White Collar is a USA Network television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Tim DeKay as FBI Special Agent Peter Burke and Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey, a highly intelligent and multitalented con artist working as Burke's criminal informant. Willie Garson and Tiffani Thiessen also star. The show premiered on October 23, 2009, and has aired six complete seasons, with the final season concluding on December 18, 2014.
Neal Caffrey, a renowned con artist, forger, and thief, is captured after a three-year game of cat and mouse with the FBI, specifically Special Agent Peter Burke. With only three months left in his four-year sentence, he escapes to look for his girlfriend, Kate. Peter Burke once again finds Caffrey and returns him to prison. This time, Caffrey proposes a deal to help Burke apprehend dangerous white collar criminals with the FBI as part of a work-release program. After some hesitation, Burke agrees. They thus begin their unconventional and testing relationship.
Main characters
Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey:
A skilled forger and thief, Caffrey was imprisoned after being captured by FBI Special Agent Peter Burke. Neal proposes he become an FBI consultant, in exchange for early release. Burke agrees on the condition Neal wears an ankle monitor. Despite being given the opportunity to build a new, honest life for himself, Neal often craves his old life, forcing him to choose between the two.
Tim DeKay as Special Agent in Charge Peter Burke:
A hard-working, honest FBI agent, and the head of the investigative team on which Neal serves. He is very committed to his marriage and loves his home life. Peter is the person Neal trusts the most, and Peter is determined to convince Neal that an honest life is possible.
Willie Garson as Mozzie:
Another con man and close friend of Neal, Mozzie, or Moz, is Neal's most trusted confidante. Abandoned as a baby, he grew up in an orphanage and several foster homes in Detroit, where he learned to be a con man. Though lacking Neal's people skills, he appears to be a jack of all trades, has an eidetic memory, and, occasionally, helps with investigations. Moz takes his nickname from a childhood teddy bear named Mozart.
Tiffani Thiessen as Elizabeth Burke:
An event planner and Peter's wife. She is supportive and understanding of his work and long hours away. An intelligent woman herself, Elizabeth is able to discuss Peter's cases with him, and admires Neal's refinement.
Marsha Thomason as Special Agent Diana Berrigan (recurring, season 1; main cast, season 2–6):
Previously Peter's probationary agent, Diana assists on Peter and Neal's first case together. Transferred to D.C. after her probation ends, she later returns to the investigative team in New York. She is openly gay.
Sharif Atkins as Special Agent Clinton Jones (recurring, seasons 1–3; main cast, season 4–6):
Peter's point man who is responsible for carrying out a variety of tasks during the team's investigations, including surveillance. He appreciates Neal's unorthodox contributions to the team.
Hilarie Burton as Sara Ellis (recurring, seasons 2 and 4; main cast, season 3):
An insurance company investigator who testified against Neal when he was on trial, and determined to see him return to prison, she later discovers she enjoys working with him. During an investigation, they embark on a romantic relationship, complicated by the reappearance of Alex.
An elderly widow who meets Neal at a thrift store, June is a quick judge of character, and soon offers Neal her guest room. June also has a close friendship with Mozzie and is often seen talking to him or playing board games.
An expert in ancient books, especially Mosconi's texts. First meets with Neal while working as a curator in a museum, from which Neal steals the mysterious Chapter 13 of Mosconi's Codex. Rebecca joins Neal and Mozzie in their efforts to resolve the mystery behind the Codex and becomes Neal's new love interest. Later it is revealed that Rebecca Lowe was a fake identity of a rogue MI5 agent Rachel Turner who became a paid thief and assassin for hire. She is responsible for the murders of David Seigel and Curtis Hagen.
A professional thief and black market fence who was formerly romantically involved with Neal, when they meet up again, the relationship is not rekindled. She periodically assists with Peter and Neal's cases.
A thief and archrival of Neal, Keller was arrested and jailed by Peter but later escaped and tried to steal the U-boat treasure that Neal and Mozzie have.
Neal's missing girlfriend, who appears to be acting under the direction of a mysterious man, identifiable only by his 10-year commemorative FBI ring. She provides Neal with cryptic clues when she wants to communicate with him, and eventually prepares to reunite with Neal.
A mysterious former cop who turns out to be Neal's father, and who was framed for murder. Initially, Neal was skeptical of his father's self-proclaimed innocence. However, after revealing more evidence, Neal becomes convinced of his father's innocence. James (like Ellen) was also in WITSEC protection.
A criminal caught during the first case on which Peter and Neal worked together. Later blackmailed Neal to destroy evidence against him in exchange for help in freeing Peter from jail. Forced Neal to steal Chapter 13 of Mosconi's Codex for him. Killed by Rachel Turner.
A discredited agent from the Office of Professional Responsibility, his abuse of authority in pursuit of Neal and Peter eventually leads to his forced resignation. Neal believes he is responsible for Kate's death.
Peter Burke's instructor when Burke was training at Quantico, and later Burke's mentor. Kramer works in the Art Crimes Unit in Washington, D.C. He, like Neal, is an expert in art, and believes Neal is too valuable to be a free man, so plans to have Neal transferred to Washington, D.C. to work with him.
