5 Years After ‘Suits’ Concluded, Was It The Right Decision To End The Legal Drama?

Television proves to be unpredictable, and Suits more than confirms this. The legal drama wrapped up its series finale on the USA Network in 2019, but it received renewed popularity when Netflix picked up the old seasons years later. All of a sudden, it skyrocketed to the top of the charts, becoming the most-streamed show of 2023, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Think about that for a second: Out of everything on television in 2023 it was Suits that the world chose to watch the most. Unsurprisingly and subsequently, a spinoff titled Suits: L.A. entered production in 2024.

But what happened to stir up all this interest in Suits years after it ended? It wasn’t like the show was ignored when it debuted and it aired for nine seasons – which is almost unheard of in an era where most series are considered veterans if they receive three. However, its second coming caught everyone off guard. In fact, it begs the question: Did Suits maybe end too soon? After all, CSI must be airing its 356th season at this point, so why couldn’t Suits carry on too?

The formula worked until it didn’t

Much like ice cream on the couch, Suits establishes itself as a comfort. It’s breezy television and features a simplistic setup that never offends those watching. Set in a New York law firm, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) possesses photographic memory that helps him remember and see what others don’t, while Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) struts his stuff as a cocky, sharpshooting attorney whom everyone wants in their corner. Then, there’s Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) – a terrific attorney in his own right, but he clashes with Harvey because of misunderstandings or jealousy. Mike’s significant other is the bright paralegal Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle), who rises through the ranks. There’s also Harvey’s secretary, Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty), who clearly feels something more for Harvey and so does he for her. At the top is Gina Torres’ Jessica Pearson, who strikes fear into the hearts of all those who challenge her.

Other supporting characters come and go throughout the nine seasons, but Suits understands procedural television like it’s the back of its hand. The cases themselves are flimsy and the ah-ha moments are far too convenient for anyone’s liking, but the people tune in because of the dynamic between Mike, Harvey, Louis, Jessica, Donna, and Rachel. The characters entertain and keep everyone coming back for more, especially in the first few seasons as the audience remains on tenterhooks over Mike’s big secret. He’s hired without attending law school, and those who know attempt to keep it quiet, while others try to weaponize the knowledge to their advantage.

The formula works as the characters compel the audience to watch and find out what happens next as they fall in love, fight, and learn how to work together. However, like with any procedural, it starts to get long in the tooth after several seasons of the same repetitive story patterns. At a point, it’s almost like clockwork that Harvey and Louis will fight over nothing or that someone else finds out Mike’s secret and lords it over him. Then, something unexpected happened: Meghan Markle met a real-life prince.

Meghan Markle’s ascension to royalty created a perfect storm for the show

Suits turned Meghan Markle into a household name. Her life changed forever in 2016, though, when she met and fell in love with Prince Harry, marrying him in 2018. However, that came with a consequence: She had royal responsibilities and would need to leave the show. An option would have been to recast the role of Rachel, but that wouldn’t have gone down too well with the Marklelites fanbase. 

Markle’s exit had a knock-on effect on Mike’s narrative arc, too. Since he and Rachel had just married, the storyline explained how they would be moving away to Seattle in Season 8. Behind the scenes, though, actor Patrick J. Adams had wanted to leave the show for a while, so this provided him with the smooth exit strategy.

It wasn’t only Adams and Markle leaving the show, as Gina Torres departed too. In reality, Torres wanted to be closer to her family and made the decision to take a step back after Season 6. While Torres appeared as a recurring character in Season 7, she left for good thereafter.

Changes needed to happen – and they did. Suits Season 8 received a new lead character in the form of Katherine Heigl’s Samantha Wheeler, while Dulé Hill’s Alex Williams and Amanda Schull’s Katrina Bennett were bumped up to regulars. That said, the audience’s attachment to Jessica, Rachel, and Mike couldn’t be ignored. They missed these characters and the show was never the same after their departures.

The last season of Suits should have been subpoenaed and never aired

By Season 8, Suits took off its jacket and tie. To put it simply: It just wasn’t the same. The departure of big characters hurt the show and it labored through 16 episodes as the ratings plummeted. Unsurprisingly, the announcement arrived that Season 9 would be the last ride and it had been cut down to 10 episodes.

There were attempts to make it work as Mike Ross returned for a few episodes here and there, but the show largely degenerated into a soap opera-esque love drama between Harvey and Donna, whereby no one wanted to see them together at this point. An incredible turn of events, considering how much fans wanted to see them together for so long. When the finale aired, there wasn’t a feeling of satisfaction or closure. Instead, it was more of a case of good riddance – the show had overstayed its welcome.

Looking back through the filter of nostalgia, it’s easy to be deceived and see everything through rose-tinted glasses. In the case of Suits, most people remember the early days and the comforting nature of those episodes. However, this slick show worsened as it went on. It needed to be put out of its misery – and it should have happened a few seasons earlier than what it did. Unfortunately, when all is said and done, the greenback boogie turned into the greenback booger by the end.