LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION Post-Mortem: Dean Devlin Shares Why Nate Was Written Out That Way

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION series premiere.]

When LEVERAGE returned with the new IMDb TV revival LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION (now streaming for free), the team reunited—sans one notable member.

While original series stars Gina Bellman, Beth Riesgraf, Christian Kane, and Aldis Hodge all signed on to return (though Hodge just as a recurring guest star, due to his prior commitments), notably missing was original LEVERAGE star Timothy Hutton. (Hutton was accused of sexual assault in 2020, stemming from an alleged incident in the ’80s; he denied it and filed a counter-complaint.)

Since Hutton’s Nate was a central figure to the series—his quest for revenge was the kickoff for the TNT drama, and Nate and Bellman’s Sophie ended up together—his absence felt like something the new series would have to address…and the show wasted no time revealing at least some of it: Nate died a year prior to the events of REDEMPTION.

The former team—Sophie, Parker (Riesgraf), Eliot (Kane), and Hardison (Hodge)—reunited at Nate’s grave. When they returned to Sophie’s home, Hardison toasted their former leader: “To Nate,” he said. “One year gone, but never forgotten.”

So why kill off Nate?

“In order to move forward with this new engine [centered around redemption], we needed to eliminate the idea that old engine was going to reappear,” LEVERAGE executive producer Dean Devlin says. “So, we thought the best way is let’s just [make it clear] in the very opening of the show, ‘Okay, the old show is over, the new show is about to begin.'”

Though a year has passed since Nate died, Sophie’s grief over the loss of her husband plays into the show’s first season.

“I felt very blessed, actually, that they gave her such a strong opening, because I really get the impression that she’s had a very fulfilling personal relationship, and that she’s been stable…and that she’s really experienced commitment for the first time in her life,” Bellman previously shared.

And her trying to find a new normal, as she reluctantly works with the group again on one last gig, includes them bringing in new recruit, Harry Wilson (Noah Wyle), a corporate lawyer who is looking to make amends for the harm he’s caused over the years.

“What’s interesting is that Sophie’s character arc this season is almost in parallel to Noah Wyle’s character arc, in that both of them aren’t what they used to be,” Devlin points out. “And the question is, who are they going to be in the future? And they’re both on this journey to find out. But what they do know is they can’t be who they once were. And by seeing each other with that same motivation, it allows them to see things in each other that the others can’t see.”

“In other words, the old members of the team will always look at Sophie Devereaux as the woman that they grew up with,” he continues. “But Harry has just met her, and he sees her for who she is today. He sees a kindred spirit who is going through something emotionally very similar to what he’s going through. So it gave us an interesting way to mirror two characters to each other, and explore what’s similar and different about them.”

But is it more than just kindred spirits connecting?

“Viewers always write their own movie,” Devlin says. “And I always encourage it, I don’t want to dissuade it. The most important thing about their relationship—but truly, all the relationships—is the way in which they learn to respect one another, to value one another. That’s more important than anything else. And he’s a new figure here, who’s not sure how to function. And how honest to be, how open. He’s going to find his way. And during that process will be when they will either earn each other’s respect or lose each other’s respect.”

Of course, there’s also the fact that LEVERAGE frequently pulls the wool over viewers’ eyes, only to belatedly reveal how they tricked them. So…is Nate really dead? “Anything can happen on LEVERAGE,” Devlin admits with a laugh.

LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION, Friday, July 9, IMDb TV

RELATED:

• LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION: Aleyse Shannon on Breanna Finding Her Place in the Team
• LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION: Dean Devlin on Finding the ‘Perfect’ Home for the Revival, and How the New Characters Influence the OG Team
• LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION: Noah Wyle Previews the Team’s New ‘Utility Player’
• LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION: Gina Bellman Previews Sophie’s Evolution in the IMDb TV Revival
• LEVERAGE Revival Ordered at IMDb TV
• LEVERAGE: Dean Devlin on the Series Finale, That Final Scene, Sophie’s Real Name, and More
• LEVERAGE: Aldis Hodge Talks About the Show’s Final Season

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