After last season’s very big, very destructive finale, the Leverage Group disbanded and went to the four corners. Their operation was in ruins and their names and faces were exposed to the authorities by Jim Sterling; going underground was the logical move.

We return six months later in Boston. Nate has accepted a job working in insurance again and is being taken on a tour of the company’s offices when the walls close in and he runs. Runs right into a case made for the team, if only he were interested in getting the band back together.

The band wants to get back together. Desperately. Hacker, hitter, grifter, and thief have been adrift without their mastermind. Sophie has been acting, Parker stole (and returned) the Hope diamond, Hardison hacked and Eliot whacked, but none of them feels the thrill or satisfaction from crime anymore. They’ve been infected by Nate’s do-goodness. So they suck Nate back in.

Of course it doesn’t take long before the team is up and running out of Nate’s apartment in Boston.

The move of the production from LA to Portland gives the show a fresher, unique look. The Electric Entertainment team is shooting Portland for Boston but even in the premier it’s clear they are taking advantage of the city’s individual charm. Wetter, brickier, funkier, and more fun than last season’s backdrop, the move north should be invigorating.

As for what we can expect to see this season, here’s a short list of the goodness coming up:

• Wil Wheaton. Shockingly, Wheaton hadn’t worked with his old hockey buddy Dean Devlin before but the fan of the show gets to be a guest on an upcoming episode. ((Check his blog for production posts of his guest stint, starting here.))
• The return of Jim Sterling. What, you thought Mark Sheppard wouldn’t be dropping by?
• If you’ll notice in the premiere, Gina Bellman is looking a little…pregnant. She was probably a month or two along when 2.1 was filmed and as Sophie isn’t pregnant, later on this season she’ll be spending a lot more time sitting, standing behind counters, and generally hiding her belly. Around that time Jeri Ryan will join the cast as a con artist friend of Sophie’s to help the team out.
• Nate struggling with his demons. He’s dried out. Will he stay that way or will the stress of working with these thieves prove too much?
• New, slick credits using the “hitter, hacker, grifter, thief, mastermind” phrasing. In a few seconds they give just enough information for a new viewer to jump in.

Leverage was a fun diversion last winter and doesn’t miss a beat starting off this summer. Season two premieres this Wednesday, July 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Here’s a short preview to whet your appetite.