With the endless deluge of crime and police dramas on television today, it's almost impossible to choose which, if any, to watch. The key is to locate the most original, well−scripted and eye−catching show of the genre, which just might be USA's "White Collar."
To the casual viewer, "White Collar" could very well appear to be just another "Law & Order" (1990−2010), "NCIS" or "CSI" knockoff. On closer inspection, though, it is actually much more.
The show stars Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey, a high−class art thief, forger, artist and general smooth−talker. After being arrested by FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay), Caffrey manages to convince the FBI to let him out of jail on a work−release program. The deal: Caffrey serves as a consultant for Burke's White Collar Crime Unit while being tracked via GPS at all times.
When not working for the FBI, Caffrey struggles to solve his own life's mysteries. He also contemplates how to pull off the next big score with his odd but highly intelligent partner, Mozzie (Willie Garson). Episodes consist of Burke and Caffrey working together to solve a new case while a season−long plot arc develops. In short, "White Collar" has a highly unorthodox and original plot and is in no way just another cop drama. Creator Jeff Eastin has produced truly clever television.
Much of the show's quality comes from its writing and the cast's pitch−perfect delivery. Not only do the characters sound like they know exactly what they are talking about concerning FBI operations and major heists, but they also manage to convey things in a witty fashion. All of the characters, including Special Agent Diana Berrigan (Marsha Thomason) and Burke's wife Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) — "Mrs. Suit" as Mozzie calls her — are humorous in their own fashion, spitting out rapid−fire dialogue that comes off smoothly and leaves the audience chuckling.
Still, no one pulls things off better than Bomer and DeKay do. The partnership between Caffrey and Burke is a perfect pairing of sly and stiff, classy and domesticated, witty and stern. Their tongue−in−cheek manner of speech — a sort of back−and−forth relationship that involves constant jabs interlaced with sincere friendship — never ceases to amuse and touch the viewer. As complicated as their bond might be, it is the bedrock of the show and contains some of the finest onscreen chemistry seen in years.
Aesthetically, "White Collar" is appealing as well. Filmed on−location in New York City, the environments for each episode are expansive and vibrant. They include tangible aspects of the city so that viewers really feel the setting.
Furthermore, the actors and actresses are — to put it delicately — rather attractive. Infiltrating the white−collar world of crime requires slick suits and sleek dresses. The costumes of the show make the viewer want to get off the couch and "suit up." Caffrey, with an expensive taste in just about everything, leads this charge as one of the classiest looking players on television; he gives Don Draper a run for his money.
Having run successfully through two seasons, "White Collar" is now in its third year and gearing for a fourth down the road. In this season's overarching plotline, an uneasy tension has formed between Caffrey and Burke, as the former has stolen a horde of priceless treasure and the latter is avidly, and secretly, searching for it. With each suspecting the other of treacherous actions, their covert conflict has the cast walking on thin ice at every turn.
While entertaining in theory, the plotline of season three has added little to the show in terms of quality. What fans loved about the first two seasons was the sincere, albeit unorthodox, friendship between Caffrey and Burke. Pitting them against one another has laced this camaraderie with lies and deceit, thus taking away much of the trust and faith they have built over time and detracting from the overall experience of the show.
It isn't often that "White Collar" puts out a poor episode, but once or twice a season an episode will surface where the case at hand takes up all the time, leading to a lack of progression in the season's overall plot. Such episodes weigh down the flow of the series, but with Burke teasing Caffrey or Caffrey smooth−talking a criminal, even the duds always manage to entertain.
Despite the underlying plot issues with season three, "White Collar" is one of the wittiest and most innovative shows out there. If a look at Bomer isn't enough to draw you in, take a chance and watch an episode. You'll quickly find out why this "not just another cop drama" is the one to watch.
