The TV revival trend isn't as active at the moment as it has been in recent years, with high-profile returnees such as Will & Grace and Fuller House ending their secondary runs this year. The well hasn't fully dried up, though, and the TNT crime drama Leverage is the latest former TV hit to get marked for a continuation. It's a fantastic update for fans, but take note that this awesome news also comes with some pretty noteworthy changes, such as ER vet Noah Wyle joining as a series regular.
While we'll get into the cast changes and plot more in a minute, let's first get talk about Leverage getting a new TV home for its impending revival, as the Electric Entertainment-produced drama won't be returning to TNT for its sixth season. Instead, Leverage will be the first newsworthy original TV series to be produced by the relatively new (and FREE) streaming service IMDb TV, which was recently enveloped by the Amazon Studios banner. Perhaps not the best acquisition to draw youthful crowds to the burgeoning streamer, but maybe a new generation is ready for this update.
As previously hinted at, Leverage will go through some casting adjustments for the upcoming season, with a mix of new and old characters expected to show up. On the new side is ER and The Librarians vet Noah Wyle, who was most recently seen in CBS' racially charged drama The Red Line. Wyle is set to be a lead for Leverage 2.0, and he has also signed on to direct two of the season's episodes, according to Deadline. He reportedly only has a one-year deal in place.
On the returning cast members side of things, we have recent Supernatural pop-in Christian Kane reprising the role of Eliot Spencer, Beth Riesgraf as Parker and Gina Bellman as Sophie Devereaux. All three of the former stars are once again set as series regulars. Meanwhile, Aldis Hodge's Alec Hardison is expected to also return, but it will be in a recurring capacity, where his involvement will likely depend on the production schedule for Showtime's City on a Hill Season 2, which is expected to be filming at the same time as Leverage.
While more casting news will probably come in the next few months, Leverage fans probably shouldn't expect to see former lead Timothy Hutton returning as Nathan Ford. It's not 100% set in stone that he will never be involved, but the Haunting of Hill House actor was accused of sexual assault in March 2020. He denied all allegations, but not everything has been cleared up through the justice system just yet.
Leverage's original creative team is definitely back, though. Co-creators Chris Downey and John Rogers will serve as consulting producers this time around, with O.G. executive producer and director Dean Devlin taking the reins as showrunner for the revival. (Devlin and Rogers also worked on The Librarians together with Noah Wyle and Christian Kane.) Kate Rorick, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson will also be executive producers.
Leverage, which originally ran from 2008 until its 2012 cancellation, will be a revision of the original run's central storyline, which centered on former thieves who redeemed their criminal pasts by utilizing their skillsets in order to highlight and correct the injustices caused by unlawful corporations and the government. Here's Dean Devlin's statement about the revival, which also hints at how the subject matter will be altered.
Since the day it was cancelled, I’ve longed to return to the world of Leverage. The show, the characters, the cast and the people who made it happen all hold a very special place in my heart. Our new series with Amazon Studios and IMDb TV is a re-imagining of the original premise. While Leverage centered on a crusade to avenge the death of a child, this series is propelled forward as a redemption story of misdeeds that need amends. I could not be more excited and fired up about returning to the world of Hitter, Hacker, Grifter, Thief!!
The move for IMDb TV to revamp Leverage is largely based on how popular the crime drama had become on the free streaming service ever since it was first added to the launch lineup in July 2019. That's obviously not a legitimate sign of how well the continuation will do, but everyone involved is clearly optimistic about what will happen.
Filming is tentatively set to start this summer on Leverage, with a Louisiana-based production planned to kick off in late June and early July. No plans have been announced for when IMDb TV will inevitably debut the revival, but stay tuned! Those in need of more to watch in the near future can hit up our Summer TV schedule for everything that's on the way, and our TV finales rundown to check out what's ending soon.
