Bravo UK Opts for Leverage

LONDON: Virgin Media Television’s male-skewing entertainment channel Bravo has acquired the exclusive British rights to the TNT original drama series Leverage from Voltage Pictures.

The British channel has picked up the 13-episode first season and the 15-episode second season of the crime series starring Oscar-winner Timothy Hutton and British actress Gina Bellman and produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, The Patriot) along with creators John Rogers (Transformers) and Chris Downey (King of Queens). In the U.S., where filming on season three starts soon, Leverage has averaged 3.9 million viewers on TNT. The show focuses on a group of hackers, grifters and con-artists that concoct elaborate scams to take down evil big wigs.

Amy Barham, Virgin Media Television’s head of acquisitions, stated: "Bravo 2010 is all about big, broad and entertaining drama pieces that will have you hooked from the outset and as soon as we saw Leverage we knew we had to have it! We are excited to be able to bring U.K. audiences this exclusive break-out U.S. hit and know they’re going to love its brilliant mix of high-action, high-stakes fun."