INTERVIEW: ‘Leverage: Redemption's' new season now streaming on Prime Video
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — For four years, action-thriller 'Leverage' dominated TV on TNT. When the show ended in 2012, the producers thought there were more stories to tell.
This led to the revival series 'Leverage: Redemption' kicking off its first season in 2021. Now, with season three premiering Thursday, the series is moving from network 'Freevee' to 'Prime Video.'
The series follows a Robin Hood-esque team of criminals as they stage elaborate cons against wealthy and powerful individuals on behalf of clients who have been wronged.
News 8's Gio Battaglia spoke with the show's stars: Gina Bellman and Beth Riesgraf about what's in store for the new season.
Gio Battaglia: It's gotta be an exciting week with season three just around the corner!
Gina Bellman: Thrilling. It really is so exciting. I couldn't be happier.
Gio Battaglia: Tell me a little bit about what fans can expect this season. I know it's also a move to Prime Video. So a lot, a lot's happening with this new season.
Beth Riesgraf: They can expect the same shenanigans with all the characters, and their interpersonal relationships are a lot of fun. There's a lot going on with everybody emotionally this season — and then all the action and international appeal that the show has is really present. Being on Prime has given us this great boost to do chase sequences in Paris and fight scenes in Serbia and all the things. So, I think fans are going to be really excited to see all the worlds we play in this season.
Gina Bellman: I think they'll also be pleased that we haven't run out of bad guys to take down. They just keep coming thick and fast, just like in the real world, and you can always rely on our crew to bring them down.
Gio Battaglia: I love that. So, since the original show ended in 2012. How did it feel to kind of come back into these characters and continue these stories?
Gina Bellman: It was the craziest journey for us. We all got the same phone call from our boss, Dean Devlin, who is a legend to all of us and television in general, he called us each individually and said, 'How do you feel about putting the band back together?' And that was such an innovative way of putting it. And we all just like, jumped up and down, and we've been celebrating ever since.
Gio Battaglia: What's been the reaction from the fans?
Beth Riesgraf: They're flipping out. They've been so supportive. I mean, they're the reason that we keep coming back. It's so great. Our community is so supportive and so engaged in everything we're doing along the way. They're so supportive. So, they, I mean, from Facebook to X to Instagram. I feel our audience is really growing and growing and growing, and I'm so excited for new people to also join us on Amazon Prime this time around.
Gio Battaglia: I know that we touched on, obviously in the first response, what fans can expect. But take me a little bit deeper. What was your favorite part of taping this season?
Gina Bellman: My favorite episode this season takes us actually into the future, where we meet a bad guy who is freezing people after their death, and he's charging their families like an exorbitant fee to keep them going with the promise that maybe they can be resuscitated. But we kind of fake a future world and for and that's a Jonathan Frakes episode, who's one of our great regular directors, who's wonderful with comedy. So, it's like, my favorite episodes are always the ones with the great, like hijinks, like super comedy. And that's, that's one to look forward to. What's yours, Beth?
Beth Riesgraf: I think, as a performer, diving into the horror genre, which we do during one of the episodes this season, we've never done this like this before. That was really exciting. And then as a director, it would be, you know, personally, I just love the episode, which is based actually on a true story about a corrupt judge who's also the mayor and is stealing from the townspeople, essentially set up a speed trap and taking their money and doing horrible things. So, I loved working with Gina, especially in this episode, because she has a really beautiful arc for Sophie, and she absolutely crushed it. And I designed an incredible fight sequence that Christian actually nailed the heck out of in a way almost that we've never really done before. So, for me, it was really challenging in a way. As a director, that was really exciting for me.
Gio Battaglia: It's evident in the clips that I watched that the cast enjoys working together, and it's told through the plot lines of these episodes. So, talk a little bit about the cast dynamic.
Gina Bellman: We've always just had a really good click. I don't quite know how they pulled it off, but you know what I think we all love about the show is that it is a true ensemble in that we read a script, and it comes in and I might like call Beth and say, 'Hey, actually, this, this is a really good moment for you. Let's ask them to expand that.' Or Christian might say, 'Hey, this is a moment for you and I to have some rapport.' And we're always collaborating. And this year, the three of us, are acting as executive producers as well. So, it's really nice to have that acknowledgement that not only do we click, but and lift each other up, but that we're so invested in making the show better and better and better for the fans.
