Friday, December 05, 2008

Sepinwall on TV: 'Leverage' review

In today's column, I review TNT's "Leverage," a fun little caper show with some room for improvement. As I've seen the first four episodes (one airs this Sunday, then the show airs Tuesdays at 10), I'll probably work it into the rotation in some form at least through the end of the month.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear the show has promise. I still harbor much love for Timothy Hutton from the Nero Wolfe series on A&E a few years ago.

Hatfield said...

This is interesting news. TNT has been promoting this show so much that I thought their new network name was "Leverage," and that kinda made me want to break stuff over Hutton's head. Now I'll have to check it out.

Also, is it just me, or does Bellman remind you of the ex-Mrs. McNulty, Callie Thorne?

Alan Sepinwall said...

Also, is it just me, or does Bellman remind you of the ex-Mrs. McNulty, Callie Thorne?

Never thought about it before, but there is a physical resemblance -- on that's completely wiped out when you hear Bellman talk.

Anonymous said...

At least two Whedon connections.
Kane, what did you do to your hair? Still sigh worthy. Will definitely watch.

-EmeraldLiz

Alan Sepinwall said...

At least two Whedon connections.

Who's the other one? Was Beth Riesgraf on Angel during one of the seasons I didn't watch?

Anonymous said...

Aldis was on an early Buffy episode, nothing special, but everything counts to me! :)

Liz

Anonymous said...

I saw the pilot a few months ago. It really reminded me of that Tim Daly show Eyes.

Unknown said...

I watched this pilot back in September, and I have to say it's got some uncomfortable similarities to the BBC's/AMC's Hustle. Everything charming or likable about Hustle seems to be replicated in Leverage, with the exception of Hustle's instant cast chemistry. Even the little reveals at the end where they show you how each con was pulled off was done better on Hustle.

It airs on AMC in the U.S., but an exorbitant 15 minutes of running time is cut from each 59-minute BBC episode, making DVDs or AMC onDemand the only places to watch the show uncut.

It is a terrific series, and one that deserves to be seen by more people.

Anonymous said...

I just thought to myself last night that I should e-mail you for your opinion on this show.

Ketya harbors love for Hutton from Nero Wolfe. Mine goes back to Ordinary People. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

I've been fully expecting Leverage to be pretty lame (the beautiful, brilliant, insane thief? Really? Never heard that one before), so your review gives me hope, Alan. I am, of course, planning to watch it, because I love Timothy Hutton. Christian Kane being in the cast is also a draw.

Matt said...

I just watched the pilot, having gotten a screener on a memstick courtesy of EW. It's exceedingly good fun, though I'm unsure if they can keep it up. The cast has a nice easy chemistry, and they have the right amount of humor.

It doesn't seem like a terribly good fit for TNT, which has made its name with proceduralish shows. Seems like a USA show (though the production values are much higher).

Anonymous said...

Actually, your description made me think of The A-Team, right down to the crazy member of the team. But I didn't actually get a chance to watch the show.

Premieres this Sunday night? I'll have to check it out.