White Collar. Season One

If you were like me who watched the first episode of Chuck and said to himself, "Wow, this Bryce Larkin is good!" then quickly realized that the title of the show is Chuck and not Bryce, then here's your Matt Bomer fix.

Matt Bomer portrayed a super-agent in Chuck and now has parlayed his star turn to a show that now stars himself. In White Collar, Bomer portrays super-con artist/art thief/grifter Nick Caffrey who is now helping the man who caught him and put him in jail, FBI Special Agent Peter Burke, played by Tim DeKay.

If you've seen Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, it's almost exactly like that. Just that part where Leo is already helping Tom Hanks solve white collar crimes. It's the buddy cop formula in a way, with the cool, suave, and slick con artist with the no-nonsense partner.

The best part about White Collar however is that they didn't make the straight-laced officer to be the dumber one of the partnership. Usually, in TV shows and movies such as this, the slick con man has all the answers and the rugged man of justice is a step behind. Not so in this series. DeKay's Burke is very much in control of the situation, and at times is smarter than Bomer's Caffrey.

It also helps that very early in the season, they already fleshed out the chracters of both leads, especially Burke. He's a loving husband and dedicated workaholic while Caffrey is a bit up in the air with things as he's trying to find his erstwhile girlfriend while helping out the FBI.

The problem with the show however, is that while we are supposed to empathize with Caffrey's situation, in every opportunity, it is shown that he is being played by his girlfriend. That fact undermines him.

Still, White Collar entertains as the chemistry between the two leads are just off the charts for such a new show. Burke is like the older, protective brother taking care of his petulant younger sibling. The weekly cases provide insights into their thinking and character while at the same time provide some tension as well.

The secondary and tertiary characters also bring something to the table.

Tiffany (Amber) Thiessen plays Burke's wife who is almost as smart as his husband. She's very much eye candy as well and I'm glad to say that she has aged beautifully.

Willie Garson (Sex in the City) is Caffrey's partner in crime, Mozzie, and provides some of the humor in the show as well. Garson is perfect for the role and again the partnership succeeds due in large part to chemistry.

In fact, this show is in a good place right now. The chemistry between the characters plus the fast-paced storytelling propels the show and it could only get better.

If you have time in your calendar for another fun and exciting show, do check out White Collar.

White Collar comes from The USA Network.

Rating: 8/10 Stars