Leverage: Redemption Review: Thieves Still Make the Best Good Guys (Episodes 1-4)

The team may look a little different, but the cons are just as entertaining on Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episodes 1-4.

When a beloved ensemble reunites for a revival, there’s always a question of whether the old magic will still be there. Only minutes into Leverage: Redemption we see there’s no rust on the team, as they seamlessly fall back into their charming, familial chemistry.

Leverage: Redemption feels like a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a new fresh pair at the same time. The revival has the team once again going after the rich and powerful, but this time things are trickier, because the bad guys rewrote the laws to protect themselves.

The first four episodes focus on a pharmaceutical mogul who created an opioid epidemic, a crooked casino owner stealing people’s homes, and a shady condo developer. It’s terrifyingly timely.

Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episode 4, “The Tower Job,” includes an advisory, as it features the team going after a developer following the collapse of his condo tower.

The absence of original star Timothy Hutton is covered with the gang reuniting on the first anniversary of Nate’s death. For Sophie, his loss looms large, and Gina Bellman is great at never losing sight of her grief.

No matter what Sophie’s doing, or pretending to do, it’s clear she misses having Nate on the job.

To fill that void, TV vet Noah Wyle steps in as corporate lawyer Harry Wilson. On Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episode 1, “The Too Many Rembrandts Job,” we get a quick origin on Harry joining the team. His addition is an easy way to re-introduce the team and their skills.

Harry is no Nate, and he doesn’t try to be. He’s new to this world, with his surprise at the team’s casual approach to crime is a fun entry for newcomers.

Harry isn’t the only new thief in the crew, because Hardison’s little sister Breanna tracks them down to learn the right way to con. Breanna is brought in to take over for Hardison since his portrayer, Aldis Hodge, is only recurring during Season 1.

Aleyse Shannon gives Breanna the right balance of youthful exuberance and naïve, blind ambition. Her age gives her a much different perspective than the rest of the team, but she doesn’t quite know where to put her enthusiasm to take down the bad guys.

Though the character starts off way too gung ho, she does settle down a bit as the series progresses. While Breanna brings a much needed new identity to the team, Hardison’s absence is definitely noticeable.

His relationships with Parker and Eliot are sorely missed storylines for the duo. We see an interesting friendship between Eliot and Harry developing, but Wyle and Christian Kane don’t have the same authentic chemistry as Kane and Hodge.

The series takes the redemption theme seriously, with Hardison and Eliot still searching for their own, despite all the people they’ve helped. It’s nice to see the show’s continued commitment to character development.

Revivals are sometimes so concerned with the reunion, hitting the right Easter eggs, and dropping fan favorite lines, they don’t worry about making a new, quality show.

While Leverage: Redemption definitely plays all the familiar hits, it also creates a new series that’s a perfect companion to the original.

What did you think of Leverage: Redemption? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Leverage: Redemption is streaming on IMDB TV on Amazon Prime.

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