Press
For Another Week, USA Owns Cable Primetime Ratings Crown
By Bill Gorman
TVByTheNumbers.com - 03/09/10
Nobody could top USA Network ratings in cable primetime for yet another
week. WWE Raw and NCIS repeats again were well represented in the top
primetime cable shows. Burn Notice and White Collar were also in the
cable viewership top 25 for the week. Disney Channel and Fox News followed
in second and third for primetime viewership.
As usual, Nickelodeon topped the Total Day cable viewership rankings.
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/09/for-another-week-usa-owns-cable-primetime-ratings-crown/44345
Tim DeKay Breaks Down His 'White Collar' Success
By Mike Hess
AOL.com - 03/09/10
In yet another hit for cable, USA's 'White Collar' -- with a cast led by
star Tim DeKay -- is just another reason why people are jumping to cable for
quality television. "Culturally, the opportunity to look at different venues
in general -- not only on TV, but online, on our phones -- has put in our
psyche that there's so much there to watch and so many avenues," DeKay
explained during a chat with us.
So, to someone who maybe hasn't ventured out and watched 'White Collar' yet,
what's your Cliff's Notes summary of it?
'White Collar' is a show about the unlikely pairing of an FBI agent and an
ex-con solving smart, glamorous, interesting and provocative crimes in a
sometimes very funny way. It's 'Thomas Crowne Affair' meets 'Midnight Run.'
That relationship between Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin, they're very
different but you can tell they kind of like each other even though they're
quite opposite. And the 'Thomas Crowne Affair' gives it that snap and
hipness.
'White Collar' has had whopping success and already has a full second season
secured. As an actor, does that give you a sense of comfort?
I do have comfort, because as an actor you don't want that anxiety of
wondering if you're going to continue with a certain role or if you're going
to be employed the next year. It's nice to be comfortable with that and then
you can concern yourself with the stories and nothing else. There's no other
agenda than putting out a good product.
Cable is all the rage these days. Are viewers much more likely to branch out
and check out a new show nowadays than they were 5 years ago?
I think they are much more willing to explore cable channels because
culturally the opportunity to look at different venues in general -- not
only on TV, but online, on our phones -- has put in our psyche that there's
so much there to watch and so many avenues. Maybe HBO led the way with that,
but you can now go to a network -- especially with USA -- and have a rough
idea as to what a program is going to be. Not to say they're all the same,
but our caption is "Characters Welcome." So you know you're going to find
interesting, layered characters and relationships.
http://insidetv.aol.com/2010/03/09/tim-dekay-interview-white-collar/
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Tim DeKay (Peter Burke) from White Collar
TheTVChick.com - 03/09/10
A couple of weeks ago, I attended USA Network’s 2nd Annual Character
Approved Awards reception, where they honored innovators in various
different fields of work. To learn more about the nominees (which include
Green Day and Katherine Bigelow), you can visit the Character Approved
website. Many of the stars of the USA Network shows attended the reception,
and I was able to talk with the cast of one of my new favorite shows, White
Collar. I had interviewed Tim DeKay (Peter Burke) over the phone in the
past, and he was so wonderful to meet in person, and just incredibly nice
and forthcoming. So forthcoming in fact, that he ALMOST revealed a huge
location that would have given away a major plot point from the season
finale. We talked about Peter and Neal’s relationship, the success of White
Collar, and of course, what it’s like working with Matt Bomer.
Read on at:
http://thetvchick.com/exclusive-interviews/exclusive-interview-tim-dekay-peter-burke-from-white-collar/
Tim DeKay Talks 'Collar,' Kelly Kapowski and Playing 'Bizarro Jerry'
By Mike Hess
PopEater.com – 03/09/10
Tim DeKay's television career is one for the history books, so the whopping
success of his show 'White Collar' is just the icing on the cake. The
devilishly handsome actor -- who has been on everything from 'Seinfeld' (Bizarro
Jerry! Which he almost didn't play!) to 'Carnivale' to the incredibly racy
'Tell Me You Love Me' -- is now a part of USA's tremendous lineup with
'Collar,' and he stopped by the PopEater headquarters to chat about the
show's vibe ("It's 'The Thomas Crowne Affair' meets 'Midnight Run") and why
being faux-married to Tiffani-Amber Thiessen "doesn't suck."
