Pilot (White Collar)
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"Pilot" is the debut episode of the American comedy-drama television series ''
White Collar White collar may refer to: * White-collar worker, a professional who performs office-based or similar service-based jobs, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor * White-collar boxing * White-collar crime The term ...
''. It was first broadcast on
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
in the United States on October 23, 2009. The episode sets up major story arcs for the series, including
Neal Caffrey This is a list of characters in the USA Network original comedy-drama TV series ''White Collar''. The principal cast of the series has remained mostly the same throughout the series. However, various recurring characters have appeared over the ...
's (
Matt Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer ( ; born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. His works have earned him accolades including a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Bomer m ...
) collaboration with FBI Special Agent Peter Burke ( Tim DeKay), and the significance of the disappearance of Neal's girlfriend,
Kate Moreau This is a list of characters in the USA Network original comedy-drama TV series '' White Collar''. The principal cast of the series has remained mostly the same throughout the series. However, various recurring characters have appeared over th ...
( Alexandra Daddario). The episode was written by Jeff Eastin and directed by
Bronwen Hughes Bronwen Hughes is a Canadians, Canadian film director. She was born in Toronto and is of Welsh people, Welsh descent. A graduate of the Department of Film, York University, she has directed commercials and feature films. Filmography Films Tel ...
. The original broadcast ran 90 minutes. The cast includes Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey, Tim DeKay as Peter Burke,
Willie Garson William Garson Paszamant (February 20, 1964September 21, 2021) was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the series ''Sex and the City'', in the related films ...
as Mozzie,
Marsha Thomason Marsha Lisa Thomason Sykes (born 19 January 1976) is an English actress who is best known for playing Sara Evers in Disney's ''The Haunted Mansion'', Nessa Holt in the first two seasons of the NBC series ''Las Vegas'', Naomi Dorrit on the ABC ...
as Diana Lancing, and
Tiffani Thiessen Tiffani Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974) is an American actress. Her roles as List of Saved by the Bell characters#Kelly Kapowski, Kelly Kapowski on NBC's ''Saved by the Bell'' (1989–1993) and its Saved by the Bell#Spin-offs, spin-off me ...
as Elizabeth Burke, Peter's wife. The pilot features the introduction of recurring characters Special Agent Clinton Jones (
Sharif Atkins Sharif Atkins (born January 29, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dr. Michael Gallant on '' ER'' (2001–2006), FBI Agent Clinton Jones on ''White Collar'' (2009–2014), and Captain Norman 'Boom Boom' Gates on '' NC ...
), Kate Moreau (Alexandra Daddario), and Neal's landlady June (
Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll ( ; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. Carroll was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her stage and screen performances, incl ...
). Guest stars include
Mark Sheppard Mark Andreas Sheppard is an English actor and musician. Sheppard is known for playing the demon/King of Hell Crowley on ''Supernatural'' and for his recurring roles as lawyer Romo Lampkin on the ''Battlestar Galactica'' reboot, Interpol inves ...
as the Dutchman,
Michael Gaston Michael Gaston is an American film and television actor. He played agent List of Prison Break minor characters#Quinn, Quinn on the show ''Prison Break'', List of Jericho characters#Gray Anderson, Gray Anderson on the CBS drama series ''Jericho (20 ...
and Stephen Singer. It is also the only episode in the series not to have a title sequence, with the opening credits rolling on as the episode progresses. According to the
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
system, an estimated 5.40 million household viewers watched the original broadcast of the pilot; this is the second-most watched episode of the series to date, behind "
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". The episode received mostly positive reviews.


