Though it is still the highest-rated series on USA Network, even after eight seasons, Suits is finally coming to an end. The network announced ahead of its season eight midseason premiere tonight that the series has been renewed for a ninth — and final — season. It will come to a close after a shortened, 10-episode season next year.
Suits, which never met a problem it couldn’t solve with a manilla folder, has gone through a lot of upheaval in recent years. Gina Torres left the series in 2016, and earlier this year, two of its other leads, Patrick Adams and Meghan Markle departed, the latter so that she could join the British Royal Family. The show, however, has mostly managed to maintain its popularity with the additions of Dule Hill and Katherine Heigl, the best thing to happen to Suits since the can opener.
Suits’ departure from the network, however, is more than just the end of a long-running series for USA. Suits is the last holdover from its “Characters Welcome” era, arguably the network’s heyday, back when it was dominated by popular but insubstantial procedurals like Burn Notice, White Collar, Covert Affairs, and Royal Pains. The network has since moved into its “We the Bold” era, and while its programming — anchored by Mr. Robot, Sinner, Queen of the South, and The Purge — is better and more critically acclaimed, there’s still something to be said for those throwaway procedurals, which were at one time perfect background noise.
While Suits is ending its run next year, the Gina Torres spin-off, Pearson, is still moving ahead, though no release date has been announced. The Chicago-set series is set in the world of dirty politics, and will likely align better with the “We the Bold” era than old-school USA Network fare.
In the meantime, for those wanting to dive into Suits before it comes to a close but are intimidated by embarking on an eight-season journey, this post will catch you up on the entire series in less than five minutes. The rest of us, however, will finally find out if Harvey and Donna end up together (Spoiler: They almost certainly will).
Source: TVLine
