Leverage”
I got the opportunity to watch the pilot and second episode of TNT’s new caper series “Leverage” prior to my interview Monday with Oklahoma-born Christian Kane, one of the stars of the show.
The series is set to debut commercial free at 9 p.m. Sunday on TNT; it will air regularly at 9 p.m. Tuesdays starting next week. Kane said the cast and crew already have filmed all 13 episodes of the first season.
Oscar winner Timothy Hutton (“Ordinary People”) plays former insurance investigator Nate Ford, whose life has been derailed by tragedy. Out of work and wallowing in grief, Ford is approached by an aeronautics executive to steal back airplane designs the businessman claims were stolen by a rival.
The executive has assembled a skilled group of thieves, grifters and hackers best known for working alone. The team includes Parker (Beth Riesgraf, “Alvin and the Chipmunks”), a wacky thief; Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge, “Friday Night Lights”), a sharp computer specialist; Eliot Spencer (Kane, TV’s “Angel”), a tough “retrieval specialist” who can easily take out a band of thugs; and Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman, “Coupling”), an actress who is terrible on stage or screen but terrific when she’s running a con.
When the team is double-crossed, they decide to reunite to get revenge. Their first job soon leads to a new vocation – under the front of a consulting firm called Leverage, the band of crooks play the role of modern-day Robin Hoods, robbing from the rich, powerful and wealthy to benefit the oppressed.
The show is smart and fun, with a feisty attitude and a mix of comedy and action. The characters are quirky and colorful. It’s great to see Kane back in action, and Hutton and Bellman have crackling chemistry as the team’s honest man and point woman, who have a history.
For those who like heist movies or shows, or are just looking for a show that “sticks it to the man,” as Kane put it, I recommend “Leverage.”
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Great blog – just wanted to give credit where credit is due!