What are your favourite Leverage-like dramas? (from any country! I'm vaguely aware that there are a lot of Korean ones, though XD)
OOOH THIS IS A PERFECT QUESTION, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING ME AN EXCUSE TO TALK ABOUT THESE
Player
Probably the closest one to one without actually being Leverage? It's a team of people committing heists/cons to take back things criminals have stolen. A conman leader who's a bit of an asshole but cares about his people, the muscle man, the hacker, and the driver - simultaneously working outside of the law and also kind of trying to do the right thing. Peak!!!!
2. Mad Dog
Similar to Player in concept (team working somewhat outside the law to help people that the law won't help) except that there's also an overarching conflict between our two main characters. They were both affected by the same horrific event a few years ago and are both trying to uncover the conspiracy behind it, but it takes a while for them to get on the same page about it. Also features similar archetypes to Player/Leverage: the leader, the hacker, the fighter, the acrobat/cat burglar, and the conman.
3. Leverage (korea)
Literally just the korean remake of Leverage. It's pretty good! Not as good as Player and Mad Dog, which is why I didn't mention it first, but it's fairly decent. Eui Song is my favourite member of the cast (see below) and the rest of the casting isn't my absolute favourite (I have very intense feelings about Leverage casting, for extremely obvious reasons) but they do a serviceable job!
4. Squad 38
Seo In Guk and Don Lee, two of my absolute favourite men, as part of a team of con-men who are specifically going after rich tax-evading assholes. They're working within the law (ish) but Seo In Guk's character is still a total swindler, who is sort of roped into working with Don Lee's straight-laced character, and their buddy-cop dynamic, along with the dynamics of the rest of the team, sold me hook line and sinker.
5. Bad Guys
Tonally a bit different, because we're moving away from heists and such, but Bad Guys is essentially about a team of criminals who are temporarily released from jail in order to help stop other criminals. It features a gangster, a contract killer, and a serial killer, all of whom are tasked with helping stop violent crime/murder in order to get time off their own sentences. One again Don Lee features, and he's fucking great. I love that man so much, and in the least parasocial way possible, I want him to be my dad. Even when he's playing a gangster who could absolutely kill me.
6. Taxi Driver
Do Gi joins a secret organization that specialises in revenge for people who were failed by the law - less heist/con, more revenge (often via con) but definitely falls into that Leverage vibe. Do Gi also spends a lot of the show trying to avoid being taken down by a prosecutor who he has chemistry with, so the vibes are impeccable. Season 2 was also pretty good, albeit a little different, and I'm excited for the upcoming season 3 at the end of this year!
7. Psych
The only western thing on this list, and probably obvious coming from me, but if you're looking for more of the comedy stylings of Leverage, Psych is the obvious choice. Obviously it's less about heists and short term cons, and more about the long-term con of Shawn lying about being a psychic in order to help solve crimes with his Sherlockian abilities, but this is a perfect wine pairing to Leverage, and I adore it with my whole heart.
