Review: Is SUITS worth watching?

Back in 2011, when Suits first premiered on television, it restarted the legal drama craze and put a new spin to it. The show brought to life charming, charismatic lawyers and legal officers, and paved the way for other legal dramas that came after it. Suits remained to be one of the highest-rated shows until it’s close in 2019.

1. Quick Review

Suits is a classy and sophisticated drama about the legal world with characters that are greatly built and explored. It is a great watch for fans of the dramedy genre.

2. Series Info

3. Is It Worth Watching?

Suits is that kind of a show that will compel the audience to get involved in its story and characters.

I. Plot

The first episode begins with the introduction of Michael Ross, or Mike, who dropped out of college and makes a living by illegally taking the Law School Admission Test as a substitute for original candidates. To pay for his grandmother’s medical expenses, he agrees to deliver a batch of marijuana for his best friend.

However, he nearly gets caught in a sting operation. Trying to flee from the police, he stumbles into an interview for an associate in a law firm, conducted by Harvey Specter, known to be the ‘best closer’ in the city.

Suits: Season 1 Trailer

Harvey is amazed by Mike’s eidetic memory and his understanding of law. He hires Mike as the associate of the Pearson Hardman law firm, even though he does not have a law degree nor did he ever attend law school.

The two form a bond and agree to protect Mike’s secret. Mike starts working for the firm and meets Jessica Pearson, a managing partner for Pearson Hardman, Lous Litt, a corporate attorney in the firm, Donna Paulsen, Harvey’s secretary and closest confidante and Rachel Zane, a senior paralegal and his eventual romantic interest.

Gradually, Mike’s secret gets revealed to the members of the firm. Different people react to it differently. Many people use this to forward their agenda and attain what they cannot get legally.

Mike’s secret brings about a lot of change in the world of Suits.

II. Detailed Analysis

Suits is as much a relationship drama as it is a legal drama. There is a specific relationship between each character and the audience is invested in all of them. The court cases only enhance these relationships.

Harvey and Mike’s relationship is one of the best among them. One of the best bromances in television history, their relationship is based on mutual respect. Mike has immense admiration for Harvey as his mentor and more so as a lawyer. Harvey admires Mike for his special skills. Their relationship is dynamic, it is also filled with friendly humour and banter.

Similarly, Donna and Harvey’s relationship goes way beyond that of a typical boss-secretary. Donna is not portrayed to be a stupid character. She is clever, a problem solver and she often takes a big part in Harvey’s cases.

The show goes on for nine seasons revolving around these relationships. Storywise, there are not many dramatic changes that take place in Suits. This is the reason why after a few seasons, ratings and viewership declined. There is a slight lack of tightness in the plot after the first couple of seasons.   

Nevertheless, the show redeems itself, with a few new characters, in the last seasons.

III. Characters

 Harvey Specter is definitely a big draw of Suits. He is suave, classy and knows the nitty-gritties of his job. Gabriel Macht, the actor who plays Harvey also has great chemistry with Sarah Rafferty, who plays Donna, and Patrick. J. Adams who plays Mike.

Mike is the guy that the audience root for. He was forced into doing illegal jobs to support his family but at heart, he is a good person. His photographic memory makes him an asset to the firm. His good humour is a pleasure to the audience’s eyes.

However, the two most interesting characters in the show are Louis Litt and Jessica Pearson.

Jessica was hired by one of the managers of the firm, previously, to fulfill a race quota. After getting hired, she worked hard to climb her way up the ranks in the office and somehow managed to get rid of the other managing partners, by striking a deal with Hardman.

Her character is so interesting that she starred in a spinoff called Pearson which delved into her past and her career in politics as the aide of the mayor of Chicago.

Louis is another massively interesting character. He is a corporate attorney at the firm and loves the firm with all his heart. But he does not hesitate to go against all of them if it gets him what he wants. And all he wants is to be cherished and appreciated.

This makes him one of the diciest characters in the show. The audience never knows which side he is going to be on.

Another plus point of the show is that it develops its characters very thoroughly. No character is the same position as they were in the beginning of the show. For example, Rachel, who was a senior paralegal, became an attorney herself. She overcame her self-confidence issues and passed the bar exam, just like Mike, and they run their own firm in Seattle later.

4. Grade

5. Final Thoughts

Suits is fast-paced, clever and bound to capture your attention. It is a must-watch for fans of dramedies. Even during the lowest points of the show, it has a quality that few others have.