Leverage

A five-person team comprised of a thief, a grifter, a hacker, and a retrieval specialist, led by former insurance investigator Nathan Ford, use their skills to fight corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens.

Leverage (2008-2012) is an American television crime caper series created by John Rogers and Chris Downey for TNT. Timothy Hutton plays Nathan Ford, a former insurance investigator who recruits a crew of skilled outcasts: Gina Bellman as the grifter Sophie Devereaux, Christian Kane as the muscle Eliot Spencer, Beth Riesgraf as the thief Parker, and Aldis Hodge as the hacker Alec Hardison. Their engine is simple and satisfying: each episode, the team takes on a client wronged by a rich, corrupt or unaccountable target, then builds an elaborate multi-stage con to strip that target of money, power or reputation. Most episodes unfold as a case of the week, with the crew planning a scheme, then revealing its mechanics in stages as the plan turns and misdirects. Across five seasons of serialized character development and a steady escalation of stakes, the show remains a standalone-friendly caper with a continuing thread. Its tone is breezy, witty and crafty, with a vigilante streak that feels closer to Robin Hood than to grim crime drama. Set in contemporary American cities, it draws on the same pleasures as Hustle and Ocean's Eleven, with a bit of the team-based vigilantism of Burn Notice. Viewers who love clever plans, sharp banter and underdogs winning over the powerful will find it an easy and rewarding watch.

Viewers broadly regard Leverage as a clever, entertaining caper series whose elaborate cons and likable crew make it a strong watch across its run.

• Hustleheist caper structure, team of specialists running elaborate cons against powerful villains, vigilante justice tone
• Ocean's Elevenensemble crew of skilled criminals with a mastermind leader, episodic cons, playful crime tone
• The Wirecrime-procedural framing with a morally driven team taking on corrupt institutions, serialized character arcs
• Burn Noticecaper-driven episodic structure with a charismatic leader and a team of specialists, witty crime tone

Created by

John Rogers, Chris Downey

Release Date

2008-12-07

Episode runtime

42 min

Rating

7.9 / 10 (457)

What is Leverage about?

A former insurance investigator leads a team of thieves, grifters and specialists who run elaborate cons to bring down corrupt elites on behalf of wronged ordinary people.

What is Leverage like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Leverage as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Leverage violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Leverage as mild.

What did critics think of Leverage?

Viewers broadly regard Leverage as a clever, entertaining caper series whose elaborate cons and likable crew make it a strong watch across its run.

Which shows are like Leverage?

Shows with a similar feel include Hustle, Ocean's Eleven, The Wire, and Burn Notice.

How long is Leverage?

Leverage: 5 seasons, 77 episodes.

Is Leverage still running?

No, Leverage has ended.

Where can I watch Leverage?

In United States, Leverage streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.