How a beloved show about avenging those wronged by the rich got a second chance on a free streaming service.
When Leverage first premiered back in 2008, its simple premise of five thieves who use their skills to help regular people fight the injustices inflicted on them by the rich and powerful made for charming and addictive TV. That formula was only enriched by fun character dynamics that evolved over the course of five seasons as the team became a family. It’s no wonder it inspired such a fervent fan base, so much so that when the original run was cancelled in December 2012, it still went on to be nominated and ultimately win a People’s Choice Award the following year. Fans’ love of the show hasn’t abated in the years since Leverage went off the air, and now almost a decade later they’ve been rewarded with a revival series featuring many of the original characters we came to know and love – this time on IMDb TV, the ad-supported US streaming service. “There had been a couple of false starts of excitement. At one point, we heard something about a movie,” says Beth Riesgraf, who returns as Parker – the world’s greatest thief – in the new series. “I think enough time had passed that part of me just thought you know what, this was a moment captured in time that will always be really special to me, but it doesn’t seem like it’s coming back. Then when the tides turned and we got the call, I’m pretty sure I started screaming with excitement and disbelief at the same time.” The one member of the original ensemble who had an inkling as to what was in the works is Christian Kane, who is back once again as the team’s formidable hitter, Elliot Spencer. Having worked with series’ creator Dean Devlin on multiple projects post-Leverage – including The Librarians and Almost Paradise – he was always aware of the reboot’s status. “Dean would give me little snippets here and there,” Kane recalls. “It was almost to the point where I wish he’d stop talking about it because I’d get my hopes up so bad! We were out in the Philippines doing Almost Paradise and I had a lot shorter hair. Dean came out to direct the last episode, and he looked at me and said ‘stop cutting your hair.’ I knew exactly what that meant, and I just got so excited. That’s how I found out that Leverage is coming back.” While many aspects of Leverage: Redemption will be familiar to fans, there’s a lot about the revival that’s different too. The biggest change? For circumstances that are quickly explained in the first episode, the team will be without their former leader and mastermind Nathan Ford, who was played by Timothy Hutton in the original five season run. It’s a ballsy move that will doubtless generate much discussion among fans as the series premieres. “There was definitely a thought of how are people gonna react to this?” says Riesgraf. “But I think knowing what a special run we all had on that first series, and knowing that wasn’t going anywhere, and that would stay in everybody’s hearts, and that those experiences would last a lifetime, meant everything to me.