Read on at:
http://www.popeater.com/2010/03/09/tim-dekay-white-collar-bizarro-jerry/
'White Collar' - 'Out of the Box' Recap (season finale)
By Bob Sassone
TVSquad.com – 03/10/10
(S01E14) "I think there's a difference between loving the idea of someone
and actually loving them." - Elizabeth
I'm going to say that this was the best episode of 'White Collar' since the
pilot. Maybe it's because it was a season finale and the stakes are higher
and a lot of things come to a head, but that's not always the case with last
episodes of a season for a TV show. But this one had everything you could
possibly want in a season finale: an intricate caper, witty dialogue,
heartfelt moments, Peter being suspended, double crosses, Diahann Carroll
with an important role in the plot, and even a surprising explosion (though
I saw it coming -- not sure why). This was a really nice way to end the
season.
It also had the return of an old character from the show ... and it's not
just a one-time thing.
I'm glad that Elizabeth said the above quote to Neal. I've been thinking
about Neal's relationship with Kate. Sure, we haven't seen the connection
and history that Neal and Kate share, just the looks they give each other
and the way that Neal talks about her. But I've been wondering if maybe --
just maybe -- Kate isn't the one for him. I've been waiting for Neal to
figure this out himself, or with Peter's help, and it looked like he was
going to listen to Peter in the airport hangar when the plane exploded.
But is Kate really dead? Maybe she slipped off the plane while Neal and
Peter were talking (they did show her slinking back into the plane when
Peter appeared). Maybe next season will have Neal mourning Kate's death and
her getting on with her new life and then they'll be clues that she's still
alive.
So Neal and Alex and Moz stole the magical music box for Fowler and we sorta
have that part of the story behind us and we can now get to this "Mentor"
business (didn't understand why Neal trusted Alex so much -- I thought he
switched bags and the music box wasn't in it but no, he was just dumb for a
moment).
Fowler was talking to the big bad guy on the phone (he called the person on
the other end "sir") and if we're to believe that this mysterious person is
someone we've seen (so it will be more shocking next season) and not just
some stranger whose reveal as the head baddie wouldn't have any effect, then
I'm still going with Hughes (James Rebhorn). He seems like the most logical
suspect, but we'll have to see what happens in future episodes. I also liked
how Fowler wasn't killed (that would have been too predictable).
I'm not sure how things will progress in those future episodes. Fowler said
that Neal worked for him now in the "Mentor" program and even had official
papers so he could go free. Is that deal still in place, so next year Neal
will go on cases without the ankle jewelry? Or will things go back to the
way they were because of the secrecy and the fact he was going to leave on
the plane?
Looking back at the half-season finale, it seems a little stale now, since
nothing ever came of that "is Peter bad?" thing. I think this season finale
was done a bit better and leaves us with a cliffhanger(s) that could have
several different resolutions.
It was also great to see Marsha Thomason (Agent Diana Lancing) again (and
with a great line, about Neal: "Is he still wearing the hat?"). I never
understood why she left the show so early in its run, but she has been hired
again and will be a full-time cast member again in season two. Speaking of
...
More thoughts ("Things I'd Like To See Next Season" edition):
-- More actresses with blonde hair. Seriously, it's hard to tell all of
these good-looking brunettes apart.
-- If Kate is still alive, how about some real concrete reasons why Neal
loves her so much?
-- A new theme song.
http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/03/10/white-collar-out-of-the-box-recap-season-finale/
'White Collar' boss Jeff Eastin teases Season 2
By Curt Wagner
ChicagoNow.com – 03/09/10
USA's "White Collar" wrapped up its successful first season Tuesday with a
bit of a cliffhanger that extends the series' mythology.
But according to the show's creator, Jeff Eastin, he isn't looking to shake
things up too much in Season 2.
"It ain't broke and we're not going to try to change anything majorly in
Season 2 in terms of dynamic," he told reporters during a recent conference
call. "For me, the show is really about Peter and Neal and that's where the
focus is going to stay."
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't watched the Season 1 finale, stop reading.
Peter and Neal, of course, are FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) and con man
he hopes he's reformed, Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer). As Season 1 ended, an
explosion killed someone close to Neal--and changed his plans drastically.
