Suits (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Suits is a USA Network
television drama series starring Gabriel Macht
and Patrick J. Adams
. The 12-episode first season debuted on June 23, 2011, with a 90-minute premiere. It was renewed for a second season of 16 episodes on August 11, 2011, expected to premiere in Summer 2012.
) is a brilliant college dropout. Mike's childhood dreams of becoming a lawyer are derailed after unforeseen circumstances, including having to care for his beloved grandmother. Naturally intelligent and with an eidetic memory
, Mike makes a living taking tests for other people, particularly LSATs.
Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht
) is one of New York City's
top attorneys who has recently been promoted to senior partner at his firm, and is forced by company policy to hire an associate. After an accidental interview with Mike, Harvey is impressed by the younger man's quick wits, his encyclopedic knowledge of the law, and his genuine desire to be an attorney, and hires him. Due to the fact that Mike lacks a law degree, and because the firm prefers Harvard alumni, they both pretend that Mike is a Harvard graduate.
At the firm, Mike is continuously hounded by junior partner Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman
), a rival of Harvey's who is suspicious of Mike's credentials. Mike is eventually befriended by Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle
), a paralegal
, whose test anxiety
has prevented her from becoming a lawyer, and the two soon develop a mutual attraction. Mike and Harvey often come into conflict over Mike's naivete and ethical scruples and Harvey's hard charging and seemingly uncaring demeanor.
script written by Aaron Korsh
. Patrick J. Adams was cast in the lead role of Mike Ross in July 2010. In late July, Gabriel Macht joined the cast as Harvey Specter, the attorney who hires Mike. Rick Hoffman came on board in mid-August to portray Harvey's competition at the law firm. Meghan Markle and Gina Torres completed the main cast in late August. Torres was cast as Jessica Pearson, the managing partner at the firm, and Markle portrays Rachel Zane, a paralegal who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the law. The pilot was filmed in New York City
in fall 2010.
The network green-lighted the series with a 12-episode order on January 19, 2011. The series began filming in Toronto
, Ontario on April 25, 2011, and completed August 12, 2011.
, indicating mixed or average reviews. On IMDb, however, the show scores a 8.9 out of 10 based on almost 10,000 reviews, ranking it in the all-time top 50. Ginia Bellafante, a critic for the The New York Times
, gave the pilot a positive review: "A new legal series beginning on Thursday on USA, erupts from a Mount Vesuvius of absurdities, and yet like so much else in the USA stable, it comes in relatively good faith — not merely with a snappy sense of its own fun, but also with a chipper belief in the viability of renewal." In a review in the The Miami Herald
, Glenn Garvin referred to the show as "cuttingly funny." BuddyTV
described Suits as
"an excellent summer show and–more than that–a truly high-quality piece of television.
In August 2011 the series was renewed for a second season.
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
television drama series starring Gabriel Macht
Gabriel Macht
Gabriel S. Macht is an American actor. Macht is known for playing The Spirit in the film of the same name, and lately for his role as Harvey Specter on the USA Network series Suits.-Personal life:...
and Patrick J. Adams
Patrick J. Adams
Patrick J. Adams is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Mike Ross in USA Network's series Suits.-Personal life:...
. The 12-episode first season debuted on June 23, 2011, with a 90-minute premiere. It was renewed for a second season of 16 episodes on August 11, 2011, expected to premiere in Summer 2012.
Overview
Mike Ross (Patrick J. AdamsPatrick J. Adams
Patrick J. Adams is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Mike Ross in USA Network's series Suits.-Personal life:...
) is a brilliant college dropout. Mike's childhood dreams of becoming a lawyer are derailed after unforeseen circumstances, including having to care for his beloved grandmother. Naturally intelligent and with an eidetic memory
Eidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
, Mike makes a living taking tests for other people, particularly LSATs.
Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht
Gabriel Macht
Gabriel S. Macht is an American actor. Macht is known for playing The Spirit in the film of the same name, and lately for his role as Harvey Specter on the USA Network series Suits.-Personal life:...
) is one of New York City's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
top attorneys who has recently been promoted to senior partner at his firm, and is forced by company policy to hire an associate. After an accidental interview with Mike, Harvey is impressed by the younger man's quick wits, his encyclopedic knowledge of the law, and his genuine desire to be an attorney, and hires him. Due to the fact that Mike lacks a law degree, and because the firm prefers Harvard alumni, they both pretend that Mike is a Harvard graduate.
At the firm, Mike is continuously hounded by junior partner Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman
Rick Hoffman
Rick Hoffman is an American actor and is best known for his roles as Patrick Van Dorn in Jake in Progress and more recently as Louis Litt in USA Network's legal drama Suits.-Early life:...
), a rival of Harvey's who is suspicious of Mike's credentials. Mike is eventually befriended by Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle is an American fashion model, spokesmodel, and actress. She is formerly the model who held case #24 on the hit US television game show Deal or No Deal...
), a paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
, whose test anxiety
Test anxiety
Test anxiety involves a combination of physiological over-arousal, worry and dread about test performance, and often interferes with normal learning and lowers test performance...
has prevented her from becoming a lawyer, and the two soon develop a mutual attraction. Mike and Harvey often come into conflict over Mike's naivete and ethical scruples and Harvey's hard charging and seemingly uncaring demeanor.
