White Collar has captured a new audience since its streaming debut on Netflix. The procedural follows a charming con man, Neal Caffrey, played by Matt Bomer. Neal finds himself working along with straight-laced FBI agent, Peter Burke, portrayed by Tim DeKay. And the kicker? Peter is the agent who captured Neal in the first place.
Neal, who is an accomplished forger and con artist, was sprung from jail to work as a consultant for the White Collar Crime Unit of the FBI. He has a tracking monitor and isn't permitted beyond a certain range. Meanwhile, the cases that the team tackles are often unexpected and decidedly different from other procedurals.
Neal's best friend and fellow con man, Mozzie, was played by the late Willie Garson. Their relationship was nothing short of delightful. However, the friendship that developed between Neal and Peter was often affected by mistrust. Their chemistry made the show a hit.
The series ran for six seasons, from 2009 until 2014 on the USA Network. The finale showed Neal faking his own shooting and death. The final scene of White Collar showed Neal walking along a street in Paris - once again a free man.
Who is returning to the White Collar reboot?
Variety reported that Jeff Eastin, the creator of White Collar, is already working on the new script. “We’re gonna reboot. I’m writing the script,” Jeff announced at TV Fest. Matt and Tim were present and confirmed their involvement. Tiffany Thiessen, who played Peter's wife, Elizabeth Burke, is also reprising her role.
Tim explained why he was excited about the show's new life. “It’s a fantastic script and it answers all the questions that one would have if you watch the show and it would introduce the show to those who haven’t seen it as well," Tim explained. "Both edges of the sword are honed.”
How will the reboot handle Mozzie's absence?
Sadly, in 2021, Willie Garson passed away. Fans will certainly miss Mozzie's quirky character in the reboot. But it sounds as if his presence will be felt. “It honors Willie, too, in a profound way,” Tim stated. Tiffany agreed. “With such sensitivity and such heart. I told Jeff after I finished it, I literally was so excited, but at the same time had tears in my eyes — for good reason," the actress explained.
When the White Collar reboot will premiere, and where it will land, hasn't been confirmed yet. The series will likely land on a streamer. Thankfully, new fans who started binging on Netflix, along with original viewers, will be treated to more of Neal and Peter's exploits. And there is no crime in that!
We don't yet know where it will air
While the original White Collar series aired on USA Network, we're not expecting the show to return to the airwaves on the cable network which has pivoted away from scripted series in recent years. Instead, it's likely that the new reboot will be a streaming original.
At this time, it hasn't been confirmed where the show will stream but it's looking likely that it will become a Hulu Original. That's right, we said Hulu.
While the show aired on USA Network which is part of the NBCUniversal umbrella and would lead one to believe that the show would go to Peacock, the series happens to hail from Disney's 20th Television. This is why it's expected that the show would stream on Hulu rather than Peacock.
White Collar is streaming on Netflix.