Previewing Leverage

Watching Leverage, one has to think how hard is it to make a television show that is watchable (which ninety-five percent of it isn’t). Yet Leverage doesn’t have great writing, the acting isn’t stellar (even with Academy Award Winner Timothy Hutton) but the show is still highly enjoyable. The show actually reminds me of one of my favorite shows of all time: The A-Team.

Of course the concept is updated for the new millennium with gadgets, higher bounties, and, thankfully, moderately attractive chicks. Hutton (Beautiful Girls), who comes up with the plans that he loves when they come together, fills the shoes of Hannibal. Christian Kane (Carrie Underwood’s So Small video) provides the muscle much like B.A. Baracus and even does so with his own unconventional hair style (what is with dudes on TNT and their long hair?).

The resident nut job is Beth Riesgraf (My Name Is Earl and mother of Pilot Inspektor) who might as well share a cell with Murdock. The Face of the operation is Gina Bellman (Coupling, the English version) who play any role to get her team in except when on stage or in front of a casting director. While Aldis Hodge (Friday Night Lights Voodoo Tatum) rounds out the team with his technology knowledge.

The rag tag group of former thieves are much like The A-Team when it has a very select pool of clientel. And even though it doesn’t have the government after them (even though they all broke out of jail in the first episode), there seems to be a building nemesis in Hutton’s former employer, an insurance company that pulled the plug on his son’s health insurance that may have kept him alive. They get mentioned quite a bit, and if there is one complaint is that they bring up his son way too often, and next week the company gets a public face in Hutton’s replacement.

Much like The A-Team, each character is unique and likable in their own way which brings me back to my original thought because some television show manage not to have one likable character on their whole show. And the differences creates plenty of humorous friction of former advisories, Kane and Hodge looking for gang members in the Christmas episode airing December 23. And how the team comes together in the episode tonight is reminiscent of The Justice League and is so entertaining you almost wished it was a weekly gag.

Leverage airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on TNT (catch a reairing of the first episode tonight at 9:00). You can download . Leverage at Amazon Video on Demand. And for those interested in an extra $100,000 spending cash this Christmas (although I think you will not recieve the money until after the holidays), head over to LeverageHQ.com to play Get Ready to Get Even.