Despite originally airing on the USA Network way back in 2011 through 2019,Suitsgarnered an entirely new legion of fans once it entered the realm of streaming via Netflix and Peacock. It’s no surprise given the intriguing premise and fabulous cast. With a new spin-off in the works via NBCUniversal calledSuits: L.A., which will star an entirely new cast, it’s the perfect time to look back at the series that became a sleeper hit.
Airing for nine seasons,Suitsis about Mike Ross, a young man with a photographic memory and deep knowledge of the law. After getting in trouble for helping Harvard students cheat on their LSATs (to make money on the side), Mike accidentally ends up in the wrong (or right) place at the right time. He’s all of a sudden in an interview with Harvey Specter, a senior partner at a prestigious law firm, for an internship position. Harvey is instantly impressed with Mike, selectively ignoring the fact that Mike doesn’t actually have a law degree. He hires Mike on the spot. So begins the journey for both characters and others on the long-running series. The show is all about the ensemble cast, but every season allowed different characters to shine.
9Season 1 – Mike Ross
Best Episode: “Pilot”
Naturally, Mike comes out on top in the first season. Fans marvel at his incredible intelligence and knowledge of the law, much of it thanks to his eidetic memory. Mike can skim through a law textbook and remember everything instantly. As basically a human law encyclopedia, it’s no surprise Harvey is willing to overlook not only the fact that Mike doesn’t have a law degree, but also the trouble he has been in. It didn’t take Harvey long to see something in Mike, knowing the young man could go toe-to-toe with him, and also be a valuable mentee.
The first episode is Mike’s best, and one of thebest episodes of the series, overall. Through the entire first season, Mike struggles to both acclimate to the fast-paced world of corporate law and reconcile with some of the underhanded things Harvey does to help his clients. While Mike’s journey is fascinating through the entire season, especially in the early seasons when he is desperate to keep his secret, it’s the first episode when fans are introduced to his talents that really hooks viewers to the show and the character.
8Season 2 – Jessica Pearson
Best Episode: “She Knows”
The first episode of the season says it all: this is when Jessica reveals that she knows about Mike’s secret. Along with dealing with the repercussions of that and the blowback it could bring to the firm, she’s also dealing with the return of the firm’s smarmy co-founder, Daniel Hardman, and the trouble he’s inevitably bringing with him. Then Harvey is going against her wishes on cases and Louis is being seduced by Hardman to support him instead of her.
There’s a lot on Jessica’s shoulders this season, and it finally sheds light on her leadership and motherly role. By the end of the season, Jessica proves her power when she threatens Mike with exposure if he doesn’t purposely lose a case, and he doesn’t. Fans gain new respect for Jessica throughout this season, which makes it clear that Harvey learned much of what he knows from her.
7Season 3 – Louis Litt
Best Episode: “Heartburn”
Louis deals with a lot throughout this season. He begins by working closely with Mike, taking advantage of the continuing rift between he and Harvey. But when the two best friends make up, Louis is left on his own again, feeling like a third wheel. Katrina tries to work with him and Louis and the two eventually form a close bond. Louis is usuallypresented like a villainon the show, but in this episode, fans see that there’s a softer, more vulnerable side to him he doesn’t like others to see.
He’s dealing with a massive case pertaining to a takeover battle for an oil company and trying to be a better person at the same time. Thanks to a conversation with Donna, the usual hard-nosed Louis finally shows someone mercy to his staff. He later has a heart attack while in court, which leads to an epiphany that he wants to marry Sheila. But his hopes are dashed when he realizes they have very different goals for the future. In this season, fans see Louis in a deeply depressed state, completely unlike the Louis fans had gotten to know up to this point. It allowed for a much more nuanced portrayal, providing deeper layers to the otherwise goofy character.
6Season 4 – Rachel Zane
Best Episode: “Litt the Hell Up”
There’s a lot going on this season, centered around the case of Gillis Industries and Harvey and Mike going at one another. Louis also finds out about Mike’s secret, uses it as leverage, and makes himself a name partner. Despite everything going on with Louis, however, there’s a lot brewing for Rachel, too. She’s working herself frantic, so much so that she collapses at law school and is taken to the hospital. There are threats to expose her relationship with Mike, and she’s caught in the middle of the case involving a client she once had an affair with. When he tries to get back with and kisses her, this puts Rachel and Mike’s relationship in an awkward situation.
But this incident leads them to finally talk about all the heartache they have endured together, including Mike’s relationship with Tess when they were on a break. By the end, Mike proposes, marking an important step in their relationship and for Rachel, who finally decides to take that leap of faith and secure the relationship with the man she loves. But mostly, this season is about Rachel juggling and balancing so many balls at the same time while trying desperately to fulfill the personal dreams she has wanted so much for herself since the beginning.
