VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Noah Wyle On Why ‘Leverage: Redemption’ Resonates Today

Leverage: Redemption is back for Season 2. The show follows the Leverage crew made up of the Grifter, the Hitter, the Thief and the Hacker, as they seek to make the world a better place by leveling the playing field with some unorthodox means.

Noah Wyle, who plays Harry Wilson, recently sat with uInterview founder Erik Meers to discuss why he believes the show resonates with audiences today.

“I think tastes are cyclical and when Leverage was popular the first time, the climate was ripe for a show about Robin Hoods who were helping little guys who were being crushed by big guys,” Wyle said. “Tastes change and you don’t want your heroes to necessarily always be wearing a white hat. You don’t necessarily want all your heroes wearing a black hat. We started getting a lot of black-hatted good guys. We started getting a lot of white-hatted bad guys for awhile. Then, the world turned again and now people want their good guys back in white hats and shows and content to be not always cynical and not always depressing, but aspirational and occasionally funny. Shows like Ted Lasso and shows that maybe eight or nine years ago would not have been popular are now almost medicinal to our realities. I think Leverage hits that sweet spot. It’s something you can put on with your parents and your children. It feels contemporary an slightly educational and that you’re learning about something that’s topical. The jokes are funny. The characters are compelling. It’s not too scary and it’s fun.”

Wyle also revealed his favorite moments of shooting behind the scenes.

“Shooting TV shows always have a challenge embedded into it,” Wyle said. “Part of what makes any show good is professionals that come to work with their very strong opinions and their work ethics and those sometimes work in concert with each other and sometimes come in conflict with each other. Sometimes the conflicts the most interesting stuff to film. It’s not necessarily the most fun, but it’s an energy that’s really interesting to watch. We all get along well together and are also competitive with each other. We also try to make each other better by being the best that we can. What I will come away with from this show is how gratifying it was to be accepted into the ensemble. Watching how this particular ensemble works its process to get the result that everybody enjoys so much. It’s not always one for one. It’s a wrestling match occasionally, but these people really enjoy wrestling with each other so that makes it fun.”

The new season airs November 16 on Amazon Freevee.