White Collar Season One Review
During the mid-1970s, there were two network television detective shows involving former conmen using their talents to outwit the bad guys and save the day for their clients. Inspired partially by the motion picture classic The Sting, both Switch and McCoy premiered in 1975 and ran a handful of years on CBS and NBC, respectively. Featuring Tony Curtis and Robert Wagner in the lead roles, the two actors brought a suave debonair that proved no match for the criminal element while the shows themselves were successful additions to the likes of The Rockford Files and McMillan and Wife.
Cable station USA Network debuted a worthy successor to these two series in October 2009 with White Collar. While it was ex-cop Eddie Albert who recruited ex-con Wagner to join him in a private detective agency on Switch, this newer addition to the genre features current convict Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) convincing the FBI agent responsible for his incarceration to participate in a unique work-release program—Caffrey agrees to assist the FBI hunt down and capture bad guys in exchange for serving the remainder of his sentence on the streets of New York City instead of behind bars.
Although Tony Curtis and Robert Wagner are acting icons who helped fashion the meaning of “cool” during their glory years, Matt Bomer holds his own following in the footsteps of such legends. Similar to his brief semi-recurring role on NBC’s Chuck as secret agent Bryce Larkin, the blue-eyed actor displays an ability to both woo the ladies with a flash of his smile and solve crimes without breaking a sweat or mussing his hair. The character of Neal Caffrey is an adept thief, art forgery expert and conman who uses his brains and intelligence to catch wrongdoers rather than relying on brawns or even the use of a gun.
If Neal Caffrey is Robert Wagner then his partner, Peter Burke, is Peter Falk. As portrayed by Tim DeKay, this FBI agent is more inclined to wear the same drab suit rather than the Rat Pack-stylings of Caffrey and his idea of after hour entertainment is a cold beer and watching basketball on TV. The hard-working, middle-class law enforcement officer is a nice contrast to the upper-class leanings of his criminal partner while the chemistry between the two actors only adds to the enjoyment of the series.
During White Collar’s initial season, the miss-matched duo are assigned cases ranging from jewelry heists to art theft to recovering a stolen Bible. Not only does Caffrey’s knowledge of the criminal mind come into play but the convicted felon’s “civilian” status enables him to maneuver and con his way through the intricate maze of the storyline while Burke’s professionalism keeps the investigation focused and on-track. And despite doubts on Burke’s part regarding the sincerity of Caffrey’s intentions, as well as Caffrey’s occasional mistrust of Burke, the two form a genuine bond of friendship in addition to their successful professional relationship.
On the USA Network drama Burn Notice, former spy Michael Westen is able to rely on retired operative Sam Axe when he finds himself stranded in Miami. For Caffrey, it is former colleague Mozzie that serves as a connection to his past life of criminal activity. While polar opposites from the physical aspect—Sam is portrayed by the teddy bear-like Bruce Campbell while Mozzie is brought to life by the turtle-esque Willie Garson—they both add to the spirit of their respective shows as well as play the role of comic relief. A paranoid conspiracy buff who lives in a storage unit in order to remain off the grid, Mozzie has a multitude of connections within both the New York and international crime community that continually provide valuable information for the cases that Caffrey is enlisted to assist on. Rounding out the cast is Elizabeth Burke (Tiffani Thiessen), Peter’s understanding and supportive wife that keeps her often forgetful and late-working husband grounded.
Like Burn Notice, which features the ongoing storyline of Michael Westen attempting to reverse the “burn notice” that turned him from spy to ex-spy in addition to the show’s weekly standalone plots, White Collar adds its own underlying thread to the narrative. In the first episode, Neal Caffrey escapes from a maximum security prison with only four months remaining on a four-year sentence after being unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend Kate (Alexandra Daddario). Convinced that there’s more to her total disappearance from his life than merely love gone cold, Caffrey uses his spare time—as well as Mozzie—to track her down. This inevitably leads to a conspiracy involving higher ups in the FBI, an antique music box and a literally explosive ending to the first season of the show.
White Collar follows a recent trend by cable channels to distinguish themselves from the forensic dramas of network television by producing crime series similar to those in the 1970s and 1980s that featured colorful characters and a heavy dose of welcomed humor. Burn Notice on USA Network, for instance, has dashes of Magnum PI and MacGyver thrown into its mix while TNT’s Leverage is an enhanced Mission: Impossible for the Twenty First Century. White Collar, meanwhile, compliments these two shows with its stylish update of the debonair conman using his talents to catch the bad guys. In the end, the USA Network series is no con but an equally worthy successor to the classic detective shows of yesteryear.
Anthony Letizia (July 19, 2010)
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