Before I get to what happened at the Paley Center, let me introduce the cast for those that have never watched the show. You probably already know them all because they all have been on very high profile shows. Beginning with the supporting actors, we have Willie Garson, best know as Stanford in Sex and the City, Sharif Atkins, Gallant from ER, Tiffani Thiessen, most famous from Beverly Hills 90210 and Marsha Thomason who played Naomi on Lost!
Then there are the two amazing leads of White Collar. There is the amazingly handsome Matthew Bomer that Chuck fans will know as Bryce Larkin. He is absolutely perfect in the part of a con man helping the FBI. As the FBI agent, the adorable Tim DeKay has recently been on Tell Me You Love Me and Carnivale, but to me he will always be Bizarro Jerry from Seinfeld.
White Collar shoots in New York and airs on USA, whose slogan is Characters Welcome. Unlike other crime related shows, this is suitable for the entire family. It is very character driven and has a great sense of humor to it.
Now, on the the Paley Center discussion. All of the cast above were there except for Tiffani Thiessen (she is very pregnant). They talked about the differences in shooting a show in New York compared to L.A. such as dealing with snow storms and writers that are more familiar with L.A. neighborhoods. When asked whether the cast was on twitter, it turns out that only Tiffani tweets. Somebody said that Tiffany had been tweeting that day about her pregnancy. Tim then said that Tiffany had texted him about it and he had felt honored that she was sharing this with him. He didn't know she was also sharing this with the world. It was very funny.
Everyone agreed that the show is much more about the characters than the capers. Love is an important part of White Collar. Peter and Neal bonded in the pilot when they were talking about their loves. The cast discussed the fantastic locations in NYC that the show has been able to get. Even Willie Garson, who spent years on Sex and the City, can't believe it.
The writers of White Collar are actually out in Los Angeles. The NY crew has been very helpful in saying what will and will not work in NYC. When asked if there might be a crossover with any other USA shows, the producer said absolutely not, but Willie Garson said "if Neal breaks his leg, is there a doctor nearby, maybe in the Hamptons?" (Royal Pains!) It was hard to tell who to believe. One could only hope it was Willie.
The cast couldn't have been funnier, sweeter and more enjoyable to watch, just as they are on White Collar. I highly recommend this show. And as I said before, it is perfect for all ages and it is a great show to discuss. Very often it is hard to tell if Neal, the ex-Con Man, is going back to his old ways. There are many ambiguities to talk about and a lot to laugh about. The new season of White Collar premieres on Tuesday night, July 13th at 9pm ET on USA.
