Television series

White Collar

Name: White Collar
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime
Released: 2009
Cast: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Sharif Atkins, Willie Garson, Tiffani Thiessen

A breezy con-artist procedural where con man Neal Caffrey trades his freedom for FBI casework, all impeccable tailoring and effortless charm. It's crime-of-the-week television built on the crackling chemistry between Caffrey and his exasperated handler Peter Burke — comfort viewing for people who like their crooks likable and their cases wrapped by episode's end.

TVMaze rating

8.2

If you liked this

Leverage2008

A crew of con artists and thieves uses their skills to rob the rich and powerful — same puzzle-box heist pleasure as White Collar, but with an ensemble instead of one dazzling lead.

But Less romantic tension, more Robin Hood vigilantism — the moral stakes are simpler and the tone a touch broader.

Psych2006

Same USA Network sunshine, same odd-couple-solving-crimes-with-banter formula, same lightness of touch. If you loved the Neal-Peter dynamic, this fake psychic and his cop friend will feel instantly familiar.

But Broader, sillier, more pun-based — it leans harder into comedy and less into any real emotional undertow.

Suits2011

Another slick, stylish USA drama about a brilliant fraud who talks his way into a legitimate institution and has to keep outrunning his own lie. The suits are just as good.

But More courtroom, less caper — it's about legal maneuvering rather than actual crime-solving.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Lupin2021

Same DNA as Caffrey — a literary-minded charming thief who outwits everyone in the room — but filtered through Arsène Lupin's century-old legend and a very different national context.

A gentleman thief in modern Paris uses disguise, misdirection and old-fashioned charm to pull off elaborate revenge cons against the wealthy — dazzling, stylish, and steeped in the same trickster joy.

But It's in French with subtitles, and its emotional core is about race and class in France, which changes the flavor considerably.

Burn Notice2007

A blacklisted spy uses his tradecraft to help people in Miami while working an FBI angle on the side — the same charming-outlaw-on-a-leash setup, with more explosions.

But Trades Caffrey's cerebral cons for gadgets and action; the tone is sunnier and pulpier throughout.

Catch Me If You Can2002

DiCaprio's real-life teenage forger being chased and eventually mentored by Tom Hanks' FBI agent is basically Neal and Peter's origin story, minus the ankle bracelet.

But It's a two-hour arc rather than a slow-burn relationship — you don't get years of the friendship deepening.

Hustle2004

This British series follows a crew of grifters running long cons on the greedy and gullible — all the delight of watching a plan click into place, told from the crooks' side.

But No FBI partnership at its center, so the emotional engine is different — it's pure caper, not buddy drama.

Castle2009

A charming civilian consultant paired with a no-nonsense detective, solving crimes with wit and flirtation — the case-of-the-week comfort and will-they-won't-they energy line up neatly.

But The crime-writer premise is sillier than Caffrey's actual criminal past, and the stakes rarely feel real.

Ocean's Eleven2001

Sharp suits, impossible plans, and a con man so likable you root for the crime — the same seductive pleasure of watching charisma outthink security systems.

But It's a single glossy heist, not a relationship you get to live with over several seasons.

Lie to Me*2009no page yet

A brilliant, morally gray expert consults for law enforcement using an unusual skill — the same odd-couple procedural rhythm, this time built on reading microexpressions instead of running cons.

But Colder and more clinical, with less warmth between its leads than Neal and Peter ever have.

To Catch a Thief1955

The reformed-thief-under-suspicion setup is the direct ancestor of Neal Caffrey — same wardrobe, same wit, same question of whether he's really gone straight, decades before the ankle bracelet.

Cary Grant plays a retired jewel thief suspected of a new string of robberies, all Riviera glamour and flirtatious cat-and-mouse with a woman who might be onto him.

But Slower, stagier, and dated in its pacing and gender politics by modern standards — this is old Hollywood, not prestige TV.

The Imposter2012

Strips away the show's playful gloss to ask what a real Neal Caffrey costs the people around him — same fascination with a gifted liar, none of the comfort.

A documentary about a Frenchman who convinced a Texas family he was their long-missing son — a true story of a con so audacious it's genuinely hard to believe.

But It's unsettling rather than charming, and offers no likable rogue to root for — the deception here has real, lasting damage attached.