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47 reviews in total

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206 out of 221 people found the following review useful:
White Collar is Clever, Crisp, and Hugely Entertaining, 25 October 2009

Author: tom terri from NY, United States

Think of White Collar as a little bit "48 Hours" (the Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte classic) and a little bit "Catch Me If You Can" (the DiCaprio & Hanks rollick). "Law & Order" this ain't. Call it "fun TV".

The premise: What do you do with an amazing criminal mind (white collar, of course) frittering away in a super-max prison, that he can apparently escape from at will? The answer soon comes when said genius criminal Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) offers to help the FBI agent who originally caught him solve a case that's been frustrating him for years. Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) while wary, realizes this "may"...repeat "may" be a way to finally catch the bad guy.. White Collar is another USA "Characters welcome" offering, and it's a great one.

Tim DeKay is pitch perfect as the agent who lives his job. He has a kind of "Tom Hanks meets young Jack Lemmon" quality that is spot on for the tone of the show. He's written as real guy in a tough spot. He truly loves his wife, but tireless dedication to "the job" causes him to forget anniversaries, and regularly arrive home after his wife is long 'a bed. His wife Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) often eats dinners alone... well, sort of.

Matt Bomer, soon to be a household name, vaults from his supporting role of Bryce on "Chuck" straight into a major lead role that fits him like a glove... like he was born to do this. Along with class A hunky good looks, Bomer also has a vulnerable quality that is quite touching. Ladies, he's Oooo so cute, slick, smart and gosh darn lovable, that your significant other may actually allow you to gaze... This show has something for everyone. The story line is not at all predictable. You want to watch how this might end.

Tiffani Thiessen is actually a lovely surprise, having matured nicely as an actress from her 90210 days. Amazing for a pilot, there is sweet gentle chemistry with her FBI hubby.

This FBI version of the "truly odd couple" takes straight off on a smart, well written, snappy crime-solving adventure. The dialog is zippy, and once the obligatory plot setup is laid down, the laughs come early and often. This too makes White Collar good family entertainment.

If the series follows the pilot's lead, there will be ZERO gratuitous violence, another reason to appreciate the show. Caffrey charms and disarms all creatures great and small, while using his near savant abilities to see what the FBI cannot. The lead characters are perfectly complementary. The casting is sublime. Even the score is hip, something that USA recently seems to have cornered the market on.

Personally I can't wait for the next installment of what promises to be a seriously entertaining and original show.

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67 out of 80 people found the following review useful:
Fun!, 25 January 2010

Author: Bif from United States

If you are a fan of the buddy cop genre (if not, start with French Connection and work forwards), you'll know the basic rules:

1 - One 'straight' cop, one 'rogue' cop

2 - The two have a love/hate relationship, although deep down, it's love

3 - The pair learn about themselves and each other while solving wacky crimes

4 - Hilarity ensues

Since the genre itself starts off very close to satire, it's easy for a show to devolve into parody and idiocy - remember when David Addison turned into a freaking frog on Moonlighting? Luckily, White Collar hasn't gone in that direction.

In fact, it is funny, clever, well written, the cast is great, and they have obviously made a clear choice to focus on character relationships and not to obsess over getting all the real-life details exactingly accurate.

If you want heavy, serious drama you should watch The Wire; if you want silly comedy, watch Chuck; but if you want something smart and funny, but light, try White Collar. You can think of it as Burn Notice's older, more mature, brother.

(For the record, I like and enjoy every show mentioned in this review - except for maybe that frog episode.)

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63 out of 74 people found the following review useful:
finally...good TV, 29 October 2009

Author: Danny_was_here from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

well written, actually funny shows with believable characters are almost impossible to find. Thankfully, USA has provided all those qualities and more in this new show. The pilot starts out humorous and interesting and only gets better. Each character that is introduced is three dimensional, unlike the cardboard cutouts most shows are packed with. And viewers will find themselves rooting for both the conman and the FBI. The dialog is both funny and smart. And the pace of the show is perfect. Fast paced, but not impossible to follow. I don't watch much TV, as I consider most shows nothing more than a way to waste an hour of my life. But if this show continues on the trend the pilot set, I'll be back every week to check in on these fascinating characters. White Collar is highly recommended for anyone who appreciates intelligent and witty TV.

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63 out of 76 people found the following review useful:
Best new show, 14 November 2009
Author: Meeshka_Meows from United States

Very clever and has your rooting for both the good guys (FBI) and the bad guy (Neal in this case). The pairing of the FBI couple is just right and of course Matt as the con reminds me so much of Pierce Brosnan in the movie "After the Sunset" in which he played a perfect con man and there grew to be a grudging respect between the con and the FBI guy (Woody).

I can see that happening here too and if this lives up to the first few episodes, I'll be tuning in each week as this show is refreshing. I'm tired of the gore in many of the top crime shows. I actually taped this and showed the first two episodes to a few friends that hadn't heard of it and now I have them hooked on it and they want to watch it each week. Let's hope the networks finally realize the gore is getting to be too much and this type of show really works and let's hope it lasts a long time.