Diana's girlfriend. She is a physician who works at a hospital. She first appeared in the episode "Deadline" (3.03). In the third season episode "Pulling Strings" (3.14), Christie proposed to Diana. Diana reports the couple's breakup in the season four episode "Honor Among Thieves".
A wealthy financier who is the subject of a long con soon after Neal and Mozzie get together. Kate was working as Adler's personal assistant when Neal took a job with Adler in order to gain his confidence and get the information needed for the con. Adler taught Neal about personal style and to enjoy an expensive lifestyle. Adler disappeared about two years before Neal first went to prison when it was discovered that he had been running a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. He is shot by Peter after attempting to shoot Neal at the end of season 2.
Emily Procter as Assistant Special Agent (in charge) Amanda Callaway:
Her promotion to the White Collar Division in New York was met with great suspicion by Peter and Neal. They are convinced that her promotion from the Atlanta White Collar Division to the New York White Collar Division was the result of political influence. More specifically, they believe that Senator Pratt brought about her promotion so that she could protect his best interests. Peter and Neal don't like her micro-management style, and they are also convinced that Callaway is stalling their investigation in order to protect Pratt.
He was James's (i.e., Neal's father's) captain when he was working for the D.C. Metropolitan Police. Peter and Neal are absolutely convinced that Pratt is corrupt, and has been corrupt since his days on the D.C. Metropolitan Police. He got into politics and eventually became a U.S. Senator representing the State of Maryland. According to Peter, Pratt has "incredible reach." Neal and Peter are certain that he was involved with the Flynn mob family syndicate. Peter and Neal are determined to take down Pratt and bring him to justice for personal and professional reasons.
June's granddaughter. She first appeared in the pilot episode and returned with the third season premiere, "On Guard" (3.01).
Reception
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8 out of 10 based on 20 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Featuring clever plotting and outstanding chemistry between its leads, White Collar is a witty, briskly-paced, caper series. On Metacritic, the series holds a 79 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Awards and nominations
At the People's Choice Awards, White Collar was nominated in the categories of Favorite TV Obsession and Favorite Dramedy in 2011 and 2015. It was also nominated for Favorite TV Cable Drama between 2012-2014. Matt Bomer won the award for Favorite TV Cable Actor in 2015. Diahann Carroll was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama series at the Image Awards, in 2012 and 2014. At the TV Guide Awards, actors Tim DeKay and Matt Bomer were both nominated for Favorite Duo in 2012. At the NewNowNext Awards, Matt Bomer was nominated in the category of Cause You're Hot in 2010. Regan Mizrahi was nominated in the category of Best Performance in a TV series - Guest Starring Young Actor at the Young Artist Awards in 2012. The pilot received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Television Pilot - Drama at the Casting Society of America Awards in 2010.
Syndication
ION Television acquired the rights for syndication of White Collar in 2013 along with Burn Notice. It was the third USA Network television series to be in syndication on ION Television, along with Monk and Psych.
DVD releases
The first season of White Collar was released in the USA under the title White Collar: The Complete First Season as a widescreen four-disc Region 1 DVD box set on July 13, 2010.
DVD extras included Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Commentary, Exclusive Featurettes: "Pro and Con", "A Cool Cat in the Hat", and "Nothing But the Truth". The same set was released on July 26, 2010 in Region 2, and on August 18, 2010 in Region 4. The first season of White Collar is available on Blu-ray.
The season two four-disc Region 1 DVD box set was released on June 7, 2011. DVD extras consist of Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Episode Commentaries (for episodes 2x09 "Point Blank", 2x12 "Forging Bonds" and 2x16 "Under The Radar") and Exclusive Featurettes: "White Collar Roasts Burn Notice: Rivalry in the Writers' Rooms", "Burn Notice Roasts White Collar: Rivalry in the Writers' Rooms", "Slick Willie", and "So Here's The Deal: Anatomy of an Episode". The DVD was released on Region 2 on the February 18, 2013.
White Collar: The Complete Third Season four-disc Region 1 DVD box set was released on June 5, 2012. Region 1 DVD Features: Interrogation room, a trivia challenge with the cast, Jeff Eastin, @ddicted, Gag reel, Deleted scenes, Audio commentary on season finale, Dual Layer Widescreen - 1.78, Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Subtitles - English SDH, French, Spanish
White Collar: Season 4 DVD box set was released on October 8, 2013. DVD Features: Region 1 Note: Deleted scenes Gag reel Tim DeKay - in the director's chair "In the wind" commentary featuring Jeff Eastin, Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay and Willie Garson Dual Layer Widescreen - 1.78 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Subtitles - English, French, Spanish
White Collar: Season 5 DVD box set was released on November 4, 2014. DVD Features: Region 1 Note: Audio commentary on the season finale. Deleted scenes Gag reel Willie Garson: director extraordinaire Dual Layer Widescreen - 1.78 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Subtitles - English, French, Spanish.
White Collar: Season 6 DVD box set was released on May 5, 2015. DVD Features: Region 1 Note: Audio commentary featuring Jeff Eastin, Tim DeKay and Willie Garson, Audio commentary featuring Jeff Eastin and Matt Bomer, Deleted scenes Gag reel White Collar: case closed retrospective Dual Layer Widescreen - 1.78 Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - English Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Subtitles - English, French, Spanish.
