I love the premise of this show. Then again, one of my favorite shows of the past decade or so was the all-too-quickly-canceled Firefly, and this show has a bit in common with that thematically speaking. To be specific, it deals with people doing the "right thing" in an extra-legal way, so to speak.
But that is where the similarity ends. The aspects of Firefly that made it (in my opinion) great TV are all turned around here to make this very lackluster TV. For example, the crew of Firefly lived in a morally ambiguous territory. Their goal was to simply stay alive and free. Pursuit of that goal lead them into situations in which they had to make a choice. To get what they wanted, they would be required to take from someone else who needed. That was the overarching moral dilemma in that show: is it alright to take from someone else in need to fulfill your own needs? So in short, Firefly presented everyday reality/morality for most people in a fantasy environment.
On the other hand, the cast of Leverage doesn't really face moral dilemmas. Instead, they are like superheros who only do for others with almost no thought of their own welfare. They aren't in need, they are rich. Being rich and without need, they are boring.
And they are superheros in this show, with all of the teenage fantasy ideas that come along with that. The computer guy has access to anything digital he needs without a bead of sweat; the fighter can dispatch anyone of any size without even getting his hair mussed; the thief can go anywhere she likes without even coming close to being detected; and the grifter, despite being the worst actress anyone has ever seen on the stage, never comes close to being discovered when she is on the con.
All in all, this show seems like a great modern Robin Hood premise that was knocked out by some 13 year-old kids who thought it would be really cool to be high tech superheros and stick it to the man. And it would be kind of cool, admittedly...but it isn't very interesting to watch.
Not to go political...well yes, to go political...this show is really emblematic of U.S. political, moral and philosophical thought. Things are black and white, good and bad. There are those who are powerful and those who are not, and what we are all waiting for is a savior. There is none of the reality of life here--that what we are all faced with is our own limited resources, getting by as best we can. Fantasizing about a savior is fun for a minute or two, but I find it far more interesting to explore real life, even in a fantasy scenario, and the moral/ethical/political/philosophical dilemmas we are faced with in real life.
Unfortunately, this show is none of that. It begins and ends with the savior fantasy. Yawn!
But that is where the similarity ends. The aspects of Firefly that made it (in my opinion) great TV are all turned around here to make this very lackluster TV. For example, the crew of Firefly lived in a morally ambiguous territory. Their goal was to simply stay alive and free. Pursuit of that goal lead them into situations in which they had to make a choice. To get what they wanted, they would be required to take from someone else who needed. That was the overarching moral dilemma in that show: is it alright to take from someone else in need to fulfill your own needs? So in short, Firefly presented everyday reality/morality for most people in a fantasy environment.
On the other hand, the cast of Leverage doesn't really face moral dilemmas. Instead, they are like superheros who only do for others with almost no thought of their own welfare. They aren't in need, they are rich. Being rich and without need, they are boring.
And they are superheros in this show, with all of the teenage fantasy ideas that come along with that. The computer guy has access to anything digital he needs without a bead of sweat; the fighter can dispatch anyone of any size without even getting his hair mussed; the thief can go anywhere she likes without even coming close to being detected; and the grifter, despite being the worst actress anyone has ever seen on the stage, never comes close to being discovered when she is on the con.
All in all, this show seems like a great modern Robin Hood premise that was knocked out by some 13 year-old kids who thought it would be really cool to be high tech superheros and stick it to the man. And it would be kind of cool, admittedly...but it isn't very interesting to watch.
Not to go political...well yes, to go political...this show is really emblematic of U.S. political, moral and philosophical thought. Things are black and white, good and bad. There are those who are powerful and those who are not, and what we are all waiting for is a savior. There is none of the reality of life here--that what we are all faced with is our own limited resources, getting by as best we can. Fantasizing about a savior is fun for a minute or two, but I find it far more interesting to explore real life, even in a fantasy scenario, and the moral/ethical/political/philosophical dilemmas we are faced with in real life.
Unfortunately, this show is none of that. It begins and ends with the savior fantasy. Yawn!