Ocean’s Eleven (2001) was my first introduction to the heist-comedy genre. I love the entire Ocean’s franchise, and to me, it feels like the quintessential representation of the genre, which is why it’s the perfect choice to use as an introduction to another heist-comedy I love: Leverage.
Now, in several friend groups, I’m known as “the yapper”, and anyone who’s listened to me yap long enough knows that the TV show Leverage (2008) comes up a bit more than it probably should.
So what is Leverage?
Leverage follows a group of thieves who come together to take down the rich and powerful with elaborate cons and give those rich people’s money back to the people they hurt. The team is led by Nathan Ford, an ex-insurance investigator who acts as the mastermind. The rest of the team consists of four other thieves considered the best in their fields: Parker, a thief; Eliot Spencer, a hitman and retrieval specialist; Alec Hardison, a hacker; and Sophie Devereaux, a grifter. Each person on the team prefers to work alone, but after being brought together by a heist that goes wrong, they set aside their differences to do good in a modern, more complex Robin Hood.
Why should you watch Leverage?
Besides the obvious joy of watching evil billionaires get what they deserve, Leverage has so many other qualities that make it a delight to watch. One of these qualities is how the plot takes time to step away from the main con to develop individual perspectives without losing sight of it. The characters are well-written, and their struggles with having done bad things in their pasts are never undercut by their newer acts of good. In addition, the way these characters grow around each other and learn to be better people makes it really interesting to watch. The team also grows into an amazing found family as the show progresses, but simultaneously avoids falling into specific roles within their dynamics.
Another one of these qualities is the cons themselves. Each episode features a different con, and while certain techniques reappear a few times, each con feels unique and keeps the show interesting. The cons are very involved, but they rarely feel like they’re dragging on too long, and the way each one comes together is incredibly satisfying.
Despite being over a decade old at this point, Leverage seldom feels irrelevant or out of touch. It consistently manages to strike a fine balance between its serious and more light-hearted themes which makes it easy to watch. Leverage is, in my opinion, one of the best shows of all time, and even if I haven’t convinced you to watch it, I’ll probably end up rewatching it enough times for both of us combined.
You can watch Leverage for free with ads using Amazon Freevee, or without ads using Amazon Prime.