TV Time....White Collar

So, this was a tv series that I discovered back in 2010. I was on the lookout for a new series in between Chuck's seasons (2007-another TV series worth watching, especially the first two seasons). What drew me to White Collar in the first instance was one of the main stars-Matt Bomer who I was familiar with from watching him in Chuck. Plus, the premise sounded cool and original-conman who teams up with an FBI agent to solve white collar crimes. Well, by the end of the first episode I was hooked. An extended episode, it set up all the characters perfectly. The first scene tells you everything you need to know about Matt Bomer's Neal Caffrey, without giving too much away so the audience has no need to tune in the next week. A conman, the first episode sees him serving time when he decides to just walk out. An unlikely occurrence, you may think but, along with the strong writing by creator Jeff Eastin and the natural charisma of Matt Bomer, it all suddenly seems possible. Eventually, the law catches up with him in the shape of Tim DeKay's FBI Agent Peter Burke but it isn't long until Neal is wheeling and dealing, coming up with the idea of him helping out the FBI with unsolvable crimes.
And so a beautiful partnership is formed. The chemistry between DeKay and Bomer is unmistakable, making the audience switch sides between the moral (Peter Burke) and the bending-the-rules side (Neal Caffrey). On more than one occasion during season 1, I found myself either rooting for the child-like conman with a heart or the more practical, right-side of the law adult. Combining the non-stop action with comic writing made the show exciting, thrilling and funny, not just a rip-off of Catch Me If You Can or just another one of the numerous crime shows already out there. The supporting characters are also what make the show-Willie Garson is hilarious as Neal's con-associate/mentor which is where most of the humour comes from. Tiffani Thiessan makes a nice return to TV (I grew up watching her in Saved By The Bell) as Peter's wife, a lovely partnership that breaks all stereotypes in TV.  And of course, not forgetting the great Diahann Carroll, Neal's landlady with her own stories to tell.
White Collar is a programme that will constantly leave you wanting more, especially with the cliffhangers (featured in the mid-season and end-of-season finales.) I've watched it with more than one person who all gasp out loud when coming to the end of the episode with a big reveal, all asking me what will happen next. Hopefully, it will continue for a long time to come-I give the show as a whole 4.5 out of 5 ****1/2.