What I like about “Suits”
Suits is without a doubt one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. ‘Suits’ is snarky, witty, sophisticated, and a lot of fun!
The new series premiered with a comprehensive 60-minute plot that solidly defines the characters, paves the ground for multiple stories, and features an outstanding ensemble of superb actors.
Suits is a show that revolves around a law firm. Set in New York, it focuses on a very successful law firm, managed by Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) who balances the talents of her two top lawyers, the smarmy Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) who is a control freak, and the very brilliant but egotistical Harvey Spector (Gabriel Macht).
There is a particularly appealing and very bright secretary Donna (Sarah Rafferty) and a beautiful paralegal Rachel (Meghan Markle) and last but certainly not least by any means there is Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) — a young lad who is extremely bright, has a photographic memory, dropped out of college because he took tests for fellow students and got caught, fell into marketing drugs by default for the need of money so that he could pursue his dream of being a lawyer, and falls by accident into the role of being selected as an associate to the brilliant but self-absorbed Harvey Spector.
This is the team of characters who are destined to provide fascinating substories as they interact. The legal cases they deal with provide ethical and moral dilemmas for the characters to negotiate. The characters resolve these issues in different ways, depending upon their experiences and viewpoints, often struggling with their views of justice and responsibility — to the firm and to the client.
Suits has two things that a good show requires: good characters and good dialogue. The characters are likeable, interesting and well-developed. Even Louis, the arch-nemesis of lead characters Harvey and Mike, is sympathetic in his own way. The female leads are multi-dimensional and powerful, which also makes the male/female relationships interesting. The boss of the firm is a black female (the amazing Gina Torres, also a Firefly alum).
The dialogue (Aaron Korsh and Sean Jablonski) is clever