Greatest Comedy Heist Series Is The Most Fun You Can Have On Streaming
The Golden Age of Prestige Television is defined by dramas of bad men doing bad things, from The Sopranos to Breaking Bad, and so, overlooked from the tail end of that era, is a fun-loving cable series featuring good men doing bad things. Leverage is a spiritual successor to the old-school network shows like The A-Team, right down to opening up with a monologue about helping out the downtrodden in life fight back against greedy businessmen. Though it has been off the air for years, there is still nothing quite like it.
Breaking Good
Leverage follows Nathan “Nate” Ford, played by Timothy Hutton, a former insurance investigator who decides to pursue justice outside the law after his company insurance denies his dying son a life-saving surgery.
Embracing his new Robin Hood complex, Ford recruits criminals he once pursued, including the hacker Alec Hardison (Black Adam’s Aldis Hodge), the cat burglar Parker (Beth Riesgraf), and the muscle Elliot Spencer (The Librarian’s Christian Kane). Rounding out the group is con artist Sophie Deveraux (Coupling’s Gina Bellman), Nate’s on-again-off-again love interest.
The characters are what will keep you coming back to Leverage, as even though they all start out as fairly one-note, they quickly gel as a team, and the way that the different pairings work off one another is an absolute delight. By the time you get to a heist that goes wrong, and the only way out is for Elliot to “think like Hardison” and Sophie has to “think like Parker,” you’ll be shouting and cheering in your living room.
Embraces The Absurd Premise
Each episode of Leverage is fairly routine, with someone approaching the group for help and Nate proudly declaring, “Let’s steal [plot relevant item,” but the show recognizes the rote nature, and eventually, you reach the point where Nate’s declarations reach the absurd point of, “Let’s steal the future.”
The team then works their way into the confidence of their mark using an absurd gambit, which, again, always has a ridiculous name that keeps getting more and more absurd. Finally, the episode ends with the Ocean’s 11 reveal of how the heist was pulled off.
Tons Of Guest Stars
During Leverage’s run, you’ll always come across some familiar faces from Star Trek, including Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner, while Voyager’s Jeri Ryan fills in to replace Sophie for part of a season. Behind the camera is Will Riker Jonathan Frakes, who is the director of a good portion of the show’s episodes. Other notable sci-fi guest stars include Firefly’s Adam Baldwin and Mark Sterling, while Warehouse 13’s Saul Rubinek is the first episode’s victim.
The Sequel Series
Leverage was a hit while it aired, routinely being praised by critics for its light, breezy nature, and even cancelation wasn’t enough to end the party. A sequel series, Leverage: Redemption, follows the majority of the team (without Nate and Hardison) years later as they help a lawyer, Harry Wilson (Noah Wyle), redeem for his horrible misdeeds with their unique brand of justice. The Star Trek guest spots continue, as LeVar Burton appears in the sequel series as, what else, a librarian.
Free To Stream
REVIEW SCORE
Both Leverage and Leverage: Redemption are well worth your time to seek out. If you enjoy heist films, you’ll love this franchise, especially if you also want something light-hearted and fun. There’s a time and a place for crime dramas like Breaking Bad and Mayor of Kingstown, but sometimes, it’s okay to relax, laugh, and watch as the good guys pull it off in the end.
Leverage is available for free on Amazon Freevee. Leverage: Redemption is also available for free on Amazon Freevee.
