Ascension (TV Series)

Ascension is an American television drama series. That premiered in 2012. The show follows the lives of Trip Johnson and his team of thieves, each with their own special skillset, as they fight corporate and government personalities who undermine ordinary citizens.

Plot
Trip Johnson leads a team of criminals as the "Mastermind" - together, they act as modern-day Robin Hoods, staging elaborate cons for clients who have been victimized by an individual or corporation.

The earliest incarnation of the team is seen when Johnson is approached in a bar by a man who offers him $2M to retrieve a very valuable necklace that was stolen. Johnson initially refuses, but when the man tells him a story that relates to him directly, he agrees to take the job. He is presented with a team of thieves the man has assembled, comprising of a computer hacker, a retrieval specialist and a thief. The plan comes together, but after they are double-crossed, they decide to get revenge.

Trip enlists the help of Tameka Halford, a grifter from his past, and the team is born.

Setup
Most episodes follow a set story structure; after meeting a client, the team researches the villains to find a weakness to exploit as part of their con. Each con requires the specialized skills of all the members of the group, and they sometimes rely on each other's skills to make their own more effective. Towards the end of each episode, the villains seem to gain the upper hand, only to be outwitted by the team. Because most of the narrative follows the team's point of view, the audience is momentarily uninformed as to exactly how they succeeded in their con. A flashback then reveals how a complication was either anticipated by the team, or utilized in a clever improvisation. These flashbacks, which feature in every episode, sometimes reveal only in retrospect that an earlier scene was actually a clue to the team's plan. The flashbacks more oftenly reveal new information the viewer has not been privy to.

Main Characters

 * Trip Johnson (The Mastermind): A former professional wrestler who was ejected from the company he worked for due to sabotage. Learning from this experience, Trip became craftier and more aware of the cunning of certain individuals. The aftermath of Trip's divorce from his wife Amelia led to his decent into alcoholism. After meeting the team for the first time and running a con against their first mark, instead of disbanding as originally intended, Trip is asked to continue working with them and is given the privilege of leading the team and selected the clients. A skilled planner, Trip draws on his previous life experiences to anticipate the moves of his team's marks. Trip is at first very affable, but is unwilling to discuss his own problems with friends or others. His tendency to change objectives in the middle of a job, his alcoholism, and his often-tenuous relationship with his team has on occasion put the client and the team in danger.
 * Tameka Halford (The Grifter): An actress and accomplished grifter with a taste for art theft. Multi-lingual and particularly adept at the use of many accents, Tameka is seen to portray many characters in various cons, usually making direct contact with a mark to draw them into the con. Comically, her attempts to make a career as an actress lead to nothing but failure, as she proves untalented and over-the-top onstage. It is only during a con when she can disappear effortlessly into a character, where ironically she can actually act well if she is pretending to be an actress. She has a history with Trip that existed before the team was formed, though it remains unrevealed how they met. At some point, they recognized an attraction to one another, leaving Tameka alternately flustered, angry and disappointed. They have occasionally tried to further the relationship, but for various reasons either Trip or Tameka has resisted.
 * Todd Marshall (The Hacker): The team's computer specialist and hacker. He is a self-proclaimed geek and science fiction fan, with an easy going manner and dry, unusual wit. Todd can hack into most forms of electronics and is very rarely caught. He designs all of the electrical equipment utilized by the team, and is responsible for the two-way earpieces used each episode. Todd and Kelly have a developing romantic relationship, but it is fraught with personal complications.
 * James Thompson (The Hitter): The team's highly skilled martial artist, weapons expert and self-described "retrieval specialist". A former solider in the United States Army, his role in cons is often to play small roles while protecting the team, often leading him into combat that draws on his martial arts skills. James has proficiency with firearms, but claims to hate guns. While merely presumed as the muscleman, he demonstrates a subtle intelligence in conversation, often taking advantage of the underestimations of others. In contrast to the other characters, James prefers to keep his romantic life private, as well as much of his background.
 * Kelly (The Thief): An expert thief, cat-burglar, pickpocket and safe-cracker. The product of a highly abusive childhood spent in several foster homes, Kelly is socially awkward and relates poorly to those around her. Tameka has attempted to improve gaps in her social skills on numerous occasions, with limited success. Kelly also has affection for Todd, but finds it hard to convey what she feels when confronted by others. She is able to demonstrate great physical self-control, however, using acrobatics, strength and concentration to her advantage.