THE CON IS ON! 3RD SEASON OF LEVERAGE ORDERED

From the TNT Newsroom:

Television’s hottest team of con artists, grifters, hackers and thieves will be back again as TNT lines up a third season of its fast-paced drama seriesLEVERAGE, starring Academy Award^® winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People), Gina Bellman (Coupling), Christian Kane (TNT’s Into the West),Beth Riesgraf (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and Aldis Hodge (Friday Night Lights). The network has ordered 15 episodes of the series, which is currently in its second season, airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). The show’s summer finale will air Wednesday, Sept. 9. It will then return to complete the second season in winter, with the third season slated to air in summer 2010.

“Thanks in large part to its engaging cast and clever storytelling, LEVERAGE has proven itself to be one of the most exciting and fun hours on television,”said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “The producers, cast and crew have been incredible to work with, and we anticipate another wonderful season.”

LEVERAGE is executive-produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT’s The Librarian) and creators John Rogers (Transformers) and Chris Downey (The King of Queens). It comes to the network from Devlin’sElectric Entertainment and is one of six high-profile original dramas that have populated TNT’s Monday-Wednesday lineup this summer. The six series, which include The Closer, Raising the Bar, HawthoRNe, Saving Graceand Dark Blue, are part of an aggressive TNT strategy to build a slate of quality original programming in primetime.

LEVERAGE scored big in its first season, ranking as ad-supported cable’s #1 show in its timeslot with an average of 3.9 million viewers. The second season has averaged 4.1 million viewers* and ranks as ad-supported cable’s #1 Wednesday program in delivery of adults 25-54, viewers and households. The show is enjoying solid growth when compared to its first season, with viewers up 5% and households up 7%.

LEVERAGE scores tremendously well with DVR users, garnering an extraordinary 66% growth among adults 25-54 when comparing Live to Live + 7 viewing.

In LEVERAGE, Hutton stars as Nate Ford, a former insurance investigator determined to bring down the kind of corrupt bigwigs whose neglect led to the death of his son. His highly skilled team includes Sophie Devereaux (Bellman), a grifter who uses her acting skills to corner her marks; Eliot Spencer (Kane), a “retrieval specialist” with bone-crunching fighting skills; Alec Hardison (Hodge), a gadget and technology wizard who keeps the team connected and informed; and Parker (Riesgraf), a slightly off-center thief adept at rappelling off buildings or squeezing into tight places.

Electric Entertainment is a full-service film, television and new media production company and studio, established in 2001 by veteran writer/producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Stargate, The Patriot) and led by Devlin along with partners Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. Dec. 7, 2008, marked the TNT premiere of Leverage, the new action-packed series from Electric Entertainment executive produced by Devlin, who made his directorial debut on the pilot, and the debut of The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice, the third installment of the company’s popular Librarian franchise, starring Noah Wyle (ER). Electric is in pre-production on the animated feature film Tikis and the feature film Ghosting, a supernatural thriller which Devlin will produce and direct.

Electric’s previous films include the World War I action/adventure Flyboys; the politically charged documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?; Cellular, starring Kim Basinger, Chris Evans and Jessica Biel; and Eight Legged Freaks, with David Arquette and Scarlett Johansson. The company’s television credits include The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, starring Noah Wyle, which aired on TNT in December 2004 and was the highest-rated movie on cable that year; its sequel, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines; and The Sci Fi Channel’s (now SyFy) The Triangle, which won a Visual Effects Emmy^® and was the highest-rated miniseries on the cable channel since Steven Spielberg Presents Taken. Electric Entertainment recently teamed with TNT for the crime thriller Blank Slate, starring Eric Stoltz, a microseries that debuted last fall on the network, as well as on tnt.tv. Additionally, Electric Entertainment owns and operates the online pop-culture and entertainment magazine IF (www.IFmagazine.com), which reports the entertainment industry’s daily news.

CONGRATULATIONS GANG!

Can Anyone Say: "Legion of Doom?"

From our wonderful friends at TNT:

Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stand By Me) will be guest-starring in the last summer episode of Leverage on August 26^th and he will be hosting a conference call in support of his appearance. Please let me know if you’d like to participate in it on August 20^th!

The Two Live Crew Job – Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 9/8c

The LEVERAGE team is forced to go head-to-head against another crew of thieves in order to retrieve their clients’ priceless artwork. The other team has a cast of characters that rival the Leverage gang in every department:

Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stand by Me) plays Chaos, the hacker opposite Aldis Hodge as Alec Haridson.

Griffin Dunne (TNT’s Trust Me) plays Starke, the mastermind who challenges Timothy Hutton’s Nate Ford.

Noa Tisby (Israeli actress/producer who is co-executive producer of In Treatment) is Mikel Dayan, the muscle against Christian Kane as Eliot.

