TV Jots

Sophie Is Back!

Tonight, June 20, is a busy night on television. Not only does ABC have two new summer series — Scoundrels and The Gates — debuting from 9pm to 11pm ET, but TNT presents the third-season premiere of its hit caper dramedy Leverage during the same time period.

Sunday at 9pm ET is actually the new permanent time slot for Leverage, and fans will get to watch two fresh back-to-back episodes for the first few weeks of the season. The fun begins tonight with the premiere proper “The Jailhouse Job,” followed by “The Reunion Job” at 10pm.

The first episode introduces a mysterious new recurring character played by Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis (and, yes, I’m aware of her current significant other, whom I won’t bother to mention since I believe the detail is irrelevant). The latest thorn in Team Nate’s collective side is known simply as The Italian thus far, and her emergence coincides with our favorite group of talented misfits’ attempts to help their bossman Nate with the title jailhouse job.

Trouble — and troubled people — seem to find the members of Team Nate wherever they are, of course, and the slammer is no different. While on the inside for crimes supposedly committed in seasons past, Nate meets the team’s next client, a fellow inmate played by Edwin Hodge, the real-life older brother of series regular Aldis Hodge. It’s really nice to have two Hodges onboard for a short while, although the siblings don’t have any scenes together in the advance version of the episode I previewed.

The first job of Season Three focuses on the correctional facility where Nate is jailed and taking down its corrupt rich warden. Fortunately, cunning Sophie Devereaux has returned after taking most of Season Two off (actress Gina Bellman was pregnant, if you didn’t know), and she flexes her conning muscles big-time while helping to ensnare the warden in a fitting trap. I didn’t realize just how much I missed Sophie until I had the chance to see her leading the charge during a very devious — the only kind Team Nate likes — setup.

As that case unfolds and viewers get reacquainted with the individual skills and charms of the team’s five members, the episode also establishes the scenario for The Italian’s future involvement. Judging from what goes down on “The Jailhouse Job,” fans have a lot of good times to look forward to this summer. Leverage still gets the job done during the season premiere, which is filled with interesting and amusing entertainment … as usual.

Sneak a peek at “The Jailhouse Job” and review Season Two in the videos below.