"Leverage" is filming just down the street

Cafe Society
1

I’ve never even heard of this TNT series, yet it’s now in its fourth season. On the way through our residential area to the grocery this morning I see large vans with logos on the side proclaiming things like “Lighting and Grip”. On the way back, I rolled down the window and asked a ‘dude’ whazzup widdat. So he told me. Hey, maybe I can get hired for a crowd scene or something?

Anybody familiar with this series? Is it watchable or just dreck? I looked at the website, so I have an idea of the plots being something like a modernized version of Mission Impossible.

2

It’s lighthearted fun, the kind of show where you can miss episodes here and there and not really hurt your enjoyment of the show.

By the way, it’s a caper show, whereas (to my mind) MI was more of an action/espionage show.

3

They use the old US Customs House on Broadway and 6th quite a bit - I see them down there while at work. My first exposure was seeing two fully painted Boston Police cars parked there, with Oregon license plates. That was a little confusing pre-coffee.

I also saw Timothy Hutton at Andina one night, acting like kind of an asshole to everyone.

4

I wonder how they settled on a house in Sellwood to film.

5

MI seems like a good analogy. It did have more of an espionage angle, but it had arguably less action than “Leverage” does. The formula for both shows is the same: Find a “big bad” and work out a complex plan involving disguises, misdirection, and other trickery, so that the by the end the “big bad” is neutralized, and often completely confused as to how it happened. “Leverage” is a goofier version of this formula, whereas MI took itself more seriously.

6

Last summer, Jantzen Beach Mall started putting up Xmas decorations. I was very confused. Turns out Leverage was about to film an episode there.

A guy I used to work with was an extra on it.

7

Doesn’t anybody get it? Chefguy is the mark. The team is just pretending to film an episode to draw him in. It’s a complicated scheme to strip him of the billions of dollars that he has made beheading kittens to extract a rare chemical from their cute little noses that he uses to create dirty bombs to sell to the Chinese. I’m sorry, Chefguy – you’re toast. And that state-of-the-art security system you purchased to protect the tapes with the incriminating evidence? You may as well have blown the cash on hookers and booze. It’s the big house for you, buddy!

8

Leverage is one of my favourite shows, the kind that has strong likeable characters and lots of humour but proper well-thought-out storylines too - it’s not like every minute has to have a joke. The premise is a bunch of criminals doing good deeds via criminal means, usually on behalf of ordinary folk.

9

As long as the toast is made with Dave’s Killer Bread, it’s all good. Too late on the hookers and booze.

10

Man, I wished they stayed in Chicago (where they filmed the pilot). I would be out every day trying to find them filming.

11

Leverage really is light-hearted fun. I really enjoy it, mostly because the main characters are easy to get attached to. Nothing deep or meaningful going on, but quite entertaining. Also, Christian Kane (who plays the team member who kicks the crap out of guys who need the crap kicked out of them) is yummy. :wink:

12

Nice! Yeah, Leverage is a great show. It’s now, thanks to those America-hating commies over at FOX who cancelled Human Target, the second best show on TV (behind Archer). It usually does a very good job of following the 5 'B’s of spy/caper/con shows - Babes, Bombs, Boobs, Explosions and Boobs (some are clearly more relevant/important than others).