Rather than focus on lawyers or cops, Leverage takes crime from a different vantage point.  The drama thriller, which revolves around a group of criminals as they wreak revenge on rich companies and wealthy business men, premiered last night with a refreshing modern day Robin Hood premise that has left viewers and critics buzzing around the show.

Executive producer Dean Devlin, who is credited for The Patriot and Independence Day, wanted to do a show that that wasn't as dark and edgy as the CSI-style series.

“I was looking to do a show for the whole family but doesn't talk down to you,” Devlin said.

Fortunately, Devlin's efforts combined with lead star Timothy Hutton's portrayal of an insurance investigator that gets screwed over by his own employer, have earned praises from the likes of Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide.

“They're adults.  You don't find that much in Hollywood,” said Devlin, who loves the relative hands-off nature of TNT, a sentiment echoed by Steve Bochco over the summer for his show Raising the Bar.  “Maybe it's because they're in Atlanta and not caught up in the game.”

And though the pace of Leverage is a bit fast and a fair amount of the dialogue is snappy, Hutton brings a melancholy air to the proceedings, which keeps the show on an even keel.

"Really good shows have a common denominator, whether it's Mad Men, The Wire or The Sopranos.  The people who created and write them have clear ideas of what the shows are," Timothy Hutton said.  "I hope people feel that way about Leverage and the revenge/justice aspect."

Apart from Leverage, Timothy Hutton is also working on a couple of films including the drama Multiple Sarcasms, John Krasinski's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, the comedy Serious Moonlight, the family drama Broken Hill and the mystery thriller Identity.

Catch a new episode of Leverage every Tuesday night at 10pm on TNT.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: USA Today, ajc.com
(Image courtesy of TNT)