“People like that... corporations like that, they have all the money, they have all the power, and they use it to make people like you go away. Right now, you're suffering under an enormous weight. We provide... leverage.” –Nathan Ford. (From Leverage season 1, episode 1: The Nigerian Job)
It’s rare for a show to make it to 100 episodes in this day and age. Many shows only make it a season or two. And so when a show makes it to a hundred episodes, it’s something worth celebrating.
For Dean Devlin, the show Leverage has now hit the century mark for episodes, albeit combined between Leverage and Leverage: Redemption, and he is celebrating. In a recent tweet, the director and producer celebrated completing the filming of that episode. In the tweet, Devlin shared a picture of an array of cupcakes decorated to celebrate the milestone.
Beth Riesgraf, who plays the thief, Parker, also tweeted about the 100th episode, expressing her excitement at having played Parker for 100 episodes and hoping to play her for another 100.
Leverage and Leverage: Redemption follow a team of thieves who steal from the rich and powerful to help the “little people” whose lives are hurt by the rich and powerful. Huge corporations and multimillionaires who prey on the weak are targeted so that their resources can go to those they’ve hurt the most.
Leverage: Redemption picks up almost a decade after the series finale of Leverage bringing most of the original crew back together. Because of Timothy Hutton’s real life legal issues, his character, Nathan Ford, was written out of the new show. Aldis Hodge, who plays elite hacker Alec Hardison, is currently committed to other major projects, including City on a Hill and playing Hawkman in DCEU’s Black Adam, limited Hardison to just three episodes in the first season of Leverage: Redemption, but he is expected to be in several episodes of the second season as well.
How Did Leverage Get to 100 Episodes?
Most series have a pretty straightforward journey to 100 episodes. A show generally gets to 100 episodes within 5 or 6 seasons of continuous production, longer for series airing on streaming services. Leverage, though, took a far more roundabout way of getting there.
Starting on TNT Network in 2008, Leverage ran for five seasons. Those five seasons did not have a regular episode count between seasons. By the time Leverage went off the air after the last episode of season 5 aired on Christmas Day of 2012, the show had amassed 77 total episodes, a respectable total, but not near 100.
When Leverage: Redemption was announced for a premiere in 2021, it continued the story originally begun in Leverage. With the two series telling one complete story, it’s clear that Devlin is considering Leverage: Redemption to be a part of the Leverage episode count. Season 1 of Leverage: Redemption came in at 16 episodes. The popularity of the show’s first season prompted a quick renewal.
Which brought episode 100 along as part of season 2 along with all the assorted celebrations.
Leverage: Redemption season 1 is streaming for free on Amazon FreeVee. Season 2 is currently filming with a release date expected to be announced once filming for the season ends.