I'm just guessing, but it seems that in Season 2, Neal will be hunting down
a killer, with or without Peter's help. FBI agent Garrett Fowler (Noah
Emmerich) could be the henchman, but he's not in charge.
"The 'Big Bad,' as we call him, will be the guy that Fowler reports to,"
Eastin said. "We'll learn a lot more about him in Season 2."
Eastin talked more about Season 2 of the show, and how the relationship
between Neal and Peter will grow. But before we get to that, I noticed a bit
of an oops in this promo photo from the season finale, "Out of the Box."
Read on at:
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/show-patrol/2010/03/white-collar-boss-jeff-eastin-teases-season-2.html
Nightly News: White Collar’s Tim DeKay Interview; Kristin Chenoweth
and Sean Hayes Cover Time Out
By Jaime Rabb
OKMagazine.com – 03/09/10
Tim DeKay talks about the success of USA’s White Collar, faux-married to
Tiffani Thiessen and Bizarro Seinfeld.
http://www.okmagazine.com/2010/03/nightly-news-white-collars-tim-dekay-interview-kristin-chenoweth-and-sean-hayes-cover-time-out/
Review
in the NY Times: "Like “Monk,” ending its final season on USA,
“White Collar” creates a fantasy version of law enforcement in which
bureaucracies don’t scuttle justice, reason prevails, and brilliance ensures
the best possible outcome. At one point Burke asks his office how many went
to Harvard, more than half raise their hands. This isn’t “Law & Order”; it
is perfect-SAT territory, a cop show that pays deference to the culture of
achievement and to an audience of affluent viewers"
Click here for the review in the NY Times.
Review
in the LA Times: The most promising drama of the new season
crackles with wit and charm, echoing 'It Takes a Thief' and boasting the
best-matched lead characters since Butch and Sundance.
Click here for the video review and entire review of White
collar in the LA Times.
USA gets away with a lot by having absolutely
charming male characters at the center of its dramas. "Royal
Pains" would be a much more boring medical show without Hank. "Burn
Notice" wouldn't sizzle as much without
Michael Westen.
Full Article at Zap2it.com
With 'White Collar,' cable's USA Network collars new characters
By Gary Levin
USA Today – 10/22/09
USA Network, on a
"character"-fueled hot streak, Friday unleashes its newest caper, tied to a
hot topic: high-end crime. White Collar
(10 ET/PT) stars Matt Bomer as a rakish forger and con man who's sprung from
jail to help an FBI agent (Tim DeKay) solve upscale crimes in New York City,
where the show is being shot.
The unlikely pairing calls to mind films such as Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours, an inspiration to creator Jeff Eastin (NBC's Hawaii). Collar is infused with breezy banter, uncomplicated storytelling and scant bloodshed. Like other USA series, "the reality is slightly heightened, (and) gritty is a word you would not apply," Eastin says.
It shares the tone of Burn Notice, the network's biggest hit, and the upper-crust milieu of Royal Pains, its most recent new series, about a doctor who makes house calls in the Hamptons.
USA had led cable ratings for the past three years with a mix of escapist dramas and top-rated reruns (House, NCIS), and its failure rate for original series has been low.
Burn averaged 7.7 million viewers last summer, eclipsing Heroes, Law & Order and other current dramas on USA's big sibling, NBC.
But the multiple Emmy-winning Monk ends its run Dec. 4 after eight seasons; its final seven episodes are paired with Collar's first, so the network is looking to replenish and tiptoe into (slightly) edgier territory.
"For me, White Collar is like the perfect sweet spot right now," says NBC Cable entertainment chief Bonnie Hammer. "It's likable, it's relatable, it has that twist of humor but also a depth of storytelling," she says. "In a lot of ways it's a buddy piece, not laugh-out-loud like Psych is meant to be, but not as serious as In Plain Sight."
It's uncertain how Collar will perform: Unlike all of USA's recent series, which were launched in the safe harbor of summer, the new show airs in the teeth of the fall TV season.
"It's very different for us," Hammer says. But "the early feedback we're getting scares the living hell out of me because it's so positive. I have to manage my own expectations."
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-10-21-white-collar-main_N.htm