Beth Riesgraf: I think that thing that essence and fun that the fans show up for, we really are feeling that as characters, but as performers and artists. And it's like, I think that is the thing, at least, when I watch TV, I show up because I feel like I know the people I'm about to hang out with, and I'm excited to see what they get up to, and we organically, like Gina said, we all just bounce off each other in such a fun, authentic way. But I think that's what keeps us all coming back with such excitement. And it really is fun.
Gio Battaglia: Do you guys have anything else you want to highlight before anything else you wanted to add?
Gina Bellman: I think what's great about this show is that you can dip into any episode. So don't worry if you haven't caught up with the show yet. Come to us on season three, fall in love with the characters and on Amazon Prime, and then you can go back and discover the origin stories.
Beth Riesgraf: I think fans that have been with us since the beginning of 'Leverage' are going to be really excited to see some of that edge and action and danger being heightened even a little more this season. And I think they're going to have a lot of fun watching it.
Season three of 'Leverage: Redemption' is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Tom's Guide
32 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
5 best new movies to stream this weekend on Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock, and more (June 7-8)
The weekend is here, and the best streaming services are flooded with plenty of great new movies to beat the heat with. Which can make narrowing down what to watch a headache in and of itself. At the top of our weekend watchlist is 'Sinners,' one of the biggest hits of the year so far, arriving on premium video-on-demand streaming. Over on Netflix, you'll find Tyler Perry's newest high-stakes drama, "Straw," about a struggling single mother pushed past her breaking point. For even more thrills, Prime Video just got the Ben Affleck-led sequel "The Accountant 2." Meanwhile, if you're looking for other flavors of horror, Peacock has the razor-sharp satire "The Blackening," while Steven Soderbergh's "Presence," a cerebral twist on the haunted house genre, just landed on Hulu. So let's dive into all the best new movies to watch this weekend that just landed on streaming. For even more streaming recommendations, be sure to check out our round-up of all the top new TV shows you'll want to binge-watch. The box office success and pop culture phenomenon "Sinners" is now streaming. So if you missed Ryan Coogler's hit horror movie in theaters, now's your chance to catch it at home. "Sinners" stars Michael B. Jordan in a double role as enterprising twins Smoke and Stack, who leave their troubled lives in Chicago behind to start a juke joint in their small hometown in Mississippi. Rather than a welcoming committee, they discover a supernatural evil has taken root in their community, and it's leaching off the talents and energy of Black folks. This horror-thriller is a gripping, stylish ride packed with standout performances and an unforgettable musical score, making it an absolute must-watch for horror fans. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Buy or rent now on Amazon Tyler Perry's no stranger to heartwrenching dramas, and his latest, "Straw," follows a struggling single mother pushed to her absolute breaking point. Taraji P. Henson stars as Janiyah, whose day from hell just keeps going downhill. Just when it seems things can't get worse, she returns to her workplace to collect her final paycheck, only to walk into a deadly armed robbery. She survives, but when the bank refuses to cash her check to pay for her daughter's medicine, it proves to be her breaking point. With nothing left to lose, Janiyah takes a desperate stand, holding the bank and its occupants hostage. A bank teller (Sherri Shepherd) caught in the chaos begins to empathize with Janiyah's pain. Meanwhile, outside, Detective Raymond (Teyana Taylor) leads the negotiation, determined to bring the situation to a peaceful end and convinced that Janiyah isn't a criminal, but a mother stretched impossibly thin. But with tension rising and the odds stacked against her, it's hard to believe this day won't take an even darker turn. Watch it now on Netflix Ben Affleck returns as the money laundering Christian Wolff in the action thriller sequel "The Accountant 2," which just landed on Prime Video after racking up a respectable $100 million at the box office. Though its theatrical run hasn't been quite as stellar as 2016's "The Accountant," it's bound to be a hit on the streamer now that subscribers can check out all the heart-pounding thrills for no extra fee. After an old acquaintance is murdered, Wolff — a CPA who leads a double life cooking