White Collar (TV series)
| White Collar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Jeff Eastin |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Jon Ehrlich |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 81 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production locations | New York City, New York |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 43-50 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | USA Network |
| Release | October 23, 2009 – December 18, 2014 |
White Collar is an American police procedural drama 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 multi-talented con artist, forger, and thief, working as both Burke's criminal informant and an FBI consultant. Willie Garson and Tiffani Thiessen also star. The show premiered on October 23, 2009, on USA Network, and aired six complete seasons, concluding on December 18, 2014.
Premise
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, the head agent of the FBI’s White Collar Crimes Unit at the FBI's New York City field office. With only three months left in his four-year sentence, he escapes to look for his girlfriend, Kate. 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 and also give them full time consultation in exchange for his early release from prison as part of a work-release program. After some hesitation, Burke agrees, resulting in Neal being released early from prison and working as an FBI consultant and Burke's criminal informant. They thus begin their unconventional and testy relationship as they set out to capture elusive and dangerous white collar criminals in New York City.
Cast and characters
Main characters
- A skilled con artist, forger and thief, he is charming and intelligent. Caffrey was imprisoned after being captured by FBI Special Agent in Charge Peter Burke. Neal proposes he become an FBI consultant and Burke’s criminal informant, in exchange for early release. Burke agrees on the condition Neal wears an ankle monitor, allowing the FBI to keep a close eye on Neal's movements. Given the opportunity to build a new, honest life for himself, Neal often craves his old life, forcing him to battle with his inner saboteur.
- A hard-working, honest FBI Special Agent, and the head of the FBI’s White Collar Crimes Unit on which Neal serves at the FBI’s New York City field office.
- Willie Garson as Mozzie:
- Another con man and Neal's former mentor and best friend, Theodore "Moz" Winters, is Neal's most trusted confidant.
- 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 FBI Special Agent Diana Berrigan (recurring, season 1; main cast, seasons 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 City. She is openly lesbian.
- Sharif Atkins as FBI Special Agent Clinton Jones (recurring, seasons 1–3; main cast, seasons 4–6):
- An ex-United States Navy Lieutenant who attended the United States Naval Academy and 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 investigator for Sterling Bosch, an insurance company, 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.
- Natalie Morales as FBI Special Agent Lauren Cruz (season 1):
- A junior agent who requested a transfer to Peter's team and served on it briefly.
Recurring characters
- An elderly widow who meets Neal at a thrift store soon after his release from prison. June is a quick judge of character, and offers Neal her guest room. June also has a close friendship with Mozzie and is often seen talking to him or playing board games.
- James Rebhorn as FBI Special Agent in Charge Reese Hughes:
- The agent in charge of the FBI's Manhattan White Collar Crime Unit, Hughes is supportive of Peter's use of Neal as a confidential informant.
- Bridget Regan as Rachel Turner/Rebecca Lowe:
- An expert in ancient books, especially Mosconi's texts. Rebecca joins Neal and Mozzie in their efforts to resolve the mystery behind Mosconi's Codex and becomes Neal's new love interest.
- A professional thief and black market fence who was formerly romantically involved with Neal. She periodically assists with Peter and Neal's cases, but the nature of her and Neal's relationship is always somewhat of a mystery.
- The “blue collar” version of Neal, 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.
- Treat Williams as James Bennett/Samuel "Sam" Phelps:
- A mysterious former DC cop who turns out to be Neal's father, and who was framed for murder.
- Mark Sheppard as Curtis Hagen:
- A criminal caught during the first case on which Peter and Neal worked together.
- Judith Ivey as Ellen Parker/Kathryn Hill:
- Neal's father's former partner. She arrested Neal's father and then was put into WITSEC along with Neal and his mother.
- Noah Emmerich as FBI Special Agent Garrett Fowler:
- 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.
- Beau Bridges as FBI Special Agent Phillip Kramer:
- Peter Burke's instructor when Burke was training at the FBI Academy in 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.
- Moran Atias as Christie:
- 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.
