Neal Caffrey is one criminal you just might like.
A master thief at the center of USA’s “White Collar,” which premieres at 10 p.m. Friday, Caffrey has been convicted of bond forgery but is suspected of a laundry list of other crimes, including racketeering, art theft and securities fraud.
But in the hands of actor Matt Bomer, he’s also charismatic, clever and totally worth rooting for — definitely one of those criminals you’re only likely to find on television.
In the pilot, Caffrey escapes from prison to find a long-lost love and offers a deal to the man who originally caught him, FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim Dekay): he’ll help Burke, who works in New York’s white collar crime unit, solve cases in exchange for his freedom.
I know it’s certainly not a new premise. Our popular culture has seen many an odd couple before, especially a straight-edge cop teaming up with a charming criminal (see: Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in “48 Hrs”).
But it still works here because of Bomer and Dekay’s easy chemistry.
It’s fun to watch their characters bond, especially once Caffrey starts giving Burke advice on how to romance his beyond-understanding wife, Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen, all grown up from her “Saved by the Bell” and “90210” days), on their 10th anniversary.
Other cast members include Diahann Carroll (“Dynasty”) as a kindly older woman who befriends Caffrey, Marsha Thomason (“Lost,” “Las Vegas”) as Burke’s fellow FBI agent and Willie Garson (“Sex and the City”) as Caffrey’s shady pal.
USA has quite the roster of crime solvers these days: Monk, Shawn and Gus on “Psych,” U.S. Marshals Mary and Marshall on “In Plain Sight.”
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