5Season 5 – Harvey Specter
Best Episode: “Faith”
Harvey is the star of many episodes throughout each season, but it’s in season 5, thebest season of the series, when he really shines. Having to work without Donna for the first time, his best friend, confidante, and likely soulmate, Harvey is having a difficult time adjusting. While fans are used to seeing Harvey as a strong, skilled, confident lawyer, he comes across as more vulnerable for the first time, breaking apart at the seams without Donna’s support.
He talks with her therapist about Donna, breaks a promise to Louis by sleeping with his sister, and finally comes to terms with what causes his panic attacks. Things get heated between Harvey and Louis, with Harvey laying a punch on his friend/rival. Things are going from bad to worse for Harvey, but he reaches an all-time low when he resigns just as Mike is carted away by federal agents. There’s a lot to unpack for Harvey this season, who is dealing with a lot of strong emotions for the first time that have nothing to do with work.
4Season 6 – Mike Ross
Best Episode: “The Hand That Feeds You”
The sixth season is when everything comes full circle in the worst way possible for Mike. Now serving prison time for fraud, the episodes flip back and forth between the goings on at Pearson Specter Litt and what happens with Mike in jail. The firm is dealing with the fallout of Mike’s crimes, with virtually every case he worked on leading to a class action suit against them. Along with having to patiently serve out his sentence, Mike is also faced with a dangerous and violent fellow inmate named Frank Gallo who, it turns out, has a personal vendetta against Harvey.
Mike goes from being terrified to being offered a deal by Sean Cahill that could reduce his sentence if he sells out his cellmate. Mike’s moral conscience is tested even when locked behind bars, which is where this season truly shows his character. Mike is finally out of prison by the end of the episode, but unable to work as a lawyer. He decides to work with the clinic to do good for society while agreeing to help Harvey as a consultant. Mike is put through the ringer throughout the season, but in the end, he finally becomes the man he intended to be all along, and is satisfied with the work he’s doing because he’s finally acting using his skills to help people who need it.
3Season 7 – Donna Paulsen
Best Episode: “Donna”
After being the glue that holds the firm together for so many years, not to mention preventing Harvey from self-sabotaging himself, Donna finally comes into her own this season. She is named COO and gets a vote in any decisions made at the company. The deep love Donna has for Harvey is emphasized this season when Donna is dumped by her boyfriend because he realizes that she will always put Harvey first.
Donna, one ofthe most likable characters, is literally put in the hot seat this season when she is forced to testify in the Coastal Motors case to admit that she tampered with evidence by shredding documents. But the real revelation comes when Louis, after realizing he made a mistake letting Sheila go, inspires Donna to go for what she wants and fight for love. She kisses Harvey unexpectedly, finally no longer willing to hide her romantic feelings for him. It’s a massive move that took seven seasons to arrive, and marked what would be a life-changing decision for the character in her personal life to match the strides she had already taken in her professional one.
2Season 8 – Samantha Wheeler and Alex Williams
Best Episode: “Good Mudding”
With both Mike Ross and Rachel Zane having left to Seattle, and Jessica stepping down and starting a new life in Chicago, this season introduces a new character, Samantha Wheeler, played by Katherine Heigl. Both Samantha and Alex are central characters this season, with much of the storyline centered around their rivalry to be the next name partner. Samantha is a mystery for much of the beginning, a mysterious person with a sordid past that no one really knows anything about. Alex, meanwhile, is less fascinating, but driven and willing to do whatever it takes to win.
The friendly yet cut-throat competition between the two lawyers is interesting fodder throughout the season, and they make for worthy successors to Mike and Rachel. Samantha comes across like a female Harvey, not afraid to bend the rules, while Alex is more like Mike, often wanting to do what’s right. Together, the dynamic between them is intriguing to watch.
1Season 9 – Katrina Bennett
Best Episode: “One Last Con”
Season 9 was all about tying up loose ends for the main characters. It was wonderful to see Mike and Harvey paired up again and running a con to ensure they could get Faye out of the firm. Louis and Sheila getting married and having their baby and Harvey suddenly proposing to Donna and them getting married on the spot is a sweet ending for the pair as well. Samantha finding what she had been searching for her entire life, finally closes a chapter on her personal trauma.
But it’s Katrina who is the quiet star of the season. Everyone seems to use Katrina when they need her, as they had done from the beginning when she first arrived in season 2. But she’s no pushover and can hold her own. Katrina reaches a low when she’s fired, but she’s also the one who saves the firm. It’s fitting that after so many years of sitting by Louis’ side and doing what needs to be done for the firm without much recognition, that Katrina is promoted to partner in the end.
