In the Burn Notice episode, “Broken Rules,” Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) said when it comes to being a spy, “you have to get comfortable with the idea of people doing bad things for good reasons, doing good things for bad reasons.”
The new TNT series, Leverage, comes from producer Dean Devlin, the man responsible for hit films such as Universal Soldier, Independence Day, and the original Stargate.
In his first television series, Oscar winner Timothy Hutton is Nate Ford, who calls himself “an honest man in a dishonest world.” A former insurance investigator, he leads a team of hackers, thieves, and con artists includes highly skilled Parker (Beth Riesgraf); computer and retrieval specialists Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge) and Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane, Angel), and the very beautiful as well as talented Sophie (Gina Bellman). Together, they go after those using their power and influence to take what they want, and these modern-day Robin Hoods take it back … as they provide Leverage.
Over the past four summers, cable network TNT has had enormous success with The Closer, Saving Grace, and now possibly Raising the Bar. However, because it’s debuting this winter instead of summer, chances for this show’s success may be 50/50. Still, TNT may have done it again with Leverage, for it is elite, sexy, dangerous, smart, slick, and intriguing, where the heroes are on the opposite side of the law — yet as noble criminals.
Granted a 13-episode order, this series may be consider an American version of Hustle, the BBC series about a team of con artists that targets the rich and greedy. But, with Leverage, sometimes the bad guys does make the best good guys — even if they break the law for a good cause. But asking them if they’re white knights means we’re on the wrong side.
Leverage comes to TNT this December, and here’s a sneak peek: