Leverage

Across the nation, 90210 viewers have finally come to grips with the fact that Luke Perry will never reprise his role of Dylan McKay on the show.

But fans of the original series can get their long sideburn fix on an upcoming episode of Leverage, as Michael Ausiello confirms the actor will guest star on the TNT hit.

Perry will play an unscrupulous psychic in a role insiders describe as “chilling.”

On the small screen, Perry was most recently seen on Law & Order: SVU and Criminal Minds.

We can't believe he's shirking responsibility as the father of Kelly Taylor's son Sammy. He should be ashamed of himself.

Jeri Ryan showed up on last week's summer finale of Leverage as the character of Tara Carlisle, an alleged lawyer that was eventually revealed to be a fellow con.

"Part of the fun of Leverage in general is in the twists and turns and surprises, and this one definitely had that payoff," the actress told TV Guide.

In the closing moments of the episode, it was revealed that Sophie sent Tara to her colleagues for assistance. This kicks off an extended arc on the show for Ryan; she'll appear in all six winter episodes of Leverage.

"They have a hard time accepting Tara into the group," she said. "Obviously they miss Sophie, and they're not sure what's going on without her. They're a little off-balance, I think."

But that will soon change. Added Ryan:

"Tara earns their respec. They grudgingly accept her at first, until they realize that she does deserve to be there because she is just as talented as they are."

No air date has been announced yet for Leverage's return to TNT later this year.

Based on another successful run, Leverage has been renewed by TNT for a third season.

The summer's finale will air Wednesday, September 9. The show will then return to complete its second season later this year, with the third season scheduled 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. “The producers, cast and crew have been incredible to work with, and we anticipate another wonderful season.”

Good news, Leverage viewers:

TNT has extended this show's summer run by two episodes, adding previously unscheduled installments on September 2 and September 9. Following the summer finale, Leverage will complete its second season in the winter.

The September 9 episode, titled "The Lost Heir Job," will feature Jeri Ryan as Tara, a grifter who helps the team and will recur later on.

On Leverage, Beth Riesgraf stars as master thief Parker.

In an interview with The Boston Herald, the actress dished on her character, explaining to fans what they can look forward to on the second season of the TNT hit.

"The throughline for Parker this season is that now that she’s comfortable around this group and she’s decided that she needs them in her life, the next step for her is acclimating herself and having a group of friends and people she can trust and how she deals with that,” she said.

Viewers, of course, wanna know if Parker and her partner-in-crime Alec Hardison will follow through on the mutual attraction that played out during the show’s initial season.

“People really want them to get together,” she said. “But if they did, people would be really disappointed. If it happens too fast, it doesn’t work. I think that the writers are being really smart about it. There’s enough there to play with and they definitely have chemistry, but you have to ride this one out, I think.”

On tonight's new episode of Leverage, the team comes up with a scheme to get back at a crooked fight promoter. But it goes awry.

As a result, Eliot (Christian Kane) steps into the ring... with his shirt off!

Follow this article's jump to watch a clip of the character in action.

Continue Reading...

Season two of Leverage premieres tonight on TNT.

The first season concluded with team members going their separate ways, following a heist gone awry. However, star Timothy Hutton told TV this summer will include a reunion for the main characters, along with other interesting developments...

On Nate's vices: Nate has successfully stopped drinking, we come to learn, but there might be a possible relapse as the season goes on. It's a very, very difficult road he's on. And certain other vices come up and take the place, usually in the form of, not necessarily an actual drug, but more along the lines of how he gets back at people he thinks have been pretty sleazy characters. He acts out in very vindictive ways... People are going to enjoy seeing the vindictive side of Nate.

On seeking revenge: A little over-revenge. Sometimes the Leverage team says to Nate, you know, we really don't need to go that far, Nate. It's okay. And he says no, we're going to bury this guy. They have to hold him back.

Overall take on season two: Theres's a lot more character play going on. You know, last year a lot of us, for some of the cons, would play other characters and do accents — what the writers like to call "hats." So this year we do a lot of infiltrating established institutions. One is a private school, for example, where we send away some of the people who work there and one of us becomes the headmaster for a week.

As we inch closer and closer to the season two premiere of Leverage - airing on July 15 - viewers are curious about the show's two key characters.

What's the deal with Nate and Sophie?

For the answers, E! News turned to star Timothy Hutton. He replied:

"Season two starts out with Nate and Sophie running into each other in kind of an interesting way that's been orchestrated by one of the five. And Nate learned something about Sophie's current life that he wasn't expecting, as it certainly impacts whether or not they're going to get together or not. By the seventh show of the second season, a lot gets determined about Sophie and Nate. It tracks in a rather interesting way."

As for Maggie, Hutton confirms that actress Kari Matchett "is definitely going to be back."

So will we. Leverage was a solid, surprise hit on TNT last season.

Jeri Ryan is set to bring beauty to the world of vigilante justice.

The actress, who most recently starred in the canceled series Shark, will gust star on the second season of Leverage.

Look for the actress to play Tara early in the new season, which premieres July 15. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this character is a "smart-ass, street-wise con woman." Sophie calls on for help during an investigation.

Season two of Leverage premieres on July 15.

A day earlier, meanwhile, fans can enjoy a marathon of the first season, as it's released on DVD on July 14.

The four-disc set will sell for $39.99. Here's a rundown of which episodes viewers will see on each disc:

Disc 1:

• The Nigerian Job
• The Homecoming Job
• The Wedding Job
• Bonus Features:
• Deleted Scenes

Disc 2:

• The Snow Job
• The Mile High Job
• The Miracle Job
• Bonus Features:
• Deleted Scenes

Disc 3:

• The Two-Horse Job
• The Bank Shot Job
• The Stork Job
• The Juror #6 Job
• Bonus Features:
• Deleted Scenes

Disc 4:

• The 12-Step Job
• The First David Job
• The Second David Job
• Bonus Features:
• Leverage: Behind the Scenes
• Anatomy of a Stunt Fight
• The Cameras of Leverage
• Beth Riesgraf's Crazy Actress Spoof
• Deleted Scenes