The story of Robin Hood is alive and well, now in the form of a modern-day drama set in Boston instead of Sherwood Forest. The show is “Leverage” and after watching the first episodes of the TNT television series, I was enthralled, not only by the action and storyline but by the characters, as well.

Nathan Ford (played by Timothy Hutton), a former insurance investigator, takes on a team of felons: Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge,) a computer extraordinaire and hacker, Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), the retrieval specialist, Parker (Beth Riesgraf), expert thief and Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman) a charismatic con-artist and struggling actress. The team’s task is to take on corrupt businessmen.

Throughout the series, we learn of each team member’s past. Nate had a family but is divorced and his son had died. Sophie is an optimistic thespian who constantly tries to get a gig but fails to do so. Parker was an orphan who at age 8 was taken in by a master thief. He taught her the ways of thievery and then unleashed into the world, and has been undisciplined ever since. No one knows a lot about Eliot except that he served in the military and has been a part of some very bad and powerful groups. As with Eliot, we don’t know much about Hardison. He is young, lived with a foster mom and is a genius with a smartphone. When you put the five together, they are unstoppable, doing wrong for the right reason.

Each character is perfectly depicted by the actors and actresses. They add their own spin to the character, which makes them very enjoyable to watch. My favorite would have to be Parker or Hardison. They have some very touching moments, which make you feel sorry for them, but they also have some of the best one-liners.

During season two, Sophie goes on a quest to find herself. In replacement as the grifter of the team, Sophie sends her close friend Tara Cole to take her place. It takes the team to get used to Tara’s ways of going about different situation, but they do end up liking her – somewhat. But Tara was not my favorite. There was this sense of carelessness in her, that she was really only doing it for the money. She does later come to realize the purpose behind each job, which makes her a bit more likable. Tara does not last long because Sophie does come back during the finale of season two but not for a reason you would expect.

Usually at the end of a season, viewers are often left with a cliff-hanger, which makes them want to continue onto the next episode to find out what happens. More than once, I have fallen into this trap, watching episodes I didn’t plan to watch because the cliffhangers were too tempting.

Toward the middle of the series, relationships blossom. Not naming names, but the couples are perfect matches. There are a few scenes with sexual relations and some colorful language, but it’s not so bad that you have to shield your eyes and/or ears, and the love is only in a very small percentage of the episodes. I would suggest parental guidance for young viewers, but it all depends on family decisions.

All in all, the show is fun and action-packed with some humor thrown in. You will be on the edge of your seat and you will laugh. This is truly one of the best TV shows I have ever watched.