Matt Bomer has been all over the large and small screens alike over the last decade, ranging from the Magic Mike film franchise and – most recently on TV – Showtime's Fellow Travelers limited series, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. Despite all of that success, however, some fans remember him best for his six seasons as Neal Caffrey on White Collar opposite Tim DeKay. I spoke with Bomer about his career, and he shared some fan feedback that makes me want a White Collar revival in the 2024 TV schedule more than ever.
I spoke with Matt Bomer at SCAD TVfest in Atlanta, where he was honored with The Hollywood Reporter's Trailblazer Award. Looking back at his career, I asked the star what he hears most often from ride-or-die fans of White Collar. He said:
A lot of folks like to tell me how many times they've watched the show. And mostly it's more than I watched it, so I'm really grateful that they are aware of it and have checked it out. I think it's coming back to Netflix, maybe. A whole new life again.
White Collar ran for 81 episodes over six seasons on USA, from 2009 - 2014. Matt Bomer starred as a con artist and thief Neal Caffrey who agreed to consult with the FBI to lessen his prison sentence, with Tim DeDay co-starring as Special Agent Peter Burke. All six seasons are currently available streaming with a Hulu subscription and free with ads via Amazon's Freevee. The show isn't available for Netflix subscribers at the time of writing, but if fellow USA series Suits' success on the streamer is any indication, White Collar could crush on the platform.
While the show didn't run for as long as Suits on USA, White Collar is another classic from the network's prime scripted era, and a project that would certainly be fun to see adapted into the 2020s. And it's not out of the realm of possibility! Back in November 2023, prior to SCAD TVfest, Bomer told TVLine that there was "very legitimate talk" about bringing White Collar back, although "a lot of things need to fall into place."
We can only wait and see if White Collar will return with new episodes, and that time can always be spent by rewatching the six seasons of the series. You can also check out Matt Bomer's most recent TV venture: the period drama Fellow Travelers, telling the tumultuous love story between two men that began during the Lavender Scare of the 1950s.
Bomer was an executive producer as well as star opposite Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey. When I spoke with him at SCAD, he shared why Fellow Travelers was a better fit for a TV adaptation than a movie adaptation of the novel of the same name:
Well, it was a piece that had the room to breathe for eight hours. It had the genesis of a story that could be expanded into eight hours and combine the source material with the vision that [creator] Ron Nyswaner had for it. It just made all the sense in the world to broaden it out.
Fellow Travelers is available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription at the time of writing. All in all, there's no shortage of content starring Bomer to enjoy while the wait continues for news on a new White Collar, including multiple Ryan Murphy shows, Doom Patrol, and The Boys in the Band as well as the Magic Mike films.
