willie garson

In baseball, a seasoned, veteran ball player is considered a valuable member of the team. It's not that different in television, and during the summer -- when baseball is thriving -- a lot of primetime drama series thrive thanks in no small part to the contributions of valuable assets like the following "boys of summer."

Without the experienced and knowing assists of veteran actors, the summer series listed here simply wouldn't be as entertaining.

Check out our seven "most valuable players" and tell us if we got it right ... or who we left out!

A mysterious music box. An untimely death. And is there a way to solve it all?

[Spoiler alert.]

We're back for the season premiere of 'White Collar' (Tue., 9PM ET on USA). At the end of the previous season, Kate (Alexandra Daddario) was killed during an explosion on a private jet. Now, Neal (Matt Bomer) is trying to solve her death. But the solution leads him to the mysterious music box that has plagued him during the previous season.

And just when Neal starts to think that he has everything figured out, it is revealed that his friend Diana (Marsha Thomason) had the music box all along. What will happen next?

(S01E14) "I think there's a difference between loving the idea of someone and actually loving them." - Elizabeth

I'm going to say that this was the best episode of 'White Collar' since the pilot. Maybe it's because it was a season finale and the stakes are higher and a lot of things come to a head, but that's not always the case with last episodes of a season for a TV show. But this one had everything you could possibly want in a season finale: an intricate caper, witty dialogue, heartfelt moments, Peter being suspended, double crosses, Diahann Carroll with an important role in the plot, and even a surprising explosion (though I saw it coming -- not sure why). This was a really nice way to end the season.

It also had the return of an old character from the show ... and it's not just a one-time thing.

(S01E13) "Paranoia is a skill, the secret to longevity." - Moz

Last week we had someone from Neal's past (Keller) coming back to cause problems, and I mentioned that it seems like the show does that a lot, a la 'Burn Notice.' And tonight continued that trend, with Wilkes coming into Neal's life, kidnapping a girl and wanting Neal to do some favors for him in exchange for the girl's life (of course, he has no intention of releasing the girl and would probably kill Neal too if he had to). The funny thing is, even though all these baddies from Neal's past keep making appearances, I bet none of them have anything to do with the Kate and the music box and none of them are the big bad guy in charge of everything.

What, you think it's actually Fowler? Yeah, right!

(S01E12) "Pinot. You've seen 'Sideways'." - wine expert, to Peter

So, I'm sure you were fascinated by the story Neal told Peter tonight, about how bottles of wine bottled before 1945 are different than those bottled after because of the atomic bomb that was dropped in that year. I was wondering if it was true, and thanks to the web, I found this article about how cesium 137 and how it doesn't exist naturally, it's a result of nuclear fallout, and wine bottled before nuclear testing wouldn't have it. I love learning stuff like that.

(S01E10) "Please tell me there's surveillance video of this!" - Elizabeth, to Peter, about his flirting

After watching the head-scratching two-hour season premiere of 'Lost,' it's a relief to watch a show like 'White Collar.' Not that this show is two-dimensional, it's just that it's like a palate cleanser to watch a show that doesn't involve time travel, smoke monsters, alternate realities, and healing water pools.

Sure, this episode had organ harvesting and fake kidney removal scams, but it was easy to follow.

(S01E09) While watching Human Target (on a special night tonight) right before this episode of White Collar, I got to thinking how many old-fashioned, fun action shows there are on TV right now. This show, Burn Notice, Human Target. They're throwbacks to the 60s or 70s or 80s, the lone hero (or the hero with a partner) helping either an innocent civilian or the government take down the bad guys, using cleverness, gadgets, disguises and fighting skills.

That's not to say they're just fluffy, throwaway entertainments ... well, maybe to a certain extent they are. But Burn Notice and White Collar have a lot more going on than that, while at the same time not resorting to brooding, troubled heroes like a lot of characters on many other modern shows.

(S01E07) "You can check my University of Phoenix online degree. Go Cardinals." - lawyer Moz

The previews for this fall finale promised there would be an ending that we'd never see coming. That's usually a huge help in actually figuring out what the "surprise" ending is to a TV show. If we don't expect it, we know what to not expect and we can often figure out what happens. I didn't see this ending coming at all. I mean, I knew that the guy we thought was the bad guy wasn't really part of the solution. That was just a red herring. But I didn't expect who was at the door and who was in the chair in the final scene.

Thank God this show is coming back next month and not in March like so many other shows seem to be doing.

(S01E06) "You're weird." - Little girl, to Peter

What, no Thanksgiving episode? They could have had a plot where Caffrey has to find a diamond that was hidden in the carcass of a frozen Butterball turkey in the local supermarket. Or maybe some secret microfilm hidden inside a giant bowl of yams covered in marshmallows. They did mention that Christmas was coming up, so they seem to be in the right time of year. They should have had some of the characters watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving or the Macy's Parade or something.

(S01E05) I don't think I've sighed as hard as I sighed during the opening scene of this episode of White Collar in a long time. Caffrey and Moz find a note hidden by Kate ... in Grand Central Station? And not even in the station, but in the corner of the building outside. Did I miss some massive clue that Caffrey was following to find the exact location of the note shoved into a crack? Or are we just supposed to assume he's so smart and perceptive that he can find an old note within three minutes of showing up in front of the building? If I missed something, it was silly. If that's exactly how it went down, then it was kinda stupid.

Fun episode, though!

(S01E04) "Yeah, and I didn't even have to go to prison first." - Lauren, after Caffrey pointed out that she just joined the team

I want Neal Caffrey's life. He gets out of jail by promising to help the FBI with cases with his expertise in ... well, just about everything. And he gets to do it from the penthouse apartment of an incredibly cool Manhattan mansion. This is a lesson for all the kids out there. If you are going to be a criminal, make sure those crimes are in fields where the U.S. government will have no choice but to take you out of jail and have you help them because they can't solve cases without you.

Oh, and I also want Peter Burke's dog.

(S01E03) "I like my miracles with more smiting and lightning." - Burke

Would the FBI really help a bad guy get a church Bible back? Sure, it turned out to be a very important Bible, but the way that Barelli just comes into the FBI and asks for their help in getting the book back and the chief takes him seriously from the get-go didn't ring true to me. Sure, Burke told him to just go to the local police, but then the chief pulls him aside and says that he doesn't need the Archdiocese breathing down his neck about it. That just seemed like a way for the writers to justify the plot in the first place.

(S01E01) USA Network likes to remind us that characters are welcome. Thankfully, that's not just a slogan, as all of their shows actually do have great lead characters. And this holds true for the latest light comedy-action drama White Collar.

Sure, there's similar DNA that runs though a lot of the USA shows. Burn Notice, Royal Pains, and White Collar all have a similar setup and feel to them, but when the shows are actually good (like all of these shows are) that's not a problem. I don't know if there's anything "deep" about this show, but it's entertaining as hell.