Apollo Robbins (sleight-of-hand advisor on Leverage) plays Apollo, the thief who tries to out-steal Beth Riesgraf’s Parker.

LEVERAGE Your Time Wisely

And watch the season 2 premiere of LEVERAGE Wednesday night on TNT. I've seen the pilot and it starts off with a bang...er...more of a tuck and roll THEN a bang.

The crew is dealing with what happened at the end of last season (they broke up and went to ground) and how their lives were changed by that. (Jeez! Can I get any more cryptic?). New season. New location. Same fun loving attitude.

From TNT's crack PR Dept:

“The Beantown Bailout Job” – Premieres Wednesday, July 15, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

Nate Ford reluctantly reassembles the team to pit the local Irish mob against a banker who is gaming a government bailout. If they survive, Nate has to deal with four thieves who’ve decided he needs them in his life, whether he likes it or not.

Directed by Dean Devlin

Written by John Rogers

Created by John Rogers & Chris Downey

Series Regulars

Nate Ford – Timothy Hutton

Sophie Deveraux – Gina Bellman

Eliot Spencer – Christian Kane

Parker – Beth Riesgraf

Alec Hardison -Aldis Hodge

Guest Starring:

Charles Martin Smith

Kevin Chapman

Watch the sneak peek here.

And John Rogers is featured on this week's GEEK DAD PODCAST.

So give that a listen too for more LEVERAGE goodness.

And if you are so inclined stick around for the episode of DARK BLUE which follows. While it is not my favorite show on television, it is developing into a gritty exploration of undercover work. Sort of a "The Shield Lite." Well worth the time and effort.

Yes, I'm Watching...

Thanks to the fine folks at TNT and E1 Entertainment I have been plowing through a stack of screeners for some fine television, some not so fine television, and a movie that...well, didn't measure up to the high standards of exploitation we hold near and dear.

So, in order of no significance whatsoever:

THE CLOSER - loved the opening of the new season. I remember when the show started and I was not so smitten as to tune in every week and see Kyra Sedgwick do her southern accent. But, like kudzu I suppose, she's grown on me with that southern charm and righteous indignation over injustice. While not appointment television (is there such a dinosaur anymore?) THE CLOSER will hit my DVD player or laptop at some point.

HAWTHORNE - uneven at best. While Jada Pinkett Smith can be charming and engaging, the whole show (the pilot) seemed to forget one crucial factor: "If this main character is putting her life back together after losing her husband, shouldn't we see more of him to understand the bond that's been severed?" I just couldn't buy into it all. I hope the second episode raises the bar considerably and really makes us feel for these people. Speaking of which...

RAISING THE BAR - into its second season now (?) and it has started to find its groove. Like CLOSER I will wait and bank some episodes before watching further. This is much better than the first pilot which looked (frankly) cheap.

THE HUNGER (SEASON 1) - E1 has reissued this Showtime series, but has cheaped out by not adding anything new to the mix. Great locations, actors and a few stories by the sharp-toothed bastard himself, Harlan Ellison. It is a show that follows the other anthology show formulas before it (TWILIGHT ZONE, NIGHT GALLERY, THE HITCHER) but with an emphasis on the weird, dark and sexy. I'm glad they were able to finally collect all the episodes (something I wanted to do when I was a t York, but was shot down because "people don't want to watch big packages of TV shows at once." This was, of course, before TV DVD took off and righteously put two slugs into that theory). The packaging is good and really reflects the nature of the show. Netflix it.

SAVING GRACE - not a big Holly Hunter fan, but this show grows on you too, as I can relate to some of the characters and their idioms. The screener didn't help change my opinion as it was poorly mastered and didn't play after the first episode, though the menu says there's three epeisodes on the disc. Oh well.

SOME WEDDING REALITY SHOW ON TNT - I watched two minutes of this (whatever it's really called) and nearly broke my DVD player in my haste to throw the disc against the wall. Hate is too weak a word for this waste of money and effort.

ELSEWHERE - a low budget indie movie that forgot that. What I mean by that is an "indie movie" is supposed to provide audiences with something they can't get elesewhere. ELSEWHERE IS supposed to be a thriller, but it forgot to be thrilling. This was a movie that played it too safe with the premise and will probably play on Lifetime at some point. I knew who did it right after he was introduced. No twists that you couldn't see a mile away. No turns, no threats (except once! I will give it that). I was extremely disappointed because I wanted this one to go for the throat and couldn't even gofor the kneecaps. Skip it.

I have TNT's DARK BLUE sitting on my desk and I'm anxious to sink my teeth into something akin to THE SHIELD. This is the impression I get from the key art so here's hoping.

They're Back...and They Brought Some Friends to the Party

Trailer here.

Is this what you were writing the other day, John?

Season premiere July 15th.

Now That's Class...

with a touch of geekiness thrown in...bravo!

Congratulations, Mister Rogers!

