- Release Date: July 14, 2009
- Publisher: Paramount
- Price: $25.99 on Amazon.com (Buy It)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 584 minutes
- Special Features: “Leverage: Behind the Scenes,” Anatomy of a Stunt Fight, The Cameras of Leverage, Leverage Gets Renewed, Beth Riesgraf’s Crazy Actress Spoof, Deleted Scenes, Commentaries on Each Episode
- Starring: Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge
- Genre: Drama, Action, Comedy
If you are an avid TV Legion reader, you probably know that I absolutely love “Leverage.” I have even called it the fourth best show on television (behind just “Lost,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Chuck”). That’s pretty good for a show that I almost didn’t even bother watching. If it weren’t for a screener sent to me by TNT, I almost certainly wouldn’t have watched it. Thank goodness for that screener since “Leverage” is almost a perfect drama/comedy hybrid and the first season is one of the best things to hit DVD this summer.
If you have never heard of “Leverage” (I wouldn’t blame you since it airs on TNT), think of it as a modern day Robin Hood story. Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton), a former insurance investigator, switches sides of the law after his employer refused to pay for an operation his son needed to survive. He now leads a team of thieves who target only those who take advantage of people. His team includes a grifter who can’t act when she isn’t on a con (Gina Bellman), a “retrieval specialist” who can take down a half dozen guards before a dropped bag hits the ground (Christian Kane), a slightly crazy risk taker (Beth Riesgraf), and a talented computer specialist (Aldis Hodge).
Like a lot of the best shows TV has to offer right now, “Leverage” does a great job of mixing several genres into one great package. The series is laugh out loud funny most episodes but also brings compelling stories to the table. There’s also a lot of action and the cons the team runs are very interesting. If I had to compare the series to an existing franchise, I would say it is a much better version of the “Ocean’s” movies. The style of the two franchises is pretty much exactly the same but I personally prefer Leverage’s humor much more.
I honestly can’t think of a single negative about “Leverage.” Everything from the writing and acting to the characters and style is pretty much perfect. The only thing I can think of is that some viewers might not be able to identify with or root for characters who are pretty much glorified criminals. Other than those viewers, I can’t see anyone not liking the show.
“Leverage: Season 1″ is alright in the audio and visual categories but I was a little disappointed overall. The season just finished airing in February so I was a little shocked that the video wasn’t top-notch. It isn’t terrible by any means but I definitely wouldn’t say I was impressed by the end result. The audio is better but not terribly impressive either.
Making up somewhat for the unimpressive audio and visuals is the large supply of extras. I don’t normally like watching commentaries but since this is one of my favorite TV shows I decided to listen to some of them (there are commentaries on all 13 episodes and I didn’t have time to watch them all). I thought the ones I listened to were very interesting and informative. The other extras are a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the deleted scenes are worthwhile additions and the behind the scenes featurette is quite good. I also somewhat enjoyed Beth Riesgraf’s Crazy Actress Spoof and Leverage Gets Renewed. The last two featurettes (Anatomy of a Stunt Fight and The Cameras of Leverage) are so boring they aren’t even really worth a watch.
“Leverage: Season 1″ is just about as perfect as TV shows come nowadays. The series blends several genres together so well that I think most viewers should love it. I have absolutely no problem highly recommending it and giving it a perfect score.
