White Collar Reboot Should Be Different From The Original Show In 1 Big Way 10 Years After Neal’s Story Ended

The revival of White Collar should make one big change from the original, allowing the reboot a fresh start ten years after Neal Caffrey's (Matt Bomer) story came to a close. Details on White Collar: Renaissance's story have been kept to a minimum, resulting in many theories surrounding the White Collar revival circulating from audiences who loved the original series. In a similar vein, several concerns surrounding the revival have been presented, especially regarding how the revival will impact the original's legacy and avoid the mistakes of the past.

White Collar was and continues to be a strong procedural, weaving together its overarching storylines and character arcs with ease. Even so, other shows similar to White Collar and its solid structure have had lackluster revivals, as returning to that longer procedural form hinders more than helps reacquaint audiences with these stories years later. Fortunately, White Collar: Renaissance could break that pattern through a simple solution, allowing it to truly follow Neal and Peter Burke's (Tim DeKay) journey without the risk of narrative clutter that audiences have seen before: limiting its episode count.

White Collar Renaissance Should Have Fewer Episodes Than The Original Show

Fewer Episodes Would Force The Revival To Focus On The Characters And Main Plot

Close

White Collar: Renaissance should have fewer episodes than the original show's average season run, condensing the amount of added detail within the story. White Collar's first five seasons had an average season length of 13-16 episodes, giving the show plenty of time to let their larger plot points unfold. Season 6's six episodes, by contrast, limited the story to the Pink Panther arc as well as the final beats of the arc surrounding Neal and Peter's relationship, wrapping the core story up succinctly by the series finale.

Related This White Collar Character Needs To Return For The Revival Despite Having Only Appeared In 1 Episode Of The Matt Bomer Show Despite only appearing in a single episode, this supporting White Collar character needs to return for the upcoming revival of the Matt Bomer show.

The White Collar revival should copy the latter formula, condensing itself to fewer episodes in order to maximize story potential and give audiences the aspects of the narrative that are the most anticipated. Having fewer episodes would let the revival focus on the shifts in Neal and Peter's dynamic and how the years apart have impacted them. Attempting to replicate the original's more elaborate case-of-the-week format would not work as, much like other revivals, the time away has transformed White Collar's characters enough that returning to the status quo would be unnecessary.

Why White Collar Doesn’t Need Another Multi-Season Case-Of-The-Week Show

Returning To That Format Would Erase What The Time Away Did To Neal And Peter

White Collar does not need another multi-season procedural show after how it ended. White Collar season 6 may have left the door open for a continuation, but it wrapped up most storylines. Neal and Peter's separation and Neal's new life in Paris should be at the forefront of the show, with Neal's characterization and what could have shifted without Peter's presence acting as the anchor point for the mystery that ultimately reunites them. Returning to the show's case-of-the-week format, however, would likely ignore this in favor of maintaining White Collar's original formula.

The procedural format would force the story and characters to reset.

While that return could honor the series' legacy, it would also harm the story's potential. So much has likely changed in the gap between the finale and the revival and exploring that should be the revival's top priority. The procedural format would not allow for that, forcing the story and characters to reset and causing the same story issues as other reboots. By having fewer episodes, the revival of White Collar can avoid those problems and showcase how the impact of time cannot be so easily ignored by Neal, Peter, and those who love them.