Random Rambling # 59: We Need More “Blue Sky” Shows
About two weeks ago, I started rewatching "White Collar." I was in the mood for a show I could put on while I wrote or pop on when I came home from work that a brain that spent 7 hours working with kids could follow without turning to mush. "White Collar" was the perfect show for that. I mean that as a very high compliment.
"White Collar" was a part of the "blue sky era" on the USA Network. This era lasted from 2005 to 2016 when the network used the "Characters Welcome" slogan. During this time, the network was cranking out these. Shows: "Psych," "Burn Notice," "Royal Pains, "In Plain Sight," "Covert Affairs," "Monk," and "Suits," to name a few. These shows all shared a few elements: light, quippy, and episodic, with bits of a season-long story sprinkled into each episode. The most important thing each show had was a strong focus on the characters. When I look back on the shows that I watched, what I remember most are those characters and their relationships with one another; Sean and Gus from "Psych" bickering like brothers, Harvey and Mike from "Suits" solving tough cases, Neal and Peter's relationship going from con and fed to actual friends in "White Collar."
As great as we have it now, I long for shows like these. They were easy to watch, but that doesn't mean they were simple shows. The cases in shows like "Suits" or "Psych" could get complicated, and it was never sure that the results would go our hero's way. Many shows today are serious and make little time for humor. The "Blue Sky Era" show could be hilarious, even if they dealt with something dramatic. In "Psych," many cases in which fake psychic detective Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) was called on to help were murder cases. That did not stop him and Gus (Dulé Hill) from having some gut-bustlingly funny moments in the episode. The characters came first, and the stories were made to fit the characters, not vice versa.
Too many shows today are focused on overly complicated stories to keep viewers coming back week to week. They think that is more important than interesting characters that viewers can actually care about. As I have been watching "White Collar," I have found that the moments I engage most with showcase the relationship between Peter and Neil. I am still rooting for Neil to not slide back into his con man ways and force Peter to arrest him again. I love watching Mozie (Willie Garrison) reluctantly work with the FBI to help Neil or Elizabeth (Tiffini Theason) and Peter as the best on-screen couple in history. I am getting ahead of myself; I'll discuss this show next week. The cases are fun and engaging, and watching a heist/con get pulled off is endlessly entertaining. Despite all that, the characters have stuck with me.
"Suits" found a new audience during lockdown when it was on Netflix, which led to "Suits LA," which started airing on NBC this past week (it's not nearly as good as the original). There are also talks of a "White Collar" continuation. There have been three movies with the characters from "Psych" and one that continued the story of "Monk." The love for these shows is still strong, proven by the fact that they are scattered over different streaming platforms and making new fans. I think many people yearn for shows like these, where you aren't trying to unravel a mystery but hanging out with these great characters.