books for criminal organizations — must team up with his estranged mercenary brother Brax (Jon Bernthal) to uncover a deadly conspiracy. Their only lead is a cryptic message left behind: "Find the accountant." As the brothers work with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to crack the case, they find themselves in the crosshairs of a ruthless network of killers hellbent on making sure certain secrets stay buried. Watch it now on Prime Video 2025 has been a great year for horror films, but director Steven Soderbergh's "Presence" has proven to be one of the most divisive. It flips the traditional haunted house story on its head, shot from the perspective of the ghostly entity making things go bump in the night. The creative framing makes for a slower pace that focuses more on building tension and family drama than scares, but it's surprisingly impactful. "Presence" follows the Payne family — mom Rebekah (Lucy Liu), dad Chris (Chris Sullivan), and their teenage son (Eddy Maday) and daughter (Callina Liang) — who move into their dream house in the suburbs. While they appear to be the perfect nuclear family on paper, it's not long before cracks start becoming clear. When nightmarish events start unfolding, the parents must protect their children from forces beyond their understanding. Watch it now on Hulu If you like your horror with a healthy dose of humor, "The Blackening" is the perfect pick. This clever slasher-comedy follows a group of Black friends who head to a remote cabin to celebrate Juneteenth. While exploring the cabin's game room, they stumble upon a board game called "The Blackening," which features a racist caricature mascot on the cover and pieces that correlate to each member of the group. To their horror, they find themselves locked in while a "Saw"-esque broadcast explains that they must compete in "The Blackening," a trivia-based game on Black culture, if they want to survive. To make it through the night, they'll have to rely on their wits along with their deep knowledge of horror movie clichés. "The Blackening" is hilariously self-aware, poking fun at classic genre tropes while still delivering suspense and surprises. It feels like a cross between "Scary Movie" and "Get Out," offering up as many laughs as it does scares. Watch it now on Peacock
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Étoile' Canceled After Just One Season Despite 2-Season Order at Prime Video
The curtain is up for 'Étoile' at Prime Video. Despite receiving a two-season order when first greenlit, the Amazon ballet drama from Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino was canceled at the Amazon streamer. The series, which had originally received a two-year commitment from Amazon but pending an official green light for Season 2, ended on a cliffhanger. More to come… The post 'Étoile' Canceled After Just One Season Despite 2-Season Order at Prime Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Étoile Cancelled After One Season at Amazon, Despite Two-Season Order
Étoile is taking its final bow, a little earlier than expected. Amazon's Prime Video has cancelled the Amy Sherman-Palladino ballet comedy after just one season, our sister site Deadline reports, despite Amazon giving the series a two-season order initially. The decision to cancel 'came down largely to performance vs. cost,' Deadline says. More from TVLine The Cleaning Lady, Alert: Missing Persons Unit Both Cancelled at Fox Daniel Dae Kim's Butterfly Spy Thriller Sets Amazon Release Date Casting News: Nicole Kidman Lands Yet Another Series, Power Reunion at Netflix and More Hailing from Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator Sherman-Palladino, Étoile starred Luke Kirby (who played Lenny Bruce on Mrs. Maisel) as Jack McMillan, the artistic director of a prestigious New York ballet company. To drum up interest (and give flagging ticket sales a boost), Jack agrees to swap dancers with an equally renowned ballet company in Paris. (FYI: Étoile, pronounced āˈtwäl, is defined as a principal dancer in a ballet company.) Along with Kirby, the cast included Charlotte Gainsbourg (Call My Agent!), Gideon Glick (The Other Two), Simon Callow (Outlander), Lou de Laâge (The Innocents) and David Alvarez (West Side Story). Additionally, Gilmore Girls veterans Yanic Truesdale (aka Michel) and Kelly Bishop (aka Emily Gilmore) appeared in recurring roles. Debuting in April with all eight episodes dropping at once, Étoile earned mostly positive reviews but failed to make a dent in the Nielsen streaming charts. Were you hoping to take another spin with ? Let us know your thoughts on the cancellation news in a comment below. When Is Your Favorite TV Show Back? An A-to-Z List of 300+ Scripted Series View List Best of TVLine 'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More