Everyone's favorite group of good-doing thieves are back and ready to bring down a new set of corrupt social elites in the death of Timothy Hutton's Nate Ford. Along the way, they've been ed by Hardison's younger foster sister, Breanna, who's taken his place as their hacker, and formerly crooked lawyer Harry Wilson.
Leverage: Redemption season 3, which is shifting from Freevee to Prime Video, sees the group all dealing with a variety of changes from the latter half of season 2. Sophie is trying to figure out a way to pull back from her criminal activities after her reunion with her Interpol stepdaughter Astrid, Eliot is working on his emotions after his reconciliation with his foster father, Breanna is considering attending college, and Parker and Hardison have encountered a slight snag in their relationship. All the while, they continue their jobs bringing corrupt socialites to justice.
In anticipation of the show's release, ScreenRant interviewed Dean Devlin to discuss Leverage: Redemption season 3. The showrunner explained how the new set of episodes prove timelier than ever with its villains, as well as how the shift in its streaming homes proved to be a big boon of confidence for him and his team, and what the future holds for the show. He also talks about The Librarians: The Next Chapter and a promidate on its future.
Devlin Is Very Grateful Prime Video Has Been "Incredibly ive" Of Leverage: Redemption's Streaming Change
"...Television Is Not What It Used To Be."
After having run comfortably for two well-received seasons on Freevee, Leverage: Redemption season 3's renewal came with the news that it would be moving to Prime Video, as Amazon discontinued the former platform. Devlin reflected on this journey that began with IMDb TV before its Freevee rebranding, describing the experience of being their first original show as "unbelievable", particularly as he had been trying to revive or reboot the original show "from day 1". "I'm just grateful that Amazon has been so incredibly ive of the show," Devlin beamed. "You'd have to check this, but I think we're the first AVOD original show that moved to an SVOD platform."
In looking at what this streaming change means for the chances of Leverage: Redemption season 4, though, Devlin is very realistic in recognizing the change in expectations both from Prime Video and TV in general, which is "not what it used to be". "Television had a schedule," Devlin explained. "The beginning of the year, you had to get in front of the rs in New York so that they could plan on what shows they're paying to put ads on. You had to debut your shows in the fall, when the car companies had new cars to announce for the next season. There was a schedule with the Fall season and summer re-runs that you had to meet. That's all gone."
Now, as Devlin notes, the "needs of the platform are very different", with streamers no longer looking solely at whether a show is good, or has a fanbase, but instead "Is it driving subscription rates?" and "Are new people coming to the platform to see another season?". Even still, though, the showrunner isn't willing to give up hope about the show's future, and is ready to keep it alive somewhere if the renewal doesn't come from Prime Video:
It's incredible . We know they love the show, we know that they've been ive, but we also know that they're going to look at the numbers. They're going to say, "Well, how many people watch this season, and how many new people are coming in?" If we hit the right targets, I think we will get a fourth season. If we don't, I'll find somewhere else to take the show. [Laughs]
One thing Devlin does promise will happen if Leverage: Redemption season 4 is ordered by Prime Video is Hardison and Breanna's foster mom, Nana, will finally be introduced in the show. The showrunner revealed that season 2 was "when I really wanted to do it the most" and that he "got very excited about what that episode could be", but when it came to developing season 3, "we knew it didn't fit this year". He did assure, though, that he has "the whole thing planned out in my head" and called on fans to "get your friends who've never subscribed to Amazon Prime to go get a subscription to watch our show".
Season 3 "Meets The Moment" The Most With Its Villains
"...This Season, Can Really Be A Tonic."
Since the show's launch, Devlin and creators John Rogers and Chris Downey have been driven by the desire to bring corrupt upper-class business owners to justice after wronging those around them. The original Leverage even saw its opening credits feature Nate talking directly to the audience, saying, "The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you.", while denoting, "Sometimes, bad guys make the best good guys." and that he and his team "provide... leverage.".
This, in turn, has led Devlin, Rogers and Downey to turn to the headlines for many of their villains throughout Leverage's run. The showrunner even reflected on the fact that, when developing the original show, there was a conversation about the infamous Enron scandal, with Rogers expressing in the writers room that he'd "really like to punch those guys in the neck", to which the rest of the group humorously responded, "Okay, we've got an episode".
