The World of White Collar

From 2009 – 2014 there was a show on the USA Network called White Collar.  It was about FBI Agent Peter Burke of the FBI’s Manhattan White Collar Crimes Unit and a criminal he had arrested, named Neal Caffrey.  The series began with Neal escaping from prison near the end of his sentence, a stupid move but a romantic gesture because he thought his girlfriend Kate was in danger.

In the pilot for the series, Peter catches Neal again, but this time Neal makes a bargain.  He’s released from prison into Peter’s custody to act as a consultant to the FBI.  Part of the deal involves wearing a tracking monitor anklet.  That’s the premise for all six seasons of the TV show.

Neal was convicted of bond forgery but suspected of a wide variety of white collar crimes including art forgery, art theft, and a host of cons and frauds.

Both of these main characters are very smart and rely on their wits to solve crimes together.  Peter played minor league baseball before getting a masters in accounting.  In the show he’s in charge of a team in the Manhattan White Collar Crimes Unit of the FBI.  Neal ran away from home shortly before finishing high school and traveled extensively; he speaks many languages, fences, and simply has an amazing skill set.  It’s safe to say Neal is too good to be true, but a fascinating character.  The writers of the show went for compelling character-driven stories, with the mysteries and procedural elements taking a back seat.

Other characters from the TV show include:

Elizabeth – Peter’s wife and owner of an event-planning business

Satchmo – the Burkes’ Labrador

Mozzie – Neal’s friend and fellow criminal.  An expert in crime and conspiracy theories, he grew up in Detroit.

Clinton Jones and Diana Berrigan – FBI agents working for Peter.  Clinton, who goes by Jones, went to Harvard Law, as did several agents on Peter’s team.  They are referred to as the Harvard Crew.

June Ellington – widow of former con artist Byron, she lives in a mansion and rents a loft to Neal when he meets her in the series pilot.  She offers Neal her husband’s classic designer suits, skinny ties and fedoras, which become Neal’s look throughout the show.

Sara Ellis – Neal’s girlfriend later in the series after Kate dies.  She works for a company that insures expensive objects like major artworks, and she works in recovery when insured items disappear.

James Bennett – Neal’s father, a cop in Washington DC who confessed to murder after getting involved with the Irish mob.  This led to Neal, Neal’s mom and James’ partner in the police force (Ellen Parker) going into WITSEC when Neal was 3 years old, moving to St. Louis.  That’s all we know about Neal’s past and childhood, beyond a comment that Ellen looked after him because his mom “was there, but wasn’t really there.”  James doesn’t appear in many episodes, but his actions had a big impact on Neal’s life.

An excellent overview is available on Wikipedia.

 Introduction to the Characters:



Premise/Promo for the Pilot



Typical Peter and Neal Interactions (especially the line “don’t do anything stupid”)