Here's how Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) and Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) can reunite in the potential White Collar revival. Creator Jeff Eastin is working to bring back the FBI agent and his criminal informant on the small screen after the USA Network series wrapped in 2014. Running for six seasons, White Collar amassed a loyal following throughout its time on the air, which is why fans quickly got excited when news that Neal and Peter might return for another outing broke out.
Peter and Neal's relationship first started after the former tried for years to put the latter behind bars due to various criminal acts. Thanks to Neal's innate charisma, wits, and knowledge of the illegal world he operated in, he was able to convince the FBI agent to take him on as a criminal informant and get enrolled in a work-release program. Eventually, the pair developed genuine friendship with each other, but Neal's fondness of Peter and his wife, Elizabeth (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen), wasn't enough to fully reform him. In the White Collar series finale, he pulled his biggest con yet - tricking Peter to believing that he died when he secretly escaped to Paris for a brand new adventure.
When Peter realized that he was conned after Neal's supposed death, he wasn't mad about it; he was happy that his friend is alive, regardless if he was up to no good again. Thanks to the newspaper clue left in Neal's storage, Peter at least has an idea of where Neal went, and considering that the con man operating outside of the country, he wasn't compelled to go after his former informant. Even if he wanted to, he can't at that point as Elizabeth just gave birth and he promised to stay in New York to be with them. It's the same reason why he refused to move to Washington despite being offered a job there. Things are different now that a few years have already passed, and it presents a couple of opportunities for White Collar to have Peter and Neal cross paths again.
There are a few ways the revival can pan out. White Collar's finale strongly implied that Neal was out in Paris to work on another job. With Europe having a richer art culture than the United States, there's a lot more for him across the pond. Assuming that Neal made several scores throughout Europe during his stay there, it's possible that he runs into a much bigger threat that forces him to reach out to Peter, who may have already risen through the FBI ranks in recent years, for help. For old time's sake, Peter agrees and they re-team to bring down bigger criminals.
Another White Collar revival possibility is Neal becoming a bigger con artist than he was before. As a United States citizen wreaking havoc in Europe, the American authorities might get involved. Given Peter's previous working relationship with Neal, he could be tapped for a squad that's tasked to bring Neal back home and behind bars. This scenario is much more interesting for Peter as his friendship with Neal could cloud his judgement.
Whatever the case may be, there's no denying fans' excitement over the thought of seeing the charming con man and mild-mannered FBI agent together again on the small screen. It's worth noting that White Collar was canceled not because it was doing poorly in terms of ratings, but because of the high cost of production in New York. With the rise of streaming services and the possibility of setting the show in a different place to help decrease its budget, there's a good chance that something might come out of Eastin and the cast's effort to bring the show back on the air.