"It's been the same ever since," Devlin explained. "All we do is read about someone that we want to punch in the neck, and then we try and punch them in the neck. But what I would say is very different about this season from all the seasons we've done before is that, usually, we'll take on an issue, like, for instance, on the original show, we did a whole episode about private prisons and the corruption that can come from it, and about five years later, it became a huge issue. It's like we were The Simpsons; we had predicted the future."
Devlin went on to share his belief that this season's storylines and villains "meets the moment" more than the show ever has, with episodes featuring "literally the kinds of things that are freaking everybody out every single day". But even while the show may be aiming for some timely storytelling, Devlin describes Leverage: Redemption season 3 as "a tonic" for the troubles of the real world, chuckling as he promises that "we're going to give you a group of very bad hombres who are going to punch the bad people in the neck for you."
10 Best TV Shows Like Leverage
Leverage fans looking for similar shows can find them in a range of genres, from crime dramas like White Collar to sci-fi hit Legends of Tomorrow.
Devlin also opened up about the show, and many of his other projects, being described as "escapist entertainment", and therefore deemed as "a lesser art form" in the world of culture since it's often seen as being "not as high-minded as other things". Though acknowledging there may be some truth to the genre label, he also points out the importance of such viewing when dealing with everything from "a pandemic", "political strife" and "high inflation". This has led to him embracing the ability to give viewers "escape for a week binging a show".
The beautiful comments that we get from people who say to me all the time, "I don't know if I could have gotten through my cancer treatment without that crazy band of thieves," or, "I don't know if I could have dealt with the death of my husband of 30 years if I didn't see Parker dealing with the world in a way that I never thought I could deal with the world." It just it shows it may be a lesser art form, but it's a necessary part of the diet.
Season 3 Is Also Going To Be The "Most Parker-Centric" Yet
"...It Takes Her To Some Very Different Places..."
While the show does deliver on its promise of escapist thrills, it has also seen plenty of character growth across the board, with many cases being driven by everyone's personal feelings. In reflecting on the creative process of the show, Devlin reveals that one of the key lessons learned from the original Leverage coming into Redemption was "if we didn't anchor the episode into something emotionally true, it got too silly", whereas if they had said anchor, "we could actually get sillier, and it would still work".
"As the show evolved, we found that the most emotional anchors always came from the characters that you're most invested in," Devlin explained. "And if you've been watching the show, you want to know more about these characters, so it allows us to go deeper. And if you're brand new to the show, it actually gives this really interesting yin and yang of, 'Here's some interesting character work that you wouldn't expect from a show like this,' and then you get to see us blow up a building. [Laughs]"
7 Things Known About Parker’s Backstory Before ing the Leverage Team
Not much is known about Parker's backstory in Leverage prior to ing the team, but bits and pieces of info have been revealed in the series.
In season 3, one character who's set to get a lot more of an emotional exploration is Beth Riesgraf's Parker, particularly as she deals with a slight hitch in her and Hardison's relationship and the return of a previous season's foe who has their sights set on the fan-favorite thief. Discussing her arc, Devlin describes the new episodes as being "our most Parker-centric season that we've ever done", particularly as they explore her unique personality that is "not like other people".
She's aware of that, and she has suppressed certain things about her own personality in order to adapt, to be a better team player, to, in her mind, function better, but suppressing something doesn't heal it. So, this season, she ends up re-examining some of the things that she's suppressed, and it takes her to some very different places, especially in the season finale. And as creators, to get to go there was really interesting, but to watch Beth as an actress go there was truly spectacular. Some go very comic, but some go very, very dramatic. This season is a real look at Parker in a way that we haven't looked at her before.
The Rest Of The Leverage Crew Still Have Some Emotional Growing To Do
"I Think Eliot Stays The Most Consistent Of Every Character..."
Another character whose evolution will continue in season 3 is Christian Kane's Eliot after his reunion with his foster father. Interestingly enough, though, while Devlin describes the Leverage cast as all having arcs, he says the "one exception" to the rule is Eliot, who has instead "evolved in his understanding of how bad the things are that he has done in the past". This has also led to him "understanding that the things he's done are unredeemable", and is instead driven by spending "every single day of the rest of his life trying to do good things" to balance that out.
