Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Shows Modern GMs should be watching: Leverage

So I recently discovered Leverage on Netflix and I have to say, this show ranks right up there with Burn Notice as a show modern GMs should watch.

It's about a team of thieves who steal from the REAL bad guys (insurance companies, mercenaries, evil politicians, the mob) and give the money to folks who need it.

Each of the characters fall into recognizable modern archetypes, making this a great show for inspiration, especially in the realm of making sure each PC has time to shine.

There's Nate, the "mastermind", who leads the group and comes up with their plans.

Sophie, the "grifter", the best actress you ever saw when she's working a con. On stage? Not so much.

Eliot, the "hitter", a martial arts expert and all-around badass who hates guns and seems to have no problem taking out thugs who use them.

Parker, the "thief", who handles physical security and obstacles. She's acrobatic, great and coming up with rigs to get the team into or off a skyscraper quickly and also seems to know her way around bombs.

Finally there's Hardisson, a genius hacker who handles electronic security, makes fake ids, finds their clients through web-stories and such.

The characters are really great, the dialogue fantastic. The show is mostly light-hearted, more-so than Burn Notice I'd say (at least lately).

They are wrapping up their second season and have been really good about putting episodes up on Netflix as soon as a week after they air, which is cool.

Also, the first season is loaded with extras, with a commentary for just about every episode.

All in all, a great series, especially to mine for modern inspiration.

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