WHITE COLLAR Begins Sixth, Final Season 11/6

USA announced today that its hit original drama series WHITE COLLAR will air its sixth and final season beginning Thursday, November 6 at 9/8c, followed by the return of the international espionage drama, COVERT AFFAIRS, at 10/9c. From FOX Television Studios and creator Jeff Eastin (GRACELAND), WHITE COLLAR returns with EMMY nominee Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay, as well as Tiffani Thiessen, Willie Garson, Sharif Atkins and Marsha Thomason.

"From its inception, WHITE COLLAR captured a massive and loyal following, in large part due to the incredible on-screen chemistry between Matt and Tim, who deserve credit for one of the most brilliantly performed 'bromances' in all of television," said Chris McCumber, President of USA Network. "The series also benefited from smart writing and an extraordinarily talented supporting cast, who helped it become a fan favorite crime drama for five straight years. This season will not disappoint, with an exciting and shocking ending that fans will never forget."

The series focuses on the unlikely partnership between the very intelligent and charming con-artist Neal Caffrey (Bomer) and the hard-working and earnest FBI agent Peter Burke (DeKay). In exchange for his freedom, and on the condition that he wear an ankle bracelet at all times, Caffrey provides his expertise in thievery to help Burke and agents Clinton Jones (Atkins) and Diana Berrigan (Thomason) catch other elusive WHITE COLLAR criminals.

"Saying goodbye to WHITE COLLAR - and Neal and Peter - after six successful seasons is incredibly difficult, but I couldn't be prouder of what our entire team has accomplished over the last six years," said Eastin. "I'm grateful to FTVS and USA for giving the show a great home, and I can't wait for fans to see the twists, surprises and phenomenal performances our final season has in store for them."

The thrilling final season picks up on last season's cliffhanger, when Caffrey has disappeared, sans ankle bracelet. Personal transitions and returning enemies complicate things when Caffrey and Agent Burke are pitted against the most sought-after network of criminals in the world, the Pink Panthers. With the help of Mozzie (Garson) and FBI agents, Barrigan and Jones, they will attempt to infiltrate and bring down the infamous criminal ring. Guest stars for the final bow include Ross McCall, Gavin Lee, Bridget Regan, Toby Leonard Moore, PALOMA Guzman, Michael Potts, Isaach de Bankole and Diahann Carroll.

A critical darling since it debuted, the Los Angeles Times praised the series, saying it was "Sparkling, snappy, bursting with energy and good clean HEIST fun... " while USA Today pointed out "everything about the show is a fun, shiny fantasy." Boston Globe noted it was"... one of the best new shows of the season," and the New York Post lauded "... it's a whole lotta fun." Over five seasons, WHITE COLLAR has been honored with four consecutive years of People's Choice Award nominations (2011-2014) and a NAACP Image Award nomination for Diahann Carroll, among other accolades.

WHITE COLLAR was a ratings hit from the beginning, as one of the top new cable originals in 2009. Season five was among the top five most-watched basic cable series on Thursday nights in the first quarter of 2014 in P18-49 (1.62 million), P25-54 (1.76 million) and total viewers P2+ (4.46 million).

WHITE COLLAR was created and is executive produced by Jeff Eastin (Graceland) and comes from FOX Television Studios. Nick Thiel and Jeff King serve as executive producers. The series is filmed in New York City.

Universal Cable Production's COVERT AFFAIRS stars Golden Globe(R) nominee Piper Perabo ("Looper"), Christopher Gorham ("Ugly Betty"), Peter Gallagher ("The O.C."), Kari Matchett ("Invasion"), Hill Harper ("CSI: NY") and new series regular, Nic Bishop ("Body of Proof").

In the globe-trotting drama series, Perabo stars as Annie Walker, a young CIA operative whose exceptional linguistic skills and killer instinct make her invaluable to the Agency.

After a whirlwind international exploration at the start of the season, Annie Walker (Perabo) finally has her sights set on the culprit behind the Chicago CIA facility bombing, Georgian diplomat Aleksandre Belenko (guest star Shawn Doyle). We resume the season with Annie and Ryan's (Bishop) relationship in a delicate balance. Annie continues working outside the CIA as a private contractor but the task of bringing Belenko to justice will prove to be a challenge. She'll have to throw out the Langley playbook as she begins her investigation into his motives, and more importantly, discovers who else is locked in his sights. Meanwhile, Auggie (Gorham) begins to uncover a mysterious connection between his past and Belenko's targets, while Calder (Harper) recruits Sydney (guest star Nazneen Contractor) to infiltrate the Russian Embassy and Joan (Matchett) protects a secret that could destroy her career.

The series boasts one of the strongest DVR Playback lifts on cable, currently averaging 1.1 million in P18-49 viewers L7 -- +145% over Live+Same, 1.4 million in P25-54 -- +142%, and 3.6 million total viewers -- +117%.

COVERT AFFAIRS was created, written and executive produced by Matt Corman and Chris Ord, and is executive produced by Doug Liman (SUITS, the "Bourne" trilogy, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"), David Bartis (SUITS, "The O.C.") and Gene Klein (SUITS) through Hypnotic. Stephen Kay ("Sons of Anarchy"), Sean Ryerson ("Bait," "Beyond Rangoon"), Stephen Hootstein ("What About Brian") and Henry Alonso Myers ("Ugly Betty," "Chuck") also serve as executive producers. The series shoots in Toronto.

Fans can catch up on season five of WHITE COLLAR on VOD or watch it from the beginning at usanetwork.com. The first half of COVERT AFFAIRS season five is available on VOD and at usanetwork.com, watch it from the beginning on Amazon Prime. For photos of WHITE COLLAR and COVERT AFFAIRS, please log on to the NBCUniversal Media Village at www.nbcumv.com. Follow the official twitter feed for WHITE COLLAR at @WhiteCollarUSA and for COVERT AFFAIRS at @CovertAffairs.

Photo Credit: USA

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