How Many Episodes Of "Hustle" Have You Seen?

In London, two teams are formed and prepare their operations, destined as adversaries. Michael 'Mickey Bricks' Stone is out of jail after two years for an unrelated offense; everybody knows he will do at least once more what he's good in, in fact the best in Britain: the intricate 'long con', always prepared by his American associate Albert Stroller, who finds and gains the confidence of a wealthy mark; their other known cahoots are Ash Morgan and Stacie Monroe. Meanwhile in the police force, a new man is stepping in as new head of the task force to catch them; his failed predecessor, DS Terri Hodges, fills him in on the findings, and Mickey's correctly presumed next target: businessman Peter Williams. The scam this time is to pretend a computer delay of under a second allows the 'investors' to earn a fortune on oil company Vestron's stock just before it rises as a consequence of its annual report, then pull the plug and run with the 'seed money'. A surprise element, however spotted by the police, is young short con- artist Danny Blue, who skilfully forces his way into Mickey's team after being refused a cut when he just asked for a chance to learn from the masters. The police already has a case against him, and offers him his freedom if he stays in the scam to spy and testify afterward. Things work out differently, because of another scam...

The team focus on the art world and specifically Meredith Gates, an art collector and dealer who is an expert on the works of Mondrian. The plan is to produce a forged Mondrian that would show he experimented with cubism long before Picasso. Having found their forger, they must now provide him with period-specific materials while at the same time setting the trap for Gates. What they do not realize is that they too are being set up and may end up with nothing.

The con artists set their sights on Katherine Winterbourne a very rich woman, now divorced, whose nasty reputation is well deserved. In her ongoing battle with her now ex-husband, she even killed his dogs. The team's plan is to use her hatred of her ex against her. They set themselves up as investors planning to build a luxury hotel that would compete directly with that of her ex-husband's. Her desire for further revenge is such that she insists on investing in the scheme. As Mickey gets to know her however, he comes to believe that they are scamming an honest person and wants to stop the con.

Back from their holiday, the team learns that an old friend and con artist, has been sent to prison. He tried to con businessman Howard Jennings in a stock deal but unfortunately for him, Jennings knew the game too well. Danny is very keen to take this fellow on and now has to devise a plan for the most difficult of marks: conning someone without them ever knowing they have ever been conned. So, they try to convince Jennings that there is possibly a gold mine in the heart of London.

The team set their sights on a former African despot, Anthony Mgube, who now lives in Switzerland. Mgube collects old banknotes and very much wants to get his hands on a 19th century US $1000 note. All is going well until Danny shows up with a new friend, Trevor Speed, who wants in on the long con. The team is reluctant to take him on, but eventually give in to Danny's ultimatum to trust him or he'll quit. Meanwhile, Stacie is upset that her bank has charged her £85 for a very minor overage on her account and she enlists Albie to help her get even. In the end, nothing is as it seems. Mickey has a bit of fun with bar owner Eddie who thinks the team are always taking advantage of him.

The team's next victim is Jake Henry, Stacie Monroe's husband. He walked out on her five years previously and cleaned out her bank account leaving her, as she says, a cactus, a Phil Collins CD and a stale piece of cheese. Henry fancies himself a top poker player so the plan is to scam him in a game of Texas Holdem. There may be cause for concern however when Stacie apparently starts to re-connect with Henry and he in turn wants them to renew their relationship.

The team plan to con a violent businessman out of a hundred grand by pretending to be music promoters interested in representing his young son.

Con artist JW3 (James Whittaker Wright III) arrives on the scene hoping for revenge on the bank responsible for ruining his grandfather - who sold fake gold mines on the stock market. The team step into action, with Danny posing as a City businessman, but it's not long before they come unstuck and realize their ally could be just as deceitful as they are.

When Stacie's friend attempts suicide because of a slanderous story about her by a newspaper. The team, expectedly, decide to make a mark out of the newspaper. A false headline about the identity of the queen mother quickly intrigues the chief editor and his top reporter. However, the editor isn't the only one worrying about the truth of the story.

As Mickey leaves for a big score in Australia, Danny steps up to the mark as the gangs new leader, but can he convince a greedy American businessman to buy the Hollywood Hills sign?

The grifters' barman Eddie approaches them as his father is in a nursing home that is trying to take his home from him in a very underhand way. The nursing home has just been taken over by Veronica Powell and the grifters, having seen her in action, vow to take her down.

Danny and the crew successfully scam a greedy Japanese businessman, Mr. Yakubi, using a foreign currency scam. They then go against their own better judgment and decide to try the same ruse on a caviar importer. Their scam is interrupted however when Yakubi's son shows up at Eddie's bar and demands revenge, saying he has to retrieve his father's honor. The crew aren't impressed until he reveals that he is holding Eddie hostage.

Mickey returns from his sojourn in Australia to find that the old team is no more. Danny and Stacie are still in America working long cons, Ash has been reduced to grifting in bars and Eddie was forced to close the bar and is working as the head waiter in a restaurant. Even Albert is out of action finding himself in jail. He does have a mark for Mickey however, an attractive young woman Sarah Naismith who has made a fortune in real estate, usually taking advantage of people in less fortunate circumstances, and would likely fall for any scam that suggested inside information was available. Mickey poses as William Dagmar, a stock trader with supposed insider information and they hook their victim pretty easily. What no one one realizes is that the grifters are under surveillance by a previous victim and some quick thinking is required is they are all to survive.