Main cast
- Gabriel MachtGabriel MachtGabriel S. Macht is an American actor. Macht is known for playing The Spirit in the film of the same name, and lately for his role as Harvey Specter on the USA Network series Suits.-Personal life:...
as Harvey Specter: New York's best closer, a senior partner at Pearson Hardman, and former ADA in the New York County District AttorneyNew York County District AttorneyThe New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
's Office. He is revealed to have graduated fifth in his class at Harvard Law, despite Jessica's statement that "while there, you screwed around". He dislikes taking on pro bonoPro bonoPro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
cases. He is from ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and played baseball in college. - Patrick J. AdamsPatrick J. AdamsPatrick J. Adams is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Mike Ross in USA Network's series Suits.-Personal life:...
as Mike Ross: a lawyer who never attended law school, but his eidetic memoryEidetic memoryEidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
allows him to consume and regurgitate knowledge better than most people. In the pilot episode, he uses this skill to convince Harvey to hire him as his associate attorneyAssociate attorneyAn associate attorney is a lower-level employee of a traditional law firm who does not hold an ownership interest as a partner.-Attorneys:An associate may be a junior or senior associate, but normally does not yet hold an ownership interest in the firm even if they have been associated with the...
out of numerous Harvard Law graduates despite Harvey knowing he never went to law school at all. In a later episode, he is able to beat another associate when questioned about topics only Harvard Law graduates would know (number of current Supreme Court Justices from Harvard Law). He is revealed to have aspired to be a lawyerLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
when he was in college, but due to him needing money, he made the mistake of memorizing a math test and selling it to the university dean's daughter, leading to the revocation of his scholarship and expulsion from university. - Rick HoffmanRick HoffmanRick Hoffman is an American actor and is best known for his roles as Patrick Van Dorn in Jake in Progress and more recently as Louis Litt in USA Network's legal drama Suits.-Early life:...
as Louis Litt: a junior partner at Pearson Hardman who serves as the "disciplinarian" of the associates, as well as Harvey's antagonist. Louis specialized in financial crimesFinancial crimesFinancial crimes are crime against property, involving the unlawful conversion of the ownership of property to one's own personal use and benefit...
. - Meghan MarkleMeghan MarkleMeghan Markle is an American fashion model, spokesmodel, and actress. She is formerly the model who held case #24 on the hit US television game show Deal or No Deal...
as Rachel Zane: a paralegal who has an obvious fondness for Mike throughout the first season; she tries to get help from him to score higher on the LSATS in order to attend law school. - Sarah RaffertySarah RaffertySarah Gray Rafferty of New Canaan, Connecticut is an American television and film actress. She is known mainly for her roles as Dr. Casey Matthews in the short-lived 2003 science fiction TV series Tremors, and for her more recent role as Donna, a main character on the USA Network legal drama Suits...
as Donna: Harvey's assistant and close confidant. She is powerful enough to be able to scare even Louis, having an extensive memory of his former indiscretions. - Gina TorresGina TorresGina Torres is an American television and movie actress. She is known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy. She has appeared in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , Xena: Warrior Princess , the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, as well as Alias , Firefly Gina...
as Jessica Pearson: Harvey's boss and managing and founding partner of Pearson Hardman.
Recurring cast
- Tom Lipinski as Trevor Evans: Mike's ex-drug-dealing ex-best friend.
- Vanessa Ray as Jenny Griffith: Trevor's ex-girlfriend and Mike's confidant and current girlfriend.
- Rebecca SchullRebecca SchullRebecca Schull is an American film and television actress.Schull studied acting in the United States and in Dublin, Ireland...
as Mike's grandmother. - Ben HollingsworthBen Hollingsworth (actor)Ben Hollingsworth is a Canadian actor.He was born in Brockville, Ontario and attended St. Peter's Secondary School in Peterborough. After graduating from high school he enrolled at the National Theatre School of Canada.-Filmography:...
as Kyle Durant: one of Louis's proteges who is frequently pitted against Mike.
Development and production
Suits first appeared on USA network's development slate under the title A Legal Mind in April 2010. In May, the network placed a cast-contingent pilot order from a pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
script written by Aaron Korsh
Aaron Korsh
Aaron Korsh is an American television producer and writer. Previously he wrote for Everybody Loves Raymond, Just Shoot Me!, Love, Inc., Notes from the Underbelly and currently the USA Network series, Suits in which he is also the creator....
. Patrick J. Adams was cast in the lead role of Mike Ross in July 2010. In late July, Gabriel Macht joined the cast as Harvey Specter, the attorney who hires Mike. Rick Hoffman came on board in mid-August to portray Harvey's competition at the law firm. Meghan Markle and Gina Torres completed the main cast in late August. Torres was cast as Jessica Pearson, the managing partner at the firm, and Markle portrays Rachel Zane, a paralegal who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the law. The pilot was filmed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in fall 2010.
The network green-lighted the series with a 12-episode order on January 19, 2011. The series began filming in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario on April 25, 2011, and completed August 12, 2011.
Reception
Suits received a score of 60 out of 100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, indicating mixed or average reviews. On IMDb, however, the show scores a 8.9 out of 10 based on almost 10,000 reviews, ranking it in the all-time top 50. Ginia Bellafante, a critic for the The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, gave the pilot a positive review: "A new legal series beginning on Thursday on USA, erupts from a Mount Vesuvius of absurdities, and yet like so much else in the USA stable, it comes in relatively good faith — not merely with a snappy sense of its own fun, but also with a chipper belief in the viability of renewal." In a review in the The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
, Glenn Garvin referred to the show as "cuttingly funny." BuddyTV
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
described Suits as
"an excellent summer show and–more than that–a truly high-quality piece of television.
In August 2011 the series was renewed for a second season.
International distribution
| Country | Channel | Premiere date |
|---|---|---|
 AustraliaAustralia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Seven Network Seven Network The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach... |
15 August 2011 |
 CanadaCanada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Bravo! | 3 October 2011 |
 RussiaRussia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
Channel One Channel One (Russia) Channel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%... |
26 September 2011 |
 United KingdomUnited Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Dave | Early 2012 |
 PortugalPortugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
TV Séries | October 2011 |