USA once again proves that the best TV shows are on cable with the premiere of their latest series White Collar. Starring Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Tiffani Thiessen and Willie Garson, the ninety-minute premiere is followed by thirteen one-hour episodes. White Collar is about the most unlikely of partnerships between a con artist and an FBI agent who have been playing cat-and-mouse for years. The story unfolds after Neal Caffrey (Bomer), a charming criminal mastermind, has been caught by his nemesis, G-man extraordinaire Peter Burke (DeKay). After escaping from a maximum-security prison to find his long-lost love, Neal is nabbed by Peter once again. Rather than returning to jail for this daring getaway, Neal suggests an alternate plan: he’ll provide his expertise to assist the feds in catching other notorious and elusive criminals – in return for his freedom.
Initially wary, Peter quickly finds that Neal provides insight and intuition that cannot be found on the right side of the law. Thiessen plays Elizabeth, Peter’s wife, an intelligent, high-profile event planner. Garson plays Mozzie, a friend of Caffrey’s who has a strong distrust of the Feds and an unyielding belief in conspiracy theories about everything; with his ear to the ground, Mozzie is always tapped into what’s happening on the street. Diahann Carroll guest-stars in the pilot and will be recurring in several episodes.
The premiere is a great first show and really sharply written. All of the characters, whether they be law enforcement or criminal, are treated as very smart with dialogue and a plot to match. More importantly, the show never plays dumb to the audience either. The chemistry between Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay is nothing short of amazing and the show is on fire every time they share scenes together. Even when they are solo, share scenes with other characters or the focus is on Tiffani Thiessen or Willie Garson the end result still beats the pants off any network show and most cable series. You need more convincing? All right, how about Mark Sheperd guest-starring in the premiere and Natalie Morales joining the cast full time with the second episode? Yeah, I knew that would win you over. Tune in to or DVR USA Network Fridays at 10:00PM.