Summary
I watched all nine seasons ofSuitsfor the first time in 2024, and it made me learn a lot about the legal drama that recently took the world by storm despite having ended five years ago.Suitsflew under my radar when it was originally airing on USA Network. However, just like many other people, I discovered the series when it hit Netflix in the latter half of 2023. Followingrumors of aSuitsrevival, which turned out to be aSuitsspinoff series set in LA, I decided to finally watch the show.
It didn’t take me long to get invested inSuitscharacters, after which I found myself binge-watching the series. Naturally, there were things I had been spoiled of aboutSuits, such as the fact three cast members had left the series before it ended. Still, I mostly went blind intoSuitsand was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the show.WatchingSuitsfor the first time in 2024 is certainly a different experience from what it must have been like watching the show weekly, but the time I invested was worth it.
8Suits Was Not The Legal Drama I Was Expecting
Suits was the opposite of what I was expecting
When I first heard ofSuits, I assumed it was a courtroom drama in which every episode would see a couple of lawyers trying to win a case.I also assumedSuitswas going to be an episodic procedural from start to finish, similar to other USA Network shows I used to watch likeMonkandPsych. Although I would have had no problem with a procedural courtroom drama, I was glad to learn I was wrong aboutSuits. The series was quite different from what I was expecting, which is exactly why it got me hooked.
Suitsran from August 21, 2025, to June 03, 2025.
Turns outSuitswas not about criminal cases and courtroom battles but rather about corporate attorneystrying to settle things before they ever got to trial. Harvey Specter, described as the“best closer in the city,”followed a very strict rule of never letting things go to trial. Harvey’s superpower was to find exactly what a person needed or wanted and use that to get the best possible deal out of them, hoping things would never come down to the unpredictability of a trial.Suitswas also not a strict procedural either, although it had “cases of the week.”
7Mike Ross’ Photographic Memory Is The Least Interesting Thing About Suits
Suits grew beyond its original premise
Although I was aware thatSuitswas about two main characters, one of which had never gone to law school, I had never heard ofMike Ross’ photographic memoryuntil watching the pilot. In hindsight, it made sense for one ofSuits’ protagonists to have a gimmick that made them into an extraordinary character who could do things other people couldn’t. As a fan ofMonkand occasionalPsychwatcher, I was not surprised thatSuitsalso had a gimmick. Whereas Adrian Monk was an absurdly genius detective,Mike Ross had a science-fiction-like photographic memory.
Mike’s memory made for some fun scenes, particularly his first encounter with Harvey in the pilot, but it was the least interesting part of the show.Suitsmay have started as the story of a genius who did not have to go to law school to be a great lawyer, but it evolved into something bigger than that. Mike Ross could have been virtually the same character he was without the photographic memory gimmick, which, in some episodes, felt way too convenient and almost supernatural.Suitswas a somewhat grounded show, except for Mike’s memory.
6Suits Didn’t Focus On Legal Accuracy (& That’s Okay)
Suits was not really about the law anyway
As someone who watched all eight seasons ofHouse, I was prepared for a legal drama to not be fully accurate regarding how the law works. Just like House was more about the characters and their relationships than the medical side of it all,Suitswas about power dynamics.A major sports fan who was friends with Michael Jordan, Harvey Specter treated every case as a competition that he had to win no matter what. More often than not, whether Harvey would win a case came down to whether he could beat his opponents in their own game.
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Suits’ legal terms made for some fun, long dialogues in which characters like Harvey and Mike showed off their knowledge of the law, but they were not the most important thing about the show.It didn’t matter thatSuits’ lawyers would review a document just by looking at it for five seconds, or that suits that would take years in the real world moved forward within days on the show. The challenges, problems, and even relationship drama that came with every case are what madeSuitsfun to watch.
5Suits Was Never The Same After Gina Torres’ Jessica Pearson Left
Jessica was the heart and soul of Suits
Three mainSuitsactors left the showbefore it ended – Gina Torres in season 6; Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle after season 7. Since I was aware of these exits, I was somewhat prepared to say goodbye to Jessica, Mike, and Rachel when the time came. However, by the end ofSuits, I realized thatthe show was never the same after Jessica Pearson left.Mike and Rachel’s absences were missed, but the series worked surprisingly well without them, particularly in season 9. Jessica’s exit, however, left a void thatSuitsnever filled.
Gina Torres starred in the short-livedPearson, a Jessica Pearson spinoff, after exiting the main show.
