With finals rapidly approaching it's time to start asking yourself the really hard questions: what shows am I going to binge over break? Well, before you start searching for hours through Netflix, why don't you let me give you a suggestion? Try "Leverage."
"Leverage" follows the adventures of a team of thieves as they steal from the powerful, rich, and (most importantly) evil corporations and people at the behest of their clients who have been wronged by said baddies. If it sounds very Robin Hood to you then that's because it is--but that's also what makes it fun. "Leverage" gives you the satisfaction of watching really bad guys get taken down without having to be trifled by the legality of the whole experience.
"Leverage" also involves an element of strategy to stealing and conning by making each character specialized in a specific field: Grifter, Hitter, Hacker, Thief, and Mastermind. Watching these characters do their thing so smoothly, and occasionally each others thing equally as terribly, always makes for a satisfying episode. Moreover, they are thieves--killing isn't necessarily their thing, but setting up the villains to suffer for their own bad choices and sending them to jail for it is karma on its most satisfying level.
No show is truly great without some really awesome characters and that's the show's ultimate dynamic: the leverage of five expert thieves, each specialized in a certain realm of thievery and each with very different personalities that clash in entertaining ways. I guarantee that quirky Parker's interactions with suave and serious Eliot will have you laughing until you cry.
For those of us who prefer a bit of depth to our shows, worry not--Nate Ford will have you saying "problematic fave" before the first season is out. Are you looking for romance? There's Hardison and Parker or Nate and Sofie, you've just got to chose which couple is your favorite. Are you interested in action? It's a show about thieves. Action is a given.
If I haven't convinced you that this should be on your winter binge list, maybe the 4 and 1/2 star rating on Netflix will. Either way, good luck with finals and good luck with your winter binge watching!