- Titus Welliver as Senator Terrance Pratt:
- He was James's (Neal's father's) captain when he was working for the D.C. Metropolitan Police.
- Denise Vasi as Cindy:
- June's granddaughter.
Series overview
| Season | Time slot (ET) | # Ep. | Premiere | Finale | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Premiere Viewers (in millions) |
Date | Finale Viewers (in millions) |
|||
| 1 |
Friday 10PM (October 23, 2009 – December 4, 2009) Tuesday 10PM (January 19, 2010 – March 9, 2010) |
14 |
October 23, 2009
|
5.40 |
March 9, 2010
|
4.04 |
| 2 |
Tuesday 9PM (July 13, 2010 – September 7, 2010) Tuesday 10PM (January 18, 2011 – March 8, 2011) |
16 |
July 13, 2010
|
4.29 |
March 8, 2011
|
3.81 |
| 3 |
Tuesday 9PM (June 7, 2011 – August 9, 2011) Tuesday 10PM (January 17, 2012 – February 28, 2012) |
16 |
June 7, 2011
|
3.90 |
February 28, 2012
|
2.55 |
| 4 |
Tuesday 9PM (July 10, 2012 – September 18, 2012) Tuesday 10PM (January 22, 2013 – March 5, 2013) |
16 |
July 10, 2012
|
3.21 |
March 5, 2013
|
2.36 |
| 5 | Thursday 9PM (October 17, 2013 – January 30, 2014) | 13 |
October 17, 2013
|
2.53 |
January 30, 2014
|
2.99 |
| 6 | Thursday 9PM (November 6, 2014 – December 18, 2014) | 6 |
November 6, 2014
|
1.54 |
December 18, 2014
|
1.86 |
Release
Syndication
ION Television acquired the rights for syndication of White Collar in 2013 along with Burn Notice. It is the third USA Network television series to be in syndication on ION Television, along with Monk and Psych.
International broadcasts
| Country | Broadcaster(s) | Start date | Time slot |
|---|---|---|---|
|
United Kingdom Ireland |
Sky Living Alibi |
Autumn 2011 (S1) October 16, 2012 (S2 - S3) |
S2: Tuesday 10:00pm |
| Brazil | Fox Latin America (Brazil) | August 5, 2010 | 10PM Thursday |
| Mexico | Fox Latin America (Mexico) | S5: 13PM Tuesdays | |
| Bulgaria |
bTV bTV Cinema |
May 23, 2011 | 9PM weekdays 8PM (from season 2) |
| Greece | FOX (Greece) | N/A | N/A |
| Cyprus | FOX (Greece) | N/A | N/A |
| Canada |
Bravo Séries+ (French dubbed) |
9PM Wednesday | |
| Germany |
RTL (season 1 and 2) RTL Crime (season 3 and 4) Netflix (season 5 and 6) Disney Channel (re-run) |
September 13, 2011 | 11:10PM Thursday (season 2) 8:15PM Wednesday (season 3) 9:00PM Friday (season 4) |
| Hungary | RTL II | October 1, 2012 | 8PM weekdays 9PM Sunday (from season 5) |
| Japan | Mystery Channel
Dlife TV TOKYO |
January 21, 2010 (S1 - S5)
May 13, 2013, October 2, 2014 |
N/A
9PM Tuesday 12:40AM weekdays |
| Sweden | TV11 | 2013 (season 4) | N/A |
|
Somalia Bangladesh Pakistan |
Universal TV | 2010 | 11PM weekdays |
| Portugal | Fox and TVI | 2010 | 9:30PM weekdays (until season 3) |
| Italy | Fox and Italia 1 | 2010 | 9PM weekdays |
| Iran | Farsi1 | 2013 | 9PM Sunday |
| Philippines |
Fox Channel Asia (Philippines) Jack City BEAM 31 |
N/A | 10PM Tuesday |
| Slovakia | JOJ Plus | August 20, 2012 | 10PM Monday |
| Russia |
Channel One Fox Life Che |
2011 2019 |
12:20AM Wednesday ~4:00AM |
| Finland | MTV3 | January 3, 2011 | 11:35PM Monday |
| Australia | One | 2009 | 7:30PM Wednesday |
| New Zealand | MediaWorks New Zealand | December 17, 2012 | 2PM weekdays (season 1) |
| Belgium | VTM | 2012 | 11PM Sunday |
| Israel | Yes | October 23, 2009 | N/A |
| Spain |
Fox Cuatro Fox Crime Divinity |
August 24, 2011 September 2011 May 2013 |
N/A |
| France | Série Club M6 |
September 21, 2010, and July 9, 2011 | N/A |
| Thailand |
Fox Channel Asia (Thailand) NOW |
N/A | N/A |
| Jamaica | TVJ | N/A | N/A |
| Denmark | TV 2 Zulu | N/A | N/A |
| Romania | Euforia Lifestyle TV | October 9, 2013 | 11PM Mon-Thu |
| India |
STAR World Premiere Star World India |