Plot

Neal Caffrey This is a list of characters in the USA Network original comedy-drama TV series ''White Collar''. The principal cast of the series has remained mostly the same throughout the series. However, various recurring characters have appeared over the ...
, a successful con man, is about to finish a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of bond forgery, when he stages an elaborate prison break. FBI Special Agent Peter Burke, the man who captured Neal four years earlier, is the first to be notified with the news. He immediately abandons his current case, a forger known as "the Dutchman", to search for Neal. His intuition tells him that Neal had escaped to search for his girlfriend,
Kate Moreau This is a list of characters in the USA Network original comedy-drama TV series '' White Collar''. The principal cast of the series has remained mostly the same throughout the series. However, various recurring characters have appeared over th ...
. Peter follows Neal to Kate's
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
apartment, where he confronts Neal. Neal explains that Kate has disappeared, leaving behind only an empty
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
wine bottle, signifying their relationship is over. Peter takes Neal back into custody, but not before Neal gives Peter a valuable tip regarding the Dutchman: paper fiber Peter had found earlier had come from new Canadian currency. In return, Neal asks for a meeting with Peter to discuss his future. A week passes while Peter confirms the origin of the fiber, which are found to be from Canadian currency. Peter meets with Neal in prison, and Neal offers his expertise on Peter's case in exchange for his release from prison. Peter reluctantly accepts, on the condition that Neal abandons his search for Kate and wears a tracking anklet. Peter also warns Neal that if he runs, or if the Dutchman is not found, Neal will be sent back to prison with no further possibility of release. After his release, Neal learns the FBI will only pay for a cheap apartment. Instead of accepting this, Neal heads for a local thrift shop, where he meets
June June is the sixth and current month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars—the latter the most widely used calendar in the world. Its length is 30 days. June succeeds May and precedes July. This month marks the start of su ...
, a wealthy elderly widow. Charmed by Neal and his knowledge of her late husband Byron's Sy Devore suits, June soon offers Neal a loft in her mansion and gives him access to Byron's wardrobe. Peter later introduces Neal to his team: Diana Lancing (later renamed Diana Berrigan), a young trainee agent who Peter trusts implicitly and Clinton Jones, a Harvard graduate and loyal junior agent. The FBI quickly seizes antique books that were intended for the Dutchman. The unlikely duo realize that the Dutchman is using the paper from the books to counterfeit 1944 Spanish Victory bonds, which could make him millions of dollars. Neal notices a nearly-microscopic signature on the fake bonds: the initials C.H. Neal returns to June's house and finds an old friend: Mozzie (
Willie Garson William Garson Paszamant (February 20, 1964September 21, 2021) was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the series ''Sex and the City'', in the related films ...
), who maintains deep connections in the criminal underworld. With Mozzie's help, Neal identifies the Dutchman as Curtis Hagen (guest star
Mark Sheppard Mark Andreas Sheppard is an English actor and musician. Sheppard is known for playing the demon/King of Hell Crowley on ''Supernatural'' and for his recurring roles as lawyer Romo Lampkin on the ''Battlestar Galactica'' reboot, Interpol inves ...
). Neal and Peter visit Hagen, who easily recognizes Neal. After their meeting, the FBI learns that Hagen has booked a flight out of the country, which will leave in one week. Neal and Peter know that Hagen is likely operating out of a warehouse, but fail to get a warrant or sufficient probable cause to enter it. Neal, desperate to stay out of prison and find Kate, knows that he must find a legal way to have Hagen taken down. He takes off toward the warehouse, exiting the two-mile radius his tracking anklet allows him to stay within. Peter is alerted at the FBI headquarters that Neal has bolted. Peter believes that Neal has run off in search of Kate; however, he tracks him to Hagen's warehouse. With Neal, a convicted felon, inside the warehouse, Peter now has probable cause to enter. He does, and discovers Hagen running a massive counterfeiting operation. Hagen and his men are taken into custody, and Peter remarks to Neal that this is the third time Neal has been caught.


Production


Conception

Jeff Eastin stated that he originally had the idea for ''White Collar'' while sitting in a hot tub before the WGA strike in 2008. He said that the idea was influenced by ''
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...
'' and a friend, Travis Romero (who worked on the pilot with him and would later cowrite episodes of ''White Collar''). The idea evolved into a story focusing on a man in prison who is let out to solve crimes. However, after being told that the show sounded similar to the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
series ''
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'', the idea was shelved. Just before the strike, Eastin and Travis Romero decided to turn the idea into a comedy, and the idea was pitched to USA Network. While pitching the idea, Eastin described Neal Caffrey as "an evil
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
."


