Because Leverage without Nate isn't Leverage

Hey, making the first post.

Yeah I heard about the Redemption show around the same time I heard about Leverage and just the other show has no real attraction for me. No Nate, which boils down to them jumping the gun on Timothy Hutton when he got accused on what is now false charges. Innocent until proven guilty and all that. Alongside no real Hardison with the two replacement characters of Harry and Brenea just don't really click with me, feel a bit to lighthearted or such.

Alongside the OG characters got made dumber at times or less skilled to justify their plots.

For me as you said the five of them made the show. Even if the show had kept with the main three like set up in the series finale and had Nate with Sophie coming in as recurring that could have worked.

So yeah, for me Leverage is the OG show operating out of LA, Boston or Portland with the Brewpub with the crew.

Why I love the show? Good written stories with rewatch value, likeable characters, found family that feels like an actual family with the cast who really do like each other that is brought in out in their performances/interactions, the character growth is they really do keep moving forward, not backwards, not ridiculous melodrama you find in other shows, smart/skilled main characters, hardly much CGI, the overall Robin Hood concept, good camera work and etc. really.

My favorite:

Character: Like you I would say has to be between Eliot and Parker. I enjoy Nate, Sophie and Hardison, but they are not my favorites.

Ship: Either romantic or platonic for Eliot/Parker, though I think I lean a bit more towards the first one. Nate/Sophie is my second as well. Hardison/Parker is fine, it's healthy thankfully and their interactions are cute, but I can't say it does much for me. Eliot and Parker have a connection for being able to understand the other's broken world, chemistry etc.

Episode: Um it would be easier to tell you which ones I don't enjoy. The Office Job is not on my rewatch list, but yeah strangely for a TV show it's kind of hard to pick. Let's see since you already mentioned those three episodes, I'd say The DB Cooper Job, The Longway Down Job, The Carnival Job, The Rundown Job, The Bank Shot Job, The Juror #6 Job, The San Lorenzo Job, and yeah others if I thought about it.