From the press release. Cheers!:

TNT Renews Popular Drama Series LEVERAGE for Second Season

Acclaimed Series, Starring Oscar^® Winner Timothy Hutton,

Ranks as Ad-Supported Cable’s #1 Entertainment Program in the Tuesday 10 p.m. (ET/PT) Timeslot

Series Averages 3.2 Million Viewers and Scores Big Growth Through Time-Shifted Viewing

TNT’s critically acclaimed hit series LEVERAGE will be back for a second season, according to an announcement today by Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). TNT has ordered 15 new episodes of the popular, high-octane series, which stars Oscar^® winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People, Nero Wolfe), Gina Bellman (Coupling), Christian Kane (TNT’s Into the West), Beth Riesgraf (Without a Trace) and Aldis Hodge (Friday Night Lights).

LEVERAGE currently airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), with the second season slated to begin later this year. The series is produced by Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment. Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT’s The Librarian movie series), John Rogers (Cosby) and Chris Downey (The King of Queens) serve as executive producers.

LEVERAGE ranks as ad-supported cable’s #1 entertainment program in the Tuesday 10 p.m. (ET/PT) timeslot among viewers, households and adults 25-54. The Dec. 7 premiere was watched by 5.6 million viewers and scored TNT’s best original series telecast ever in delivery of adults 18-49 during the regular broadcast season. Through its first nine episodes, LEVERAGE has averaged 3.2 million viewers and 1.4 million adults 18-49 in Live + Same Day viewing. The first six episodes scored strong growth when comparing Live to Live + 7 numbers, with total viewership rising 33% to 4.1 million and adults 18-49 rising 42% to 1.9 million.

“We’re thrilled that audiences and critics have responded so positively to LEVERAGE and made the show a solid hit,” Wright said. “We look forward to another great season of fun and exciting storylines brought to life by the outstanding cast, led by Timothy Hutton, and the incredible production team, headed up by executive producers Dean Devlin and John Rogers.”

LEVERAGE follows a team of thieves, hackers and grifters who seek revenge against those who use power and wealth to victimize people. Hutton stars as a former insurance investigator whose son died as a result of corporate greed. He now puts his energy, quick mind and keen intellect toward securing justice for society’s underdogs.

“We had an amazing experience shooting the first season of LEVERAGE with such a talented cast and crew and with the full support of TNT behind us,” Devlin said. “We can’t wait to get to work on season two and take viewers on another adventure with Nate and his team.”

LEVERAGE is part of an ongoing collaboration between TNT and Devlin. Previously, he executive-produced The Librarian action-adventure movies starring Noah Wyle (ER). The third installment in the franchise, The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice, premiered as the lead-in to the first episode of LEVERAGE.

The renewal of LEVERAGE is the latest move by TNT in its aggressive strategy to ramp up original series production. The network recently announced that it is greenlighting two new series: Time Heals, a character-driven medical drama starring Jada Pinkett Smith (The Women, The Matrix Trilogy), and the fast-paced, undercover police drama The Line, starring Golden Globe^® winner Dylan McDermott (The Practice, TNT’s The Grid).

TNT’s success with original series includes the critically acclaimed The Closer, ad-supported cable’s #1 series of all time; Saving Grace, which averages more than 5 million viewers; and Raising the Bar, which set a new ad-supported cable viewership record when it premiered on Labor Day 2008. The network’s latest original series, the light-hearted drama Trust Me, starring Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh, premiered Jan. 26, with 3.4 million viewers.

Electric Entertainment is a full-service film, television and new media production company, established in 2001 by veteran writer/producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Stargate, The Patriot) and led by Devlin, along with partners Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. Electric is in pre-production on the feature film Ghosting, a supernatural thriller that Devlin will produce and direct. Electric’s previous films include the World War I action/adventure Flyboys; the politically charged documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?; Cellular, starring Kim Basinger, Chris Evans and Jessica Biel; and Eight Legged Freaks, with David Arquette and Scarlett Johansson. The company’s television credits include The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, starring Noah Wyle, which aired on TNT in December 2004 and was the highest-rated movie on cable that year; its sequel, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines; and Sci Fi’s The Triangle, which won a visual effects Emmy and was the highest-rated miniseries on the cable channel since Steven Spielberg Presents Taken. Electric Entertainment recently teamed with TNT for the crime thriller Blank Slate, starring Eric Stoltz, a microseries that debuted in fall 2008 on the network, as well as on www.tnt.tv. Blank Slate will be re-packaged and distributed on mobile devices, home video and broadcast television. Additionally, Electric Entertainment owns and operates the online independent film magazine IF (www.IFmagazine.com), which reports the entertainment industry’s daily news.

Turner Network Television (TNT), one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; Raising the Bar, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Trust Me, with Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Cold Case, Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER and Charmed; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards^®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.