Warning: this article contains spoilers for SuitsWhen Patrick J. Adams announced his departure from Suits in 2018, many were quick to blame the following season’s melodramatics and half-baked storylines on his absence as the quick-witted Mike Ross. However, the fast-paced legal drama already had its fair share of problems long before Mike tied the knot with Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) and moved to Seattle in season 7’s finale, which proved to be Meghan Markle’s final appearance on Suits.
By the end of the 2010s, Suits had exhausted many of its key plotlines, leaving little room for growth that didn’t feel either repeтιтive or overly cliché. Even the series’ main dilemma had been resolved once Mike successfully became a lawyer in the season 6 finale– a miraculous feat, considering Mike had been sentenced to prison in season 5 for conspiracy to commit fraud. Ultimately, the final seasons of Suits lost their allure due to a plethora of recycled storylines and lackluster additions piled up over nearly a decade of network television.
Suits Had Become A Parody Of Itself By The Final Two Seasons
Seasons 8 And 9 Are Dominated By Pure Chaos And Melodrama
Since the first seven seasons of Suits had already wrapped up major plot points, including the conclusion of Mike and Rachel’s romance and many of the firm’s internal power struggles, seasons 8 and 9 suffered from a torrent of cheesy storylines that saw many of the series’ greatest leads reduced to mere caricatures of themselves. Consider Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), once the cunning lawyer who proved to be Harvey Specter’s (Gabriel Macht) most bitter rival; by season 9, Louis’ antics are less neurotic and more cartoonish, with his relationship with Sheila serving as a prime example of his radical shift.
Another point of parody in Suits‘ later seasons was the firm’s ever-changing name throughout Suits’ nine seasons, which became a running joke by the end of the series; by season 8, however, the rivalry between newcomers Samantha Wheeler (Katherine Heigl) and Alex Williams (Dulé Hill) culminated in the firm being reтιтled “Zane Specter Litt Wheeler Williams,” a name that sounds more like it’s from a Suits SNL sketch rather than the series’ penultimate season. Plus, the late-stage additions of Samantha and Alex served as poor subsтιтutes for the banter and camaraderie of Harvey and Mike, one of the show’s strongest attributes in the earlier seasons.
Suits Was Already Showing Worrying Signs When Mike Was Still Around
The Legal Drama Could Only Cover So Much Ground
Even before Mike split for Seattle with Rachel at the end of season 7, Suits had already started to show signs of losing steam as its storylines became increasingly far-fetched and silly. From the start, the series always had a bad habit of setting up drama, only to resolve it an episode or two later. However, season 6 took that practice to the extreme after resolving Mike’s stint in prison just a few months into his two-year sentence through some Herculean contrivances.
By season 7, Pearson Specter Litt had already endured a merger, an FCC investigation, and countless lawsuits.
On top of its increasingly improbable storylines, another issue that plagued Suits in its mid-to-later seasons was the continuous threats to the firm’s existence, which were often brought about by some of Suits’ greatest villains. By season 7, Pearson Specter Litt had already endured a merger, an FCC investigation, and countless lawsuits. This even included a $100 million class-action suit in season 6 that prompted almost the entire firm to quit.
Suits’ writers were already facing a monumental challenge in conjuring up a believable threat to the firm’s survival from season to season. In the show’s final years, however, it simply became impossible to do so without either retreading familiar ground or crossing into ludicrous territory.
Suits’ Biggest Problem Wasn’t Mike’s Exit – It Was Not Ending Sooner
You’ve Got To Know When To Fold Them And Walk Away
Much like how audiences were turned off by The Office‘s final two seasons after Steve Carell retired from the role of Michael Scott in 2011, Suits also suffered from Patrick J. Adams’ departure in season 7. However, the exit of the show’s key players didn’t begin with Mike Ross or Rachel Zane: it began with Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), whose withdrawal at the end of season 6 should’ve prompted the wrap-up of the series.
Although Suits was a show entertaining enough to survive the loss of main characters like Jessica, who starred in a Suits spinoff that was canceled after one season, her departure triggered a tsunami of exits the writers desperately tried to replace with newcomers like Samantha Wheeler. Though valiant, this approach didn’t work because the audiences hadn’t grown attached to these characters over several seasons of television. Ultimately, Suits’ biggest mistake wasn’t saying goodbye to Mike too early: it was saying goodbye to everyone too late.
Suits
- Created by
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Aaron Korsh
- First TV Show
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Suits
- Latest TV Show
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Suits LA
- First Episode Air Date
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June 23, 2011
- Cast
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Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres, Amanda Schull, Dulé Hill, Katherine Heigl, simon kᴀssianides, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Chantel Riley, Bethany Joy Lenz
Summary
Suits is an American legal drama franchise centered on high-stakes law firms, corporate power plays, and personal relationships. The flagship series, Suits, gained widespread popularity for its sharp dialogue and charismatic characters, leading to two spin-offs: Pearson, which focuses on Jessica Pearson’s new career in Chicago politics, and Suits: LA, a fresh expansion set on the West Coast.
