TVSquad

Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton has had numerous chances to star in TV series during his successful career. It took the edgy blend of drama and humor in TNT's Leverage to lead him to sign on for the show's lead role.

Hutton stars as Nathan Ford, a former insurance investigator leading a team of thieves and con artists who balance the scales when ordinary people fall victim to corrupt politicians, authorities and corporations.

The show co-stars Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge as Ford's less than reputable teammates.

As Leverage approaches its second season premiere July 15, Hutton connected with TV Squad to share his hopes for the show.

You've had other opportunities to jump into episodic TV in the past. What led you to come aboard Leverage?

I remember the script for the first episode was great. I saw a lot of opportunity for the characters to grow. There was a lot of potential for conflict in each story -- not just against the target of the episode, but also between the main characters. There was just a lot of appeal there.

Also, everything Nathan has been through interested me. The loss of his son. The failure of his marriage. I thought this guy has nothing left. He's trying to get out from under. I wanted to explore that.

Why do you think Leverage generated such a following in its first season?

It's that plan B factor every episode has. The team has its plan every week, and it never goes as it should. That's life. That's drama. So, they have to improvise. They have to go to that plan B. And, that unpredictable factor makes every show a lot of fun.

Also, the format of the show allows every episode to play out like a separate little movie -- and I think that quality makes every episode work.

The show blends drama with a sharp sense of humor. How does the cast maintain that energy?

I think the humor in the show comes out so well because of the fun we have with each other as actors on the set. The episodes are well-written, and the chemistry between the characters is great. That allows us to play off of each other and maintain that energy.

Will fans learn more about those other characters this season?

Yes, and I'm looking forward to that. Now that the first season is complete and Nathan is established, we'll look to the other team members and their histories. Just as we examined what Nathan went through in flashbacks, we use that same technique to discover the background of the other characters.

Will the show see any big changes this season?

Obviously, there are some aspects of the show that are off limits, so I can't talk about them. But, there are parts of Nathan's life we could explore that we were unable to go into during the first season. Is there any potential for romance? Is there a possibility for Nathan to restore his marriage? There's potential everywhere.