TNT TV's Leverage

I seldom watch TV, I pay for cable mainly for sports but it always amazes me how many channels of "nothing on" there are. I have a bad habit of only forming attachments to shows that tend to get canceled which sorta reinforces my reluctance to "get involved" in a show. But one show I'm sorta into (meaning it will never get renewed for another season) is TNT's Leverage.

The basic plot is that a former insurance fraud inspector (Nathan Ford played by Timothy Hutton) had an emotional melt down after the insurance company he worked for refused to pay for a procedure that could have saved his son's life. Ford is approached by an executive asking for his help in returning some industrial designs stolen by a competitor, the exec hired a team of professional thieves and needed Ford to keep them honest. As it turns out Ford was familiar with the thieves having investigated them in relation to his old job.

Ford and the team steal the designs and return them to the exec only to find themselves double crossed. The designs never belonged to the company the exec worked for so they didn't "steal them back" they just stole them, not only that but the exec tried to murder them all to cover it up. Ford and what was becoming "his" team turn the tables on the exec not only extracting suitable revenge on him but also on the company he owns. They also make a ton of money off shorting that companies stock.

Ford and his team of grifters, burglars, hackers and con men now wealthy from their stock sales decide that they don't want to go their separate ways, working together they are capable of amazing things. Removed of the need for money and guided by a troubled "good guy" like Ford they decide to use their skills to help people, people who the wealthy and powerful victimize in ways that the courts and the law can't help.

I can't embed videos from TNT.com here and I'm not turning the HTML code on in posts that would let me use their frame (too much mischief is possible with HTML in comments) so all I can do is link to the full episodes page over at TNT. They only have five episodes at a time online but if you have a moment to kill, they're worth having a look.

(Link to the TNT full episodes page)

I've watched this from the beginning and it is enjoyable.

Saw a few of the first episodes.. To predictable to me..

Maybe I didn't give it a chance..

I'll admit the writing is a bit uneven. My chief complaint is that sometimes they sorta "deus ex machina" their way out of plot holes they should have filled with better writing, but they seem to be getting better. The "Inside Job" is one of the episodes currently in the full episode list, give it a try and see what you think.