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65 out of 87 people found the following review useful:
White Collar, 27 November 2009

Author: reyvel12 from Puerto Rico

I disagree with this comments, Im a fan of House, Dexter, CSI Miami, etc. and I believe that White Collar has the same potential to be a TV series than any of my favorites. Today is the first time I watch the show (by the way a USA marathon) and I love it, was looking to by the first season but I see this is the first one, can't wait till comes out in stores to buy it, keep the good work USA, criticism is good, positive or negative, but listen to the people and not to just one critic. The combination of good guy bad guy has always worked, and with such good actors and actresses White Collar has everything that is needed to become a hit, keep bringing good stories to the series, congratulations to the writer and all the team for bringing me, personally, another good TV series to talk about. Thanks, Rey

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52 out of 66 people found the following review useful:
Great Show, 29 November 2009

Author: myriamkayleigh from United States

I am glad that this show is on the USA network, or else I might never have heard of it. I am so happy that I got into it before the pilot even showed on TV. The first time I saw a commercial promoting White Collar, I was overwhelmed by how awesome and semi- original it appeared. It's not the most original show of its genre, but the way that it is composed and delivered is profoundly different than other shows. The actors (ALL of the actors) are superb at their jobs. This is a must- see for everyone, no matter who you are. You will almost certainly love it and become hopelessly devoted. Oh and I am happy that Matthew Bomer is finally a lead in a show that is practically guaranteed to last a while. Thank you.

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41 out of 46 people found the following review useful:
Captivating series, 30 March 2010

Author: citiboi bkk from Thailand

I must say that I was one of those who watched the pilot and was not taken in at all. I thought that the theme for the series was too banal and overused. However, after I read the plaudits for the series, I decided to watch the 2nd and 3rd episodes and I must say I am really glad that I watched them.

The storyline is brilliant and captivating. The chemistry between Neal and Peter is totally amazing and believable. The casting is really good and I particularly like Mozzie. Well, the series does come across as a little too slick at times but this makes the series really entertaining.

I really hope that the ratings will be really good and that the series will return for a second season.

I highly recommend this series to any skeptics out there.

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33 out of 38 people found the following review useful:
A charming and funny new show, 3 April 2010

Author: xox_rachy_xo from United Kingdom

Recently I watched numerous pilots of new shows that have come out this year, and 'White Collar' is one which came out on top.

To begin with, the pilot immediately caught my attention. I liked that they didn't make Burke an idiot like they normally do. In fact none of the characters are made out to be naive or stupid, which is refreshing in television nowadays. I also found Burke and Caffrey's relationship very charming- the writers didn't pretend to make them dislike each other and to have Caffrey forced upon Burke but instead they have respect for each other and at separate times they both show the level of their friendship with each other.

I found the show charming and funny. It is finally a show that doesn't take itself seriously 100% of the time. You have the nice balance of the personal struggle of Caffrey to find Kate mixed with the episodes storyline, a balance which I think works effectively.

Definitely watch this show if you enjoy something that is both easy to watch and entertaining.

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45 out of 67 people found the following review useful:
A bit of alright., 27 November 2009

Author: Pax from Canada

This isn't discovery channel. It's about as believable as thinking that CSIs interrogate witnesses. If you want thought out dialogue and plot, watch HBO's Rome or BSG. There isn't much that's meaningful here, but who in hell would look for it anyway? I'm rather surprised to see the vehemence with which people are denying the quality of this show. What did you expect, NOVA? This is a buddy cop drama. Sure, it has some laughably contrived moments (serendipity seems to follow Matt Bomer around like an overly affectionate puppy), but it's all in good fun. Mostly, I think the writers are simply attempting to show what a charmed life Bomer lives in comparison to his working stiff Fed partner-- perhaps to a fault. These moments faded quickly after the basis was set-up (but aren't many pilots like that?).

I was equally surprised to see someone unhappy with Tim Dekay's performance. Call it girlish bias, but I adore the man, and he brings to the character a certain... humanity. It was nice to see that they didn't fall into the smart guy/dumb guy routine: Dekay's Fed character starts out smart as a whip, and he stays that way, matching the hilariously cultured and talented con-man step-for-step. And it was a pleasant discovery, to find genuine chemistry between many of the characters. The writing isn't bad (it's not Monty Python or even SG1, but it's funny), even if the plots are mostly forgettable.

That said, I'm following this series quite happily (and cursing Canada for being so slow in releasing episodes), mostly because it's silly and the music is wonderfully campy in a "haha, look, it's buddy-cop music, get it?" sort of way and Tim Dekay is hot. Because sometimes television doesn't have to be done perfectly to be a good watch.

It seems to me that it's a "love it or you don't" scenario, though I find the petty name-calling in certain reviews amusing in the extreme.

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26 out of 34 people found the following review useful:
USA Ushers in a Great New Series, 6 February 2010

Author: j062007 from United States

USA has been a great provider of action-comedy-drama shows for quite a while; series like Monk and Psych have greatly entertained me. White Collar is not short of the quality work USA can offer by any means. The story is fresh and new, although it did sort of steal the idea from the ending of the movie Catch Me If You Can. I won't divulge into the story at all, mainly because whenever I do that i usually give away too much, but I can definitely tell you that is it great, and every episode so far in some way has a very interesting twist. The characters have very unique personalities and you will easily take a liking to them - Matt Bomer really was the picture perfect choice for the main character, Neil Caffrey - charming looks and pitch perfect acting delivered the perfect character. The music is okay, there's nothing too amazing about it, but visually the show does some good things; how they position the cameras in some scenes were good choices, although sometimes a wee bit awkward. It might not be as good though if you don't start at the pilot episode, but it's not fully required since for most of the newer episodes they have a summary of what went on in the first few episodes. Overall though, this is a great series that is definitely worth your time to watch.

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