‘Suits’ Creator Reveals the Crucial Change He Made to Harvey’s Character

Summary

• Aaron Korsh reveals that he made a crucial change in Harvey Specter’s character which shaped the show the way it is.

• The creator went against several suggestions and made Harvey much younger than he was supposed to be and built a brotherly bond between Mike and him.

Aaron Korsh, the creator of Suits, introspects how he could have made the show very different from what it is now and why he made an important change.

Suits is a legal drama series premiered on USA Network in June 2011. The series focuses on Mike Ross, a college dropout with no formal training in law, hired by Harvey Specter, a successful lawyer, to work for his firm. The show focuses on various cases that Mike and Harvey win together while keeping his secret hidden.

However, Korsh explains that the bond between Mike and Harvey could have been very different if he had taken the suggestions from executives.

While speaking on the Hollywood & Levine podcast, Korsh mentioned that he got suggestions to change Harvey and Mike’s relationship during the making of Suits.

Many suggested that Harvey and Mike should have a father-son bond instead of the brotherly or friendly dynamic they shared on screen. Harvey was also intended to be in his fifties, much older than he was originally.

Korsh explained in his interview why he chose to disregard these suggestions:

This is what happened. I don’t know that I’ve ever told this story. But we had gone through a lot of people. Originally, the network envisioned the Harvey/Mike thing, I think, as a father-son [dynamic]. Then I envisioned it as brothers. Right. So, we had a disconnect, and they were wanting older guys to be Harvey.

I just thought—a couple of things. I didn’t like the relationship of father and son as much. But I also thought… if this guy is 50 years old and still hitting on women, and… like, I just didn’t think that was like, that’s, that’s not great, right? As opposed to, you’re in your mid-late 30s. You’re a little stunted. You have growing to do. But you’re not like 50 years old living that single, you know, womanizing life. So we went through so many weeks, we auditioned a ton of people, and it was hard to get agreement and whatever.

The creator elaborated that the character’s portrayal became clear once they roped in Macht to play Harvey. Harvey being a father figure to Mike may have worked, but that would change many other things in the show. For instance, Harvey’s romantic relationship with Donna would not have been in the series for Harvey’s age.

Mike and Harvey would not be able to have intense disagreements either, especially if a power dynamic would come into play on the basis of age. It would also make the comedy non-existent.

Although these changes are speculation, Harvey being younger made a difference in Suits. Ultimately, the show turned out to be the way it was because of Korsh’s decisions.

About Suits

Suits is a show that generated renewed interest in the legal drama genre. It has the perfect combination of law and non-law related activities. The show is polished, witty and urbane.