“The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you.”

“Sometimes, the bad guys make the best good guys.”

“We provide…Leverage.”

Meet the crew of Leverage, Inc.

They help the little guy get back at the corrupt using the tricks of their trades. You could say they’re modern day Robin Hoods, if Robin had started out as a con man.

Eliot Spencer – Hitter. Expert in retrievals, both items and people. Guardian of the team with a personal code of honor.

Alec Hardison – Hacker. Genius with tech. Only thing faster than his fingers is his mouth.

Sophie Deveroux – Grifter. Lover of the finer things in life. A thousand looks and accents (and the perfect dress) get her what she wants.

Parker – Thief. Connoisseur of safes, air ducts, and security systems. Her outlook on life is a bit…askewed.

Nathan Ford – Mastermind. Former insurance investigator. White Knight turned Black King.

The best in their chosen fields, they were first brought together through deception, and then for revenge. It was supposed to be a one time thing. But the experience, and a huge payoff, showed these loners the benefits of working together. And in time, made them a family.

Leverage used real world scams and scandals as a jumping off point. Along with an expert in cons and thievery as a consultant.

An added delight are the DVD commentaries for every episode, usually featuring the writer(s), producer, and director for that ep.

If you love smart writing, great dialogue, fun stunts, and just damned greatness, check out Leverage and become a Grifter.

So that’s the extended elevator pitch. Now the personal touch. I love this show. ION television does marathons of it on Sundays and I catch it when I can. Despite owning the DVDs.

The actors are great and mad in all the best ways. There’s smart writing, cool premises, great guest stars  and supporting actors.

There’s little geek mentions, especially in the aliases they use (Mary Jane and Tom Baker for one. Or my fav, Ellery Queen.)

If you like a good time with writing that doesn’t dumb down for you, join the con..