Leverage provides twists, turns and an awesome Timothy Hutton

©2008 TNT/Richard Foreman/Leverage

I watched the premiere episode of TNT’s new drama Leverage starring Timothy Hutton, and I’ll have to say I wasn’t disappointed.

The premise of Leverage is Hutton’s character Nathan Ford leading a band of outlaws to fight corporate power and greed as a group of modern day Robin Hoods.

And in the current economic climate we are in, honestly, who doesn’t want to watch corporate America’s most greedy get what they deserve? As Hutton says at the end, his team provides something unique: leverage.

A little Mission: Impossible and Ocean 11, Leverage works because Hutton’s team of misfit thieves are fun to watch together. While each episode is going to focus on a particular heist or scam, it will be watching the growth of the characters that will keep the show interesting for the viewers.

First there’s Hutton’s character Nathan Ford, who left a giant firm as an insurance investigator after the company denies his son life-saving medical treatment. They touch upon it briefly in the episode, but getting to know Ford closely is going to be hard for the team.

The team of independents is formed in the pilot when aerospace tycoon Victor Dubenich (guest star Saul Rubinek) says he’s been ripped off. The "Nigerian Job" episode has lots of twists and turns and you just totally love it when Rubinek’s character gets what he deserves. Ever get one of those Nigerian e-mails promising you part of millions if you only help transfer money from a foreign bank? If so, you can relate to this scam.

Other members of the band of misfits include:

• Parker (Beth Riesgraf), a cat burglar who feels more at home when she’s pulling off a heist. She grew up in the foster care system and is more about getting justice than getting rich.

• Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge, Friday Night Lights), the computer specialist who can break into anything

• Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane, Angel), the muscle. Not only is he the hunk of this show, he provides quite a few laughs along the way.

• Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman, Coupling), a swindler who is the perfect actress. Nate and Sophie seem to have a past.

What do they have in common? They are outsiders who for the first time in their life find their own "family" through the team. Calling the shots as the leader, Ford doesn’t see himself as the same kind of "thief" as the others on the team.

While the show premiered on Sunday, new episodes of Leverage will air on Tuesdays on TNT at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Here’s a preview of the next episode, "The Homecoming Job":

Want to play along with Leverage? You can be a part of the "team" when  you visit the Leverage Headquarters.