October 18, 2013 | 9:00 PM Friday (Season 5) |
| Algeria | Programme National | N/A | N/A |
| Morocco | Medi 1 TV | N/A | 10 PM Wednesday (Season 1 to 3) |
| Lithuania | TV6 | 2014 | 4 PM Weekdays |
| Croatia | Doma TV | Autumn 2019 | 6 PM Weekdays |
| Netherlands |
RTL 8 RTL 7 (reruns) |
December 5, 2010 | N/A |
Home media
The first season of White Collar was released in the US as White Collar: The Complete First Season as a widescreen four-disc Region 1 DVD box set on July 13, 2010. 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 was released on Blu-ray. The season two four-disc Region 1 DVD box set was released on June 7, 2011. White Collar: The Complete Third Season four-disc Region 1 DVD box set was released on June 5, 2012. White Collar: Season 4 DVD box set was released on October 8, 2013. White Collar: Season 5 DVD box set was released on November 4, 2014. White Collar: Season 6 DVD box set was released on May 5, 2015.
| DVD Title | Region 4 (Australia) |
|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | August 18, 2010 |
| The Complete Second Season | February 8, 2012 |
| The Complete Third Season | December 11, 2013 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | July 2, 2014 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | December 10, 2014 |
| The Complete Sixth Season | May 6, 2015 |
| The Con-Plete Collection (Season 1–6) | May 6, 2015 |
Reception
Critical response
| Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96% (27 reviews) | 79 (21 reviews) |
| 2 | 100% (13 reviews) | — |
| 3 | 100% (10 reviews) | 72 (5 reviews) |
| 4 | 100% (12 reviews) | — |
| 5 | 83% (6 reviews) | — |
| 6 | 100% (5 reviews) | — |
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10 based on 27 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Featuring clever plotting and outstanding chemistry between its leads, White Collar is a witty, briskly-paced caper series." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 of 100 for the season, based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average score of 8/10, based on 13 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "White Collar's second season builds on the strengths of its first, placing greater emphasis on the charismatic cast, snappy banter, and compelling crimes."
For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average score of 8.1/10, based on 10 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "White Collar boasts prestige pedigree with stripped down plotting and a laser focus on relationship stakes." Metacritic assigned a score of 72 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
For the fourth season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average score of 8.7/10, based on 12 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "White Collar's fourth season keeps things moving with hefty amounts of action, intrigue, and handsomeness."
For the fifth season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 83% approval rating with an average score of 8/10, based on 6 reviews.
For the sixth season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average score of 8.7/10, based on 5 reviews.
Accolades
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 nominated for Favorite TV Cable Drama between 2012 and 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.
Possible revival
On May 6, 2020, series creator Jeff Eastin wrote on Twitter that he "Had a great convo with Matt Bomer. We have a plan to bring #WhiteCollar back." Fox 21 Television Studios, which succeeded the now-defunct Fox TV Studios, is not working on a revival as of 2020.