TNT cancels ‘Leverage’

Credit: TNT

For five seasons, TNT’s Leverage has been TV’s go-to heist drama (well, in the sense that there are heist dramas on TV at all). Yet news has come down the pike that the series will be ending its five-year run with its season finale, which airs on Christmas night.

“Leverage has thrilled audiences with its delightfully intricate plots, its stand up for the little guy attitude and its terrific performances from stars Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge,” a TNT spokeswoman said in a statement. “But after five wonderful years, it’s time to say goodbye. Leverage will come to a close on Christmas at 9 p.m., with a series finale that stands as one of the show’s best episodes. We are honored to have worked with executive producer Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment, creators John Rogers and Chris Downey, and all the cast and production crew on Leverage. We look forward to exploring new opportunities to work with them again in the future. We also want to thank the passionately devoted fans of Leverage, who have been the driving force behind its success.”

This is hardly a surprise for fans or for executive producer Dean Devlin, who wrote an open letter posted at Leveragefans.com on December 6, responding to rumors about the show’s uncertain future. Here is an excerpt from the letter:

“As of the writing of this letter, we still do not know if there will be a season six of our show. Just as we didn’t know when we created the last three episodes which are about to air. Because of this uncertainty, John Rogers and I decided to end this season with the episode we had planned to make to end the series, way back when we shot the pilot. So, the episode that will air on Christmas is, in fact, the series finale we had always envisioned.

This is not to say we would not do a season six should we get the opportunity. Everyone involved with the show, from the cast, the crew, the writers and producers, would like nothing more than to continue telling these stories. But, in case we do not get that opportunity we felt that, creatively, after 77 episodes, we owed it to you, our fans, to end the show properly.”

The series finale of Leverage will air on Christmas night at 9:00 PM on TNT.

Full story: Entertainment Weekly