USA Network's ever-expanding lineup of original productions is getting ready to welcome a new set of characters.  Starting on October 23 at 10pm, the series will be airing White Collar, the story of a white collar criminal, Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) helping out the FBI agent who caught him, Peter Burke (Tim DeKay).

Caffrey is something of a jack-of-all-criminal-trades in the series, at least the white collar ones.  He can forge documents, can identify threads from Canada's secret new money on site, and can break out of maximum security prisons with ease.  He's a suave smooth talker and one would think his genius unequaled had he not been caught by Burke.

The FBI agent is the dedicated, hard-working, nose-to-the-grindstone, type of genius.  He may know everything about the criminals he follows and their methods, but the poor guy is unable to work out exactly what his wife (Tiffani Thiessen) might like for their anniversary. 

In the pilot, Burke finds himself agreeing with Caffrey's offer of help with the capture of Burke's current prey.  Caffrey is allowed out of jail with a tracking device and put in Burke's charge as the two hunt down the criminal.  The temporary situation becomes less temporary by the end of the premiere and the series promises to feature the two going after new and different criminals on a weekly basis (except for when the story will focus on Caffrey's ex-girlfriend).

As with all of USA Network's recent series, the show is a blend of comedy and drama.  In the case of White Collar's pilot, the two mix wonderfully, creating the broad outlines of what could be some great characters.  Bomer and DeKay are both adept at delivering the funny lines and still manage to create well-rounded characters who very clearly display areas of strength and weakness.

For a network which prides itself on creating interesting characters for people to watch, USA Network seems to have again managed to land a show which has some great characters at its center.  While we don't get much of Thiessen's Elizabeth in the premiere, it will be interesting to see if the show can creatively expand on her character and manage to keep her germane to the stories or if her plotlines will remain wholly separate.  Also starring in the series is Willie Garson as a criminal friend of Caffrey who helps the criminal-turned-cop out from time-to-time. 

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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