Former insurance investigator Nathan Ford (Hutton) is a broken man after the death of his son. He is approached with a special job: retrieving stolen property. He puts together a team of criminals, the best people he chased: grifter / con artist Sophie (Bellman), hacker Hardison (Hodge), thief Parker (Riesgraf), and hitter Eliot (Kane). But when the team is set-up to take the blame, they band together to get justice, using their unique skills to gain the upper hand.
They decide to band together and continue to help the good guys as modern day Robin Hoods.
I discovered this show when it first premiered back in 2008. I first watched after seeing the previews on TNT. I was hooked by the pilot, and fell in love with the cast and everything about the show. I loved the heists and their complicated names (like in the 2000s Ocean's 11, Ocean's 12, Ocean's 13 films).
I was unfamiliar with most of the cast before the show, but each was perfectly suited for their roles. I have loved Christian Kane since his time on Angel. I haven't seen any of his other work, but he is still a beautiful, powerful presence. Gina Bellman has the difficult job of portraying many different types of people (and accents), and makes it look easy. She is also great on Coupling. All five work well together, and something feels off when one is missing (like the episodes where Sophie is replaced).
The show managed to create interesting heists season after season, and still allow time for character growth. The characters change and grow over time, and we are treated to a look at their lives before working together. Unfortunately, their season 5 finale (which aired on December 25, 2012) also was their series finale. The finale was awesome and truly wraps up many of the story lines of the season. I will miss the show, but the ending was perfect. I can't wait to see where these actors will end up next (I would love to see Kane show up on Bones as an old friend of Booth, or on Joss Whedon's new TV show S.H.I.E.L.D).
Cancelled too early (I wanted to see where they would go after the shake up from the Season 5 finale).
Leverage (2008-2012)
Creator: John Rogers and Chris Downey
Starring: Timothy Hutton as Nathan Ford
Gina Bellman as Sophie Devereaux
Christian Kane as Eliot Spencer
Beth Riesgraf as Parker
Aldis Hodge as Alec Hardison
Mark Sheppard as Jim Sterling
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