We knew back in November that Meghan Markle would be leaving Suits at the end of the seventh season following her engagement to Prince Harry. Earlier this week, Patrick Adams also made his departure from the series official, while the USA Network also announced that its longest running and highest rated series would be back for an eighth season.
The network also announced that the role of Dule Hill would be beefed up to help fill the void left by Patrick Adams. Now we are learning that Suits has added a huge new name to the cast in season eight: Katherine Heigl.
Heigl, best known for her work on Grey’s Anatomy and several successful romantic comedies, will be playing a new character named Samantha Wheeler, described as “a talented new partner at Pearson Specter Litt who challenges the status quo and will either become the firm’s greatest ally … or most powerful enemy.”
It sounds exactly like the kind of character that Suits needs to inject some new energy into the show. Heigl, in a role like Wheeler, not only helps fill the void left by Meghan Markle, but also Gina Torres, who exited the show at the end of season six. Suits is best when it has an intriguing enemy, and even better when that enemy comes from within. One of its best seasons, in fact, came in 2015 when Breaking Bad‘s David Costabile came in as an old partner, Daniel Hardman, and attempted to take the firm back from Harvey.
Heigl does not come without some controversy. She’s not always been the most well-liked actress, and her Grey’s Anatomy showrunner, Shonda Rhimes, strongly implied that she was difficult to work with. Heigl’s television track record, of late, hasn’t exactly been stellar, either. Her last two stabs at network television, Doubt and State of Affairs, didn’t last more than 13 episodes.
However, she seems perfect for this gig: A veteran actress coming into an established television show and doing what she does best: Playing an enjoyable villain. It will be interesting to see how she and Donna Paulsen get along on the series, and whether Harvey will become a love interest for Heigl’s Samantha Wheeler.
There are so many changes coming to season eight of Suits, it’s hard to remember that the series still has eight more episodes to go in season seven, which kicks off at the end of March.
(Via: The Wrap)
