People have always been obsessed with con artists, long before Clooney and Pitt came along to suave up our movie screens. Personally, I think it’s the human need to be in the know and to feel smarter than the poor saps who fall for the games that get run on them. But you’re not here for pop psychology, you’re here for the cons.
- Leverage- “Sometimes the bad guys are the good guys” Basically a bunch of thieves play Robin Hood by taking down a new soulless corporate suit/one-percenter every episode and making restitution to their victims. Fun and Funny. This show is basically an off-brand Ocean’s Eleven. The cons are inventive, and the cast is charming as hell. One of those empty calories kind of binges.
- White Collar- If Leverage is Ocean’s Eleven then White Collar is Catch Me If You Can. Matt Bomer is as cool as the other side of the pillow in this story of a Con Man who teams up with the FBI agent who caught him. Another fun, lighthearted show that only really ups the stakes at the end of each season. Willie Garson is a standout as comic relief. And yes, that is Tiffani Thiessen aka Kelly Kapowski that you see co-starring as well.
- Hustle- A UK series featuring another set of con artists with a code. Entertaining with a bevy of fourth wall breaks. The cast is superb but the main reason to watch is to see acting icon Robert Vaughn in action, proving that age hasn’t slowed him down one bit.
- Sneaky Pete- Convict conman assumes the identity of his cellmate to avoid gangsters. Whatever. Who cares about plot, this show features esteemed character actress Margo Martindale. Her name is enough reason for you to watch anything.
- The Riches- Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard playing a married couple pretending to be another married couple. That’s all you really need to know.
- Blacke’s Magic- This is going old school. A magician and his conman father solve crimes. This is a “how-done-it” detective series but it involves unraveling a lot of sophisticated cons and should still satisfy your grifter thirst.
- The Catch- A P.I. gets conned by her fiancé and decides to track him down before word gets out. Okay, it’s a mediocre show with not as much conning as you may like; but it’s got Peter Krause who is always enjoyable to watch. This is more of a guilty pleasure than a must-watch.
- Pros and Cons– This Danish dramedy about a married couple forced back into the game for one more con has solid laughs and a clever plot. It’s a deep cut for sure but worth a watch.
- Imposters- This is not a show about a variety of cons. This is a show about honey pot cons and the complications that arise from sleeping with your mark. And those complications are often hilarious.
- Burn Notice- Okay, yes, the show is about an ex-spy and the voice-overs talk about spycraft constantly but let’s get real. The main character is an ex-spy, and most everything he does is either a con or involves blowing something up so I’m going to count it. Bruce Campbell is his usual awesome self in this one.