Writing

On March 26, 2008, Jeff Wachtel, executive vice president of original programming for
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
, ordered a pilot script for ''White Collar'', which was then only a working title. The show was to be written and executive produced by Jeff Eastin. Eastin, who had never been to New York, wrote the 90-minute pilot script using Google Street View. A cast-contingent pilot order was announced on May 21, 2008, alongside an order for ''
Royal Pains ''Royal Pains'' is an American comedy-drama television series that ran on the USA Network from 2009 to 2016. The series is based in part on contemporary concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies and follows Hank Lawson, ...
''.


Casting

Casting was a long process, notably with the characters of
Neal Caffrey This is a list of characters in the USA Network original comedy-drama TV series ''White Collar''. The principal cast of the series has remained mostly the same throughout the series. However, various recurring characters have appeared over the ...
and Peter Burke. Jeff Artel had stated that what the producers wanted was a "young
Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...
." After seeing over 300 potential actors, and at the recommendation of casting director Gayle Pillsbury, the casting of
Matt Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer ( ; born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. His works have earned him accolades including a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Bomer m ...
as Neal Caffrey was announced on August 11, 2008, which lifted the contingency off the pilot order. Eastin had previously seen Bomer as Bryce Larkin on NBC's ''
Chuck Chuck () is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV produce ...
'', which contributed to his casting. On August 21, 2008, after a long process that included a reading with Matt Bomer, USA Network announced the casting of Tim DeKay as Peter Burke and the official greenlighting of the pilot. They also announced that the project would be directed by
Bronwen Hughes Bronwen Hughes is a Canadians, Canadian film director. She was born in Toronto and is of Welsh people, Welsh descent. A graduate of the Department of Film, York University, she has directed commercials and feature films. Filmography Films Tel ...
. By October 31, 2008,
Willie Garson William Garson Paszamant (February 20, 1964September 21, 2021) was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the series ''Sex and the City'', in the related films ...
had joined the cast as Mozzie. The fourth addition to the cast was
Tiffani Thiessen Tiffani Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974) is an American actress. Her roles as List of Saved by the Bell characters#Kelly Kapowski, Kelly Kapowski on NBC's ''Saved by the Bell'' (1989–1993) and its Saved by the Bell#Spin-offs, spin-off me ...
as Elizabeth Burke (who at the time was intended to be an accountant), on November 11, 2008. Jackie de Crinis, an executive at USA Network, stated, "She brings a beauty and warmth to this role that really makes the character come alive." ''White Collar'' final star was announced on December 8, 2008 to be
Marsha Thomason Marsha Lisa Thomason Sykes (born 19 January 1976) is an English actress who is best known for playing Sara Evers in Disney's ''The Haunted Mansion'', Nessa Holt in the first two seasons of the NBC series ''Las Vegas'', Naomi Dorrit on the ABC ...
. Thomason would play a junior agent named Diana Lancing; this name was later changed to
Diana Berrigan This is a list of characters in the USA Network original comedy-drama TV series '' White Collar''. The principal cast of the series has remained mostly the same throughout the series. However, various recurring characters have appeared over th ...
.