"I think Eliot stays the most consistent of every character," Devlin expressed, "but he has been able to shed some things off of his shoulders, especially with him finding peace with his father. I think that that takes a huge monkey off of his back, and allows him to move forward in a way that's freer than he had in the past."
Leverage: Why You Don't Know Sophie Devereaux's Real Name
Leverage came close to revealing Sophie's real name but a last-minute decision changed things and Leverage: Redemption has yet to bring it up again.
Looking at the rest of the group, another character who is undergoing some changes in Leverage: Redemption season 3 is Gina Bellman's Sophie, who is now opening herself up to the idea of dating again a few years after Nate's death. While Bellman told us that she believed this is more about Sophie giving herself permission to have fun again, Devlin shared a little more insight on his own opinion on the matter, recalling how season 2 was about her "going for redemption" in regard to Astrid and her old life, in which "she had really hurt some people".
"So once she kind of went through that redemption, she got that monkey off her back," Devlin explained, "but now, it's like, 'Okay, so what does life look like now? How does she maintain a relationship with a stepdaughter whose job it is to put people like her in jail, and can she have a love life? Can she have a sex life?' This is stuff that she hadn't even been open to before this season, so as I say, she got all the cobwebs out of the apartment, but now she has to decorate it."
The Librarians: The Next Chapter Season 2 Is Coming Along Smoothly
"...I Will Be Very Busy This Summer..."
Alongside Leverage: Redemption, Devlin is gearing up for the return of another of his fan-favorite shows with The Librarians: The Next Chapter, a sequel to the fantasy adventure TNT series. At the time of our interview, its May 25 premiere date had yet to be revealed, with the showrunner having teased they were "about to make an announcement" for it. However, the sequel show has also already been renewed for season 2, which Devlin points to filming getting underway this summer:
"I will be very busy this summer between Leverage and Librarians," Devlin enthusiastically shared. "But again, the joy I had getting to bring back Leverage is amplified by getting to be back in the universe of The Librarians. You know, Christian's like my — not to compare myself to Scorsese, but what Scorsese's relationship to DeNiro is, that's clearly my relationship with Christian. I've done five series with him at this point, so we've become quite a team."
More About Leverage: Redemption Season 3
In Leverage: Redemption season 3, the team pits themselves against a power broker stealing the clean water under people's feet and turning into dirty money, fight against a mayor who's literally the judge and jury of his small town, outrun a mark who's finally caught up with them mid-con, outhustle a pool hustler with a side business in international extortion, and bring down an industrialist exploiting child labor. All this while dodging an intricate plan of vengeance from a past enemy and working through the fallout of their new personal relationships. But no matter what, when someone needs help, they provide ... Leverage.
Stay tuned for our other Leverage: Redemption season 3 interviews with:
- Gina Bellman & Christian Kane
- Beth Riesgraf & Aleyse Shannon
The first three episodes of Leverage: Redemption season 3 begin streaming on Prime Video on April 17, with new episodes premiering every Thursday.
Source: ScreenRant Plus
Leverage: Redemption
- Release Date
- July 8, 2021
- Network
- Prime Video, IMDb TV, Amazon Freevee
- Directors
- Dean Devlin, Noah Wyle, Jonathan Frakes
Cast
Noah WyleHarry Wilson
Gina BellmanSophie Devereaux
WHERE TO WATCH
Leverage: Redemption reunites The Hitter, The Hacker, The Grifter, and The Thief, ed by a new tech expert and corporate fixer. The group targets contemporary villains, from an opioid crisis architect to a secretive security firm, continuing their mission to provide leverage to those in need.
- Writers
- Marque Franklin-Williams, Mel Cowan, Chuck Maa, Alayna Heim, John Timothy, Christine Boylan
- Main Genre
- Action
- Creator(s)
- John Rogers, Chris Downey
- Executive Producer(s)
- Rachel Olschan, Kate Rorick
- Producers
- Josh Schaer, Jill Weinberger
- Seasons
- 3
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