Contains discussion of sexual assault allegations and subsequent legal proceedings.
Leverage: Redemption, but Timothy Hutton's Nate Ford was missing. 2008's Leverage ran for five seasons and united a band of criminals under Nate’s leadership to con the wealthy and corrupt. Although the team was first formed as a way for Nate to get revenge on his old company for his son’s death, Leverage quickly grew beyond his vendetta, positioning the revival to continue without him after recent allegations made Hutton’s continued role impossible.
At the end of Leverage, Nate Ford stepped down from the team, handing the reins to master thief Parker and embarking on a new life with grifter Sophie Devereaux. Parker, Eliot, and Hardison went on to form Leverage International and continued to pull off incredible heists around the world. But while Sophie returned for the revival, Timothy Hutton's Nate was permanently written out. Essentially, the actor's Leverage journey ended because the actor was surrounded by controversy. Here's the rationale behind why Timothy Hutton didn't return for Leverage: Redemption, and information about his current legal battle.
The Real Reason Timothy Hutton Didn’t Return For Leverage: Redemption
Allegations Were Made Against Hutton By Actress Sera Johnston
Timothy Hutton was fired from Leverage: Redemption due to a rape allegation. In 2020, actress Sera Johnston alleged that Timothy Hutton raped her when she was 14 years old in 1983 (via THR). After Johnston’s accusation went public, Hutton’s then-current project Almost Family was canceled after one season. Leverage: Redemption was able to move forward with the rest of its ensemble cast, but Nate Ford will not reappear due to the allegations' gravity. The character was written out of the show when Sophie said Nate died from a heart attack.
The show's original run closed the book on Nate Ford’s story, rendering his appearance unnecessary.
Leverage: Redemption made no sacrifices to the plot in leaving Hutton behind, as the show's original run closed the book on Nate Ford’s story, rendering his appearance unnecessary. Though Nate was the emotional center of Leverage, the new series refocused the show on the rest of the team to turn Sophie, Parker, and Eliot into the leading characters, while Aldis Hodge’s Hardison returns part-time. The revival also added Noah Wyle (ER and The Pitt) as a lawyer looking for redemption, filling the "inside man” role that Nate used to serve.
Despite the allegations, Timothy Hutton was never charged with a crime, with authorities closing their investigation in 2021.
Timothy Hutton Sued Leverage: Redemption’s Producers
The Actor Claimed The Studio Still Owed Him $3 Million
Timothy Hutton and the producers of Leverage: Redemption ended up in a legal battle over Hutton's contract. The actor claimed that the studio broke his contract and that they still owed him around $3 million. The lawsuit condemned Electric Entertainment for not properly looking into the allegations before firing him, stating his contract "didn't include a morality clause." In addition, Hutton would've been paid $175,000 per episode, with the promise of directing at least once a season. Electric Entertainment countersued Hutton for not disclosing the allegations during their contract negotiations.
Leverage: Redemption was more prepared than most to continue without Timothy Hutton.
The trial regarding the lawsuit was set to go to court beginning February 10, 2025, but the lawsuit was settled just a few months prior to the trial in December 2024. No details have emerged about the final monetary price that was settled on, or the exact details of what was actually settled, but both sides can finally move on from a legal battle that began all the way back in early 2022.
How The Show Has Fared Without Timothy Hutton
Other Leverage Cast Got A Bigger Spotlight
While Timothy Hutton's time on Leverage has ended, the team his character brought together moved on to new heights in the revival. Many recent projects have cut, recast, or even digitally replaced cast when sexual misconduct, assault allegations, or criminal charges were made public. Leverage: Redemption was more prepared than most to continue without Timothy Hutton, and the other cast of characters got the opportunity for an even bigger spotlight in the follow-up series.
Given that Nate was such an integral part of Leverage, there were noticeable growing pains in season 1, but Leverage: Redemption found its footing without Timothy Hutton. The series has been a hit with critics and audiences alike, as it launches its season 3 premiere on April 17, 2025. Leverage as a whole has come a long way since it began, and while the hole from Hutton's absence was big at first, it has become its own thing entirely, the sign of a thriving series.
Timothy Hutton's Most Recent Role
He Had A Small Role In The Miniseries Women Of The Movement
After Leverage, Timoth Hutton enjoyed success in the Netflix miniseries The Haunting of Hill House and led his own show in Almost Family, but his days of working as a leading man are largely behind him. Hutton has only had a couple of acting credits since the controversy, the first of which was in the miniseries Women of the Movement. He also featured in two episodes of the CBS action series S.W.A.T.
Besides S.W.A.T., Timothy Hutton has had no roles in the almost two following Leverage.
Women of the Movement was about Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett Till's mother, and how she dealt with his murder and the fight for justice that followed it. Adrienne Warren played Mamie in the series, and Hutton took on the role of Jesse J. Breland, the prosecuting lawyer in Mississippi. He was only a recurring character in the series and was cast in August 2021, one month after Canadian prosecutors refused to bring criminal charges against the Leverage actor.
Created for TNT, Leverage is a heist-focused action show that follows a team of five hackers, con men, and specialists led by an insurance agent who performs robin-hood-like heists against the government and corporate entities, and wealthy criminals to help everyday people. Their ultimate goal is to dole out financial justice where the system fails.
- Cast
- Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, Gina Bellman
- Seasons
- 5
- Streaming Service(s)
- Amazon Prime Video
