The folks at TNT were kind enough to send us a screener for the second part of season 2 of Leverage.  There are a total of six new episodes airing throughout January and February, beginning this Wednesday at 10pm Eastern/ 9pm Central time.  We had the chance to preview the first two episodes in this six episode run....

The show aired some episodes last summer and by the end of that run in September, Sophie (the grifter) had left the team!  This was devastating to us, since she's one of our favorite characters, and not terrible to look at to boot!  At the close of that summer finale we found out that Jeri Ryan (Star Trek Voyager) was sent by Sophie to con her way into the team and help them out while she's gone.   Having watched Leverage from the beginning, we could call that she was trying to con them right away, but it was still a fun watch.  This new batch opens up with her as a member of the team.  Firstly...Sophie fans can breathe a sigh of relief...she is still in the credits and Ryan is listed only as a special guest star.

Now, the show trucks on with its mold that honestly doesn't need changed.  They can do the same thing over and over and it just keeps bringing us back.  Why?  Two words...character development.  This show has without a doubt one of the best ensomble casts that we've seen.   In the same way that the Oceans 11 movies rope you in with the great personalities and banter, Leverage has managed to dominate cable tv as the most character driven drama.

"The Runaway Job' premieres this wednesday.  The gang takes down a sweatshop owner and in the process gets mixed up in the fashion world and battles the Chinese Triads.  Its not a good situation and Ryan is really put to the test.  Whether the team can trust her or not is really called into question.

"The Bottle Job" brings us back to Nate's old neighborhood.  He tries to save a pub owner that he knew as a kid and things get interesting.  It was a great bit for Nate's character to see where he came from and learn a little about his father.  And fans beware...he takes a drink!  We all know what that can lead to!

LEVERAGE - All-new starting Wednesday, Jan. 13, Only on TNT at 10/9c.

Video Links: The Runaway Job -  The Bottle Job

Links: http://www.tnt.tv/series/leverage/