There is an episode of Rick and Morty that is centered around heists, and when the titular duo assembles crews, the person responds with, “You son of a b*tch. I’m in.” The joke in this episode is that heist movies are dumb, and they always spend too long bringing their team together and then relying on silly twists.
However, what if the team was already assembled? What if the cons were well thought out, and although information is held back from the viewer, there is always a satisfying reveal?
Well, let me tell you about a little programme called Leverage: Redemption that is about to begin its third season very, very soon.
Leverage: Redemption is the continuation of Leverage, the Dean Devlin produced TNT series, which ran for five seasons from 2008 to 2012. It followed Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton), a former insurance investigator turned mastermind-criminal and his team of rogues under the banner of Leverage Inc. Hitter Elliot (Christian Kane), Hacker Hardison (Aldis Hodge), Grifter Sophie (Gina Bellman) and Thief Parker (Beth Riesgraf) made for the perfect criminal enterprise, but under Nate, they used their powers for good.
In a show that blended Ocean’s 11 with The A-Team, the Leverage team took down evil corporations week by week, helping out people in need and destroying hundreds of lives in the process. Yeah, they were evil lives, but they definitely made some enemies. Along the way, Sophie and Nate get together, as do crew members Parker and Hardison, the best ship of the show by far. Those two belong together.
By the end of Season 5, Leverage Inc. had expanded into new territories, and teams all over the world began helping the helpless and taking down corpo scum. Boooooo capitalism!
And then, controversy…
As the idea for Leverage: Redemption was in its infancy, Timothy Hutton, the lead freaking actor of the show, was accused of some sketchy stuff. Although these allegations were eventually dismissed, Hutton was omitted from the revival series. That left a massive hole to be filled, not only for the mastermind role but also because Nate was Sophie’s true love.
Enter Harry Wilson (Noah Wyle). Harry entered Leverage: Redemption as a douchebag lawyer serving people who would usually be on the Leverage Inc. target list. However, he starts to see the error of his ways and joins the team as a Fixer. He knows the gray areas of the law, and he can also pull off a good grift. Harry does a good job of filling a gap in the team.
Also joining the team is Breanna (Aleyse Shannon), the foster sister of Hardison, subbing in for her brother, who is busy handling international Leverage teams. The team also moved from Boston to New Orleans, and the new setting is a welcome one.
You know what? The revival barely skips a beat. It’s the same fun heist-of-the-week. It’s the same heart and soul, helping people with sad stories. It’s the same team chemistry, if not the team members, that I love to watch.
And it’s Parker. Parker is the best. That girl is crazy.
Which brings me to the Season 3 trailer.
HOW. F*CKING. DARE. YOU.
HOW DARE YOU hurt Parker like that! The trailer shows Parker being freaking stabbed! Now, do I think this means her untimely demise? No. But that’s not the point. Don’t you hurt Parker. Stay away from her!
Anyway, Season 3 looks to be the same kind of hijinks the Leverage crew has always had. Hardison looks like he’s getting ready to retire from active tomfoolery while there are many, many more fat cats and criminals to take down. The team dons disguises, partake in car chases, Eliot lays the smackdown on some dudes, and, you know, heists and stuff. It’s the type of thing Leverage Redemption has always given us.
And I’m here for it.
Look, this isn’t a premium HBO epic drama that you’re gonna be talking about around the virtual water cooler. Everything doesn’t need to be that. Sometimes, I just want an entertaining 45 minutes of heists and Robin Hood shenanigans that I can just relax and enjoy without looking into deeper meanings or remembering lore implications. This is that show for me.
If you need that in your life, too, then look no further than Leverage: Redemption. Season 3 begins April 17th, streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
