Christian Kane, Gina Bellman, Timothy Hutton, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge in "Leverage"
courtesy of TNT
“Leverage” (TNT)

On February 17th “Leverage” signs off for its first season. This TNT action drama series has really come into its own this year. The cast has come together as a unit and the plots have been inventive and intriguing.. In truth this show has become a modern day version of “Mission Impossible” but these characters create their own missions. Still they practice special talents and use aliases to infiltrate situations and make the bad guys pay.

Timothy Hutton as Nate Ford leads his merry band of men and women. He is a functioning alcoholic whose life fell apart when his only child died. The insurance company for which he worked refused to pay for treatment that would have saved the boy’s life. It was after this tragedy that he began to work against the bad guys in society and creates situations that make them pay for their misdeeds. 

Gina Bellman plays Sophie Devereaux, a master of accents and talents. She is virtually Nate’s second in command and has a mind that is whip sharp. Beth Riesgraf plays Parker, another member of the team. She has athletic prowess and skills at thievery.

Christian Kane is Eliot Spencer, the muscle for the group. Kane has a lot of charisma and is the resident heartthrob of the cast. Aldis Hodge is Alec Hardison, the technical wizard necessary to complete the group. 

Together this team can do just about everything and the cast is so good that they make everything they do believable. Add in the skillfully written scripts and this is a show that brightens your Tuesday nights.

Remember that the February 17th episode is the last for a while. It caps off the first season and allows the cast to go out with a bang. It all involves art theft and revenge for Nate.. It is one of the most satisfying episodes of this season.

So gather together around your TV sets on February 17 at 10PM and watch the last episode of “Leverage” for the year. TNT has many good shows that are regular series; among them are “The Closer,” “Saving Grace” and “Raising the Bar.” “Leverage” has earned the right to be added to that list.
 

 

 

 

 

©2009 Jackie K. Cooper

Click above to find out more about Jackie's books!