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Timothy Hutton, TNT score with 'Leverage'
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Mod Squad for a new era?
If Mission Impossible collided with The Mod Squad of the ’60s—and had a lot more fun—it might look something like TNT's promising new series Leverage.
Here's the good news about Leverage, headlined by Timothy Hutton: It doesn't take itself that seriously. That doesn't mean it's unfocused. Far from it. In fact, Leverage is the brightest new show on cable at the moment. Inventive, often sassy and downright entertaining, the series, from executive producers Dean Devlin (Independence Day, The Librarian) and John Rogers, is a rare breed—an engaging television show we can loose ourselves in without getting lost in a gaggle of subplots.
At least for now.
The show chronicles a former insurance investigator, Nathan Ford (Hutton) who shifts gears after a series of personal crises. Nathan enlists the help of four slick 21st-century crooks to "steal" from the rich businessmen of the world whose actions have harmed others. Like Robin Hood before them, they give back to those who have been wronged.
Hutton is appealing in the role and the rest of the squad is wonderfully cast—Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Gina Bellman.
"The thing that I liked instantly [about the character Nathan Ford], was ... this is a guy with a lot of demons, a lot of bad things have happened and how he’s handling it is not particularly healthy," Hutton says of the role. "I thought that was an interesting starting point for a character—somebody who desperately wants to pick himself up and rejoin the world, but just can’t until he’s challenged. And the way he gets out of that is by getting out of himself and helping other people. That’s where he finds redemption."
TNT may also revel in the redemption it finds in the show. Although the network is certainly not suffering from loss of viewers—thanks to The Closer and Saving Grace—it doesn't hurt to have a winning series in its December line-up.
About 5 million viewers tuned in to last night's premiere episode. The show airs in its regular 10pm Tuesday timeslot Dec. 9.
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