Without Jessica,Suitsbecame a parody of itselfwhere Harvey and Louis would play managing partners. Donna also became a major player in the firm shortly after Jessica’s exit, yet this new dynamic between three of the show’s main characters did not work. Harvey, Louis, Donna, and Mike pulling up stunts and causing trouble was never surprising and suited their characters, which is why Jessica was so important. Gina Torres’ character helped ground the show in a sense of reality that was lost once Jessica left.
4Harvey Specter Is A Fascinating Character With A Lot Of Flaws
I could never get tired of watching Harvey do his magic
I’m sure that I’m now alone in saying that Harvey Specter is myfavoriteSuitscharacter. Although the series’ original premise revolved around Mike Ross and his photographic memory, Harvey is the one who felt like an extraordinary character. Whereas a lot ofSuitscharacters became parodies of themselves toward the end of the show, it was rare for Harvey to do anything that felt out of character. In other words,I could expect anything from Harvey Specter inSuits– from punching Louis to committing federal crimes to save Mike.
Mike’s unique talents were hard to buy, but Harvey’s were somewhat believable.Specter did not have a gimmick or a superpower, he was just good at his job. That said, Harvey had a lot of flaws that are difficult to ignore. From hiring someone who didn’t go to law school to working against his own clients’ best interests and everything in between, Harvey was the bad guy from the perspective of a lot of characters inSuits. His relationships were also quite complicated and borderline problematic, although this led to a great storyline about him facing his past.
Suits’ worst episodes weren’t easy to get through
As with most shows that ran for that long,Suitshad highs and lows. Whereas some seasons made me want to watch 10 episodes in one sitting, others had me checking the synopsis of each episode to see if anything interesting was going to happen.Suitscould get engaging and fun very swiftly, but they could also deliver boring, low-stakes episodes just as easily. ThebestSuitsseasonswere the ones where actions had consequences, not the ones where all problems could be solved at the last minute.
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Suits’ later seasons were particularly disappointing, although the show did end on a high note.Suitsseason 8 was difficult to get used to, as the show was now radically different from the previous seven seasons. Even when Jessica, Mike, and Rachel were still around,Suitswas already showing signs that its formula was not going to last forever. Long-running shows need to reinvent themselves every so often, butSuitsstruggled to do so. Louis’ character is perhaps the best example of it, going from a layered antagonist to a shallow comic relief.
2Most Suits Characters Should Be In Jail
Suits’ characters committed crimes daily
Halfway throughSuits, I started to wonder whether I was supposed to root for Harvey, Mike, and their friends since they were mostly acting with their own best interests in mind regardless of their consequences. Although I’m far from a legal expert, the show gave me enough examples to conclude that mostSuitscharacters should be in jail. From Mike having fake records created to Harvey tricking his clients while colluding with a prosecutor from the SEC,Suits’ protagonists committed enough crimes to spend several years behind bars.
Suitsbecomes a much more fun show when you realize Harvey and Mike are often in the wrong, yet that they are compelling enough characters for you to root for them. There seemed to be no lines the attorneys at Pearson Specter Litt wouldn’t cross, which made the show strangely funny. WhereasSuits’ first couple of seasons got me rooting for Harvey and Mike to win their cases, the latter seasons were about hoping the duo could get away with their crimes and shady schemes.
1I Finally Understand Why Suits Is So Successful On Streaming Platforms
I understand the Suits resurgence now
Suitswas the most streamed show of 2023 (per Nielsen), even brokingThe Office’s 2020 recordfor most watched hours in a year. After binging all seasons ofSuitsin 2024, I finally understand why the legal drama became such a hit on streaming.Suitsis the type of show that we can no longer easily find on televisionin an era where limited series, premium content, and movie-like TV productions are dominating all streaming platforms.Suitsis a reminder that it is okay for a TV show to just be a TV show.
The simplicity ofSuitsis what makes it great. The series includes all the classic tropes of a network drama, from flashback episodes that conveniently speak to what the characters are facing in the present to a prison arc that only lasts a handful of episodes.Suitsfeel familiar, yet it has enough personality to get viewers hooked. Compared to a 10-episode series that can get canceled without a proper conclusion, becoming attached toSuitsfelt safer and more worth it than starting a newly-released streaming show.
Suits
Cast
Suits is a legal drama series that premiered in 2011, centering on Mike Ross, a college dropout with a photographic memory who lands a job at a top New York law firm despite lacking a law degree. Partnering with one of the city’s best legal closers, Harvey Specter, they navigate the challenges of high-stakes cases and firm dynamics.
