Suits Gains New Generation of Fans Through Social Media Virality
The legal drama series Suits ended its nine-season run on USA Network in 2019. But in summer 2023, a scene of Harvey meeting Mike went viral on TikTok and X Social, sparking the show's massive revival on streaming and broadcast amidst the scene's circulation years after its finale.
Originally airing from 2011 to 2019, Suits follows college dropout Mike Ross, played by Patrick J. Adams, who lands a job with one of New York's top attorneys Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) despite not having a law degree. Harvey recognizes Mike's innate legal brilliance and photographic memory and decides to take a risky chance by bringing him into the firm.
Mike continues needing to learn on the job while complementing the cutthroat, profit-driven Harvey with his empathy and concern for their clients. Their odd couple dynamic evolves into an unexpected friendship and partnership, with Mike's presence reigniting Harvey's passion for the law.
On October 12th, Deadline reported Suits creator Aaron Korsh is developing a new spinoff series. While still negotiating with NBCUniversal, it won't be a direct continuation but will feature new characters in Los Angeles instead of New York.
As for Meghan Markle, who left Suits in 2017 after seven seasons to marry Prince Harry, she has no plans to ever return to acting.
Why Did Suits Regain Popularity After 4 Years?
On Netflix, Suits season one was the 8th most watched series with over 20 million viewing hours.
The show started before Meghan Markle married Prince Harry. She played Rachel Zane, Harvey's paralegal hoping to advance her career.
Brandon Katz, an analyst of film/TV success and failures, suggests the thumbnails Netflix chose may entice viewers of prior Prince Harry and Meghan Markle documentaries to check out Suits without prior knowledge of it.
Beyond streaming, the show's revival migrated to social media, especially X Social where nostalgic fans shared favorite scenes and reenacted comedic moments through TikTok.
Suits unexpectedly topping viewing charts surprised many since it had fallen out of the zeitgeist. But gaps left in streaming schedules by the actors/writers strike contributed by putting Suits back in the spotlight.
The show represents an emblem of network USA's heyday of aspirational programming about achieving goals and overcoming adversity. For fans, it stands as USA Network's last great drama of an era.
Keys to Suits' Success
Despite revolving around the legal profession with constant industry jargon, Suits blended in comedy, especially between Mike and Harvey's odd couple dynamic.
Rather than just Harvey's firm, storylines delved into the lawyers' personal lives and relationships influencing their conduct and cases. With romantic plots and struggles, non-legal drama provided appeal for general viewers beyond law enthusiasts.
The procedural format featured self-contained case-of-the-week stories paralleled by complex season-long arcs rewarding engaged viewers who tracked interconnected mysteries week-to-week until climactic reveals.
This fusion of one-off simple cases and elaborate puzzling cases provided the best of both worlds for casual and diehard fans.
In the end, Suits endures as a fizzy escapist fantasy about reaching the upper echelon of New York power and success. At its core, the playful bromance between Mike and Harvey is what leaves a lasting imprint.