Filming

The pilot was directed by
Bronwen Hughes Bronwen Hughes is a Canadians, Canadian film director. She was born in Toronto and is of Welsh people, Welsh descent. A graduate of the Department of Film, York University, she has directed commercials and feature films. Filmography Films Tel ...
from a script by Jeff Eastin. Hughes had previously directed an episode of ''
Burn Notice ''Burn Notice'' is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, ...
'', and would later go on to direct the pilot of '' Fairly Legal'', another USA Network original series. For the pilot, the cast was joined by special guest star
Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll ( ; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. Carroll was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her stage and screen performances, incl ...
, who portrayed
June June is the sixth and current month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars—the latter the most widely used calendar in the world. Its length is 30 days. June succeeds May and precedes July. This month marks the start of su ...
, an elderly woman who allows Neal to stay in her home. Additional guest stars included
Sharif Atkins Sharif Atkins (born January 29, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dr. Michael Gallant on '' ER'' (2001–2006), FBI Agent Clinton Jones on ''White Collar'' (2009–2014), and Captain Norman 'Boom Boom' Gates on '' NC ...
as Clinton Jones, an agent working under Peter Burke. Denise Vasi guest starred as June's granddaughter
Cindy Cindy may refer to: People *Cindy (given name), a list of people named Cindy, Cindi, Cyndi or Cyndy *Tugiyati Cindy (born 1985), Indonesian footballer *Cindy (singer), Japanese singer Music * ''Cindy'' (musical), an off-Broadway production in 1 ...
, while Alexandra Daddario made a small appearance as Neal's disappearing girlfriend,
Kate Moreau This is a list of characters in the USA Network original comedy-drama TV series '' White Collar''. The principal cast of the series has remained mostly the same throughout the series. However, various recurring characters have appeared over th ...
. Carroll, Atkins, Vasi, and Daddario would all become recurring guests. The final additions to the cast were
Mark Sheppard Mark Andreas Sheppard is an English actor and musician. Sheppard is known for playing the demon/King of Hell Crowley on ''Supernatural'' and for his recurring roles as lawyer Romo Lampkin on the ''Battlestar Galactica'' reboot, Interpol inves ...
as Curtis Hagen,
Michael Gaston Michael Gaston is an American film and television actor. He played agent List of Prison Break minor characters#Quinn, Quinn on the show ''Prison Break'', List of Jericho characters#Gray Anderson, Gray Anderson on the CBS drama series ''Jericho (20 ...
as Thompson, and Stephen Singer as Vincent. The episode was filmed on location in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. "One of the best things about New York is ..all we have to do is open a door or point a camera at a window, and we've got absolutely brilliant production value," Eastin stated.


International broadcast

The pilot episode that aired on USA Network following
Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
had a runtime (excluding commercial advertisements) of 60 minutes. A longer version of the pilot episode has been produced that has aired in regions outside the United States, including Canada, the Czech Republic, and Poland. The extended version of the pilot is split into two 42 minute long episodes and contains additional as well as extended scenes.


Reception


Ratings

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
were expected to be high due to the return of
Bitty Schram Bitty Schram (born Elizabeth Natalie Schram, ) is an American actress who played Sharona Fleming in the television series ''Monk'' and Evelyn Gardner in the film ''A League of Their Own'' (1992). Early life Schram is from Mountainside, New Jers ...
to ''
Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
'', which premiered immediately before the pilot of ''White Collar''. This proved to be true, and it was estimated that the premiere was seen by 5.400 million household viewers, which was the sixth-most watched program on cable television for the week; the only scripted program to surpass it was its lead-in, ''Monk''. For its 10 PM EST time slot, ''White Collar'' was the top-rated program on cable.


Reviews

"Pilot" received mostly positive reviews, with many writers praising the performances of Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay. Jonah Krakow of IGN rated the episode an 8.5 out of 10, saying that though "there's a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required to enjoy ''White Collar''," the "cast is pretty strong, with Bomer and DeKay doing most of the heavy lifting." He also praised the performance of Tiffani Thiessen and the premise of the show. Bob Sassone of AOL TV commended the characters and the lead actors, including Bomer, DeKay, Garson, and guest star Diahann Carroll. His only complaint was the casting of Tiffani Thiessen, claiming that Elizabeth appeared too young to be married to Tim DeKay's character. Bryan Jones heavily praised the premiere, notably the "stellar acting and strong characters." However, he felt that Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) had better chemistry with Neal than with her husband. Overall, he said, " 'White Collar'' givesus something we can watch and enjoy week after week." One of the few moderate reviews came from Alan Sepinwall, who stated that "it's a fun show," but "it's not perfect." He went on to say that "DeKay and Bomer play well off each other," but did not appreciate the use of Tiffani Thiessen as Elizabeth or the replacement of Marsha Thomason with Natalie Morales.


References


External links


"Pilot"
at the official ''White Collar'' site * {{White Collar 2009 American television episodes
White Collar White collar may refer to: * White-collar worker, a professional who performs office-based or similar service-based jobs, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor * White-collar boxing * White-collar crime The term ...
White Collar (TV series) episodes