Just two weeks after it was announced, the revival of Netflix’s best Suits replacement series now faces a major scheduling issue. Ever since Suits dominated streaming in the summer of 2023, there have been questions about seeing Harvey Specter and Mike Ross back again on the small screen. Despite the level of interest, series creator Aaron Korsh opted to take advantage of his legal drama’s newfound fame by expanding the franchise by launching a new spinoff — Suits LA, which revolves around an entirely new firm with a fresh ensemble led by Stephen Amell’s Ted Black and Josh McDermitt’s Stuart Lane.

Admittedly, this may be disappointing for those who are keener on seeing the old Pearson, Hardman crew reunite to tackle a new case. While the spinoff exists in the same universe as its parent show, and Harvey’s potential secret connection to Suits LA‘s Ted, there’s no guarantee that there will be any crossover between the shows. That said, people have a Suits substitute series that can fill that void with White Collar, which was another original USA Network show. To make it better, the Jeff Eastin-created procedural is also getting a revival that will reunite its original characters.

White Collar’s Revival Faces Release Schedule Uncertainty

Bomer Is Set To Star In A New Comedy That Will Likely Film First

The White Collar revival was announced on June 6 by Eastin himself, after years of rumbles about the matter but no concrete movement on the endeavor until then. Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, and Tiffany Thiessen, who were with him during the event where this was confirmed, also revealed that all three of them are going to reprise their respective roles as Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, and Elizabeth Burke. They were mum about the plot specifics of the upcoming project, but considering Neal’s fake death in the White Collar finale, it has a clear narrative opening for the sequel project.

However, it has recently been announced that Bomer is set to star in a The Golden Girls-esque sitcom produced by Ryan Murphy, and created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan (via Variety). Titled Mid-Century Modern, the multi-camera project will stream on Hulu and will follow a similar premise to the cult classic NBC sitcom starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. Joining Bomer are Nathan Lane and Linda Lavin. Considering how concrete the details already are for Mid-Century Modern, it’s highly likely that it’s about to start production, which would effectively push back White Collar revival’s filming schedule.

Why White Collar Revival’s Possible Delay Is More Frustrating Than Waiting For Suits LA

White Collar Reboot Is More Straightforward Than Suits Launching A Spinoff

White Collar‘s confirmed cast and clear option for a premise gave the illusion that production could kick off sooner rather than later. When it was announced, its most important pieces had already been decided upon, and Eastin seemed to have a clear vision of what it would be about. This is a far cry from when the idea of reviving Suits was first brought up. Korsh had to decide about how to move forward with the franchise. After Suits LA was announced, they still had to go through the process of casting before production kicked off.

Overall, White Collar had a better revival path than Suits, and so there was an expectation that its production would start sooner rather than later. This all happened before Bomer’s role in Mid-Century Modern was announced, and since Neal is a central character in White Collar, there is no way that filming can start for its reboot without him on the set. So, unless Murphy’s project hits a snag, it’s safe to say that it will be on top of the actor’s priority, meaning it will be shot and released first, leaving fans waiting longer for the White Collar reboot.

When The White Collar Revival May Release

At Least The White Collar Reboot Already Has A Script And Confirmed Core Cast

Like Mid-Century Modern, the White Collar revival appears to be going to Hulu for streaming as well. The shows are different enough to even have some overlap in broadcasting, assuming that their filming schedules align. This suggests that it’s possible that Bomer immediately transitions to reprising his role as Neal and doing the work with DeKay and Thiessen for the reboot. As for when it might be released, Hulu may want to roll it out as soon as it’s ready, considering the increased interest in it since it landed on Netflix USA.

In any case, since Eastin’s script sounds ready to go and the core cast stays largely the same, there shouldn’t be any problem for the reboot to get things going once they all come back on the set. This will make the process of filming more efficient as compared to new shows, which usually involve a learning period. This means a quicker turnaround for the White Collar revival.

Source: Variety