Albert is due for parole and a key member of the parole board is Judge Kent. Years earlier he was alleged to have been involved in a gold bullion robbery but,after the main robber died, the whereabouts of the loot were lost and he never received his pay-out.Mickey and Emma convince him that they know where the loot is, in order to get the wherewithal for Albert's coming out party whilst Ash schools Sean in the niceties of casino cons.

The con artists set their their sights on Rhona Christie, a Member of Parliament, who is not only ruthless in her business dealings but is also lining her pockets. Her crooked deal is to buy properties with listed buildings at reduced prices and then through her position in government have them de-listed, resulting in a huge rise in value and a substantial profit following a quick re-sale. She's very discreet however and working through intermediaries, keeps her own hands clean; she is, for all appearances, the hard working MP with only the people's interest at heart. With Arthur posing as a local real-estate mogul and young Sean as the inside man working as her unpaid PA, they set about convincing her to invest in a major re-development project. Not satisfied with just taking her money however, they also decide to make sure they ruin her reputation as well.

The team plans to shake down an investment banker bailed out by the government during the credit crisis yet still getting a 500 grand pension per year. Complications arise when the Detective Chief Inspector Britford announces herself with the intention to apprehend Mickey.

When Albert finds himself half a million pounds in debt to the far from refined Czech Charlie, following a poker game, and needs to get the money in under a week, a mark is sought in earnest to provide the cash. The gang seize upon Luke Baincross, choleric playboy, tax dodger and womanizer, who has inherited a country house and a vast collection of Indian art, the centre-piece being a jewel-encrusted tiger which he would like to sell but cannot due to a clause in a family trust. For a fee the hustlers agree to steal the tiger whilst it is on loan to a museum so that Luke can collect the insurance, but maximum security abounds at both Luke's house and the museum, forcing a complicated plan to swap the real tiger for a dummy one.

Mickey gets conned after buying a defective mobile phone online and to sensible Emma's amazement the three older men believe that bad luck will result when a hustler is duped unless he can turn the tables on his swindler. This is brash yuppie entrepreneur Mervyn Lloyd. Sean becomes the team's inside man, working for Lloyd after supposedly being fired by Albert and persuading him to invest in a wonderful new product, a universal insect repellent, before Albert does. Barman Eddie,normally one of life's unfortunates, finds himself on a roll as he takes on board Mickey's good luck while Mickey hits rock bottom.

Having 'sold' the Houses of Parliament to some Japanese businessmen the quintet of hustlers smugly seek another mark and have a choice of three unsympathetic victims. However they change their plan to trap Wendy Stanton,who rooks young girls like Eddie's niece Kacey of their savings with her less than above board model agency. Micky poses as a designer anxious to sign Kacey up as the face of his UK Chic line. A bogus shoot is set up in a disused warehouse where Wendy is asked to invest a five figure sum to have her name associated with the launch. An even more elaborate scam follows,involving the supposed ransom of a non-existent Brit caught drug peddling in Thailand,which allows the hustlers to also fleece their original three targets whilst Kacey is given a contract with Wendy's honest rival.

American Marcus Wendell opens his first British casino, proclaiming his hatred of cheats. He tells how, at the very first Wendell casino a hundred and fifty years ago, Albert's great grandfather was branded a cheat, which Albert denies. Marcus knows that the gang are hustlers so that, when they agree to help Albert clear his ancestor's name in a grudge match, they are at a disadvantage. An elaborate scheme to sell Marcus a supposedly antique roulette wheel which is rigged backfires but fortune literally favours Albert when Marcus's own wheel, a family heirloom, proves that his ancestors were less honest than they claimed.

When his old football club,Railton,goes into administration because greedy sports agent Don Coleman has sold his client, star player Asda Price, at vast profits to himself,Ash declares a grudge match against Coleman. Mickey reels him in by posing as a businessman whose company are looking for investors in worthy sporting projects,then,as a show of faith,the hustlers pay Coleman to manage Sean,masquerading as a Canadian footballer looking for a work permit. Mickey resumes the remainder of the sting in which Albert,alias millionaire Karl Schultz,'sells' his non-existent football team to Coleman,the result ensuring that Railton F.C. are back in business.

The gang go after mouthy Dexter Gold (born Dexter Pratt) whose advertisements claim that he pays top prices for gold but cheats his customers,including Albert's friend widowed Vivienne. Furthermore he would seem to be a fence for several bullion robberies,laundering the proceeds to a German contact. The hustlers engineer an accidental meeting,claiming that they are renegade soldiers who stole gold bars from Muamma Gaddafi though only one bar is genuine. With an inside accomplice and the fortuitous intervention of the army Gold is easy to fleece. A harder task is making up to Eddie after they have childishly defaced the signed photo of his soccer god Ian Rush.

Mickey simultaneously tries to con their next mark, Linda Runcorn, while dealing with threats from corrupt Detective Inspector Fisk; meanwhile there's an old friend of Sean and Emma wanting to join the crew.

Dale Ridley,a former TV game show host sacked for corruption,is now an equally dishonest property developer,bribing his way into getting what he wants but clever enough to let his minions appear to be the twisters. When he demolishes Albert's favourite pub the hustlers decide to make him their latest mark. Posing as American businessmen Albert and Micky persuade him to buy into their consortium which is aiming to purchase London City Studios,the very building from which Ridley was sacked and which he is itching to bull-doze. The appearance of Ash's young godson Alfie,whom the grifters are minding,almost jeopardises the heist as Ridley steals back his money but the gang manage to retrieve it - apart from the wad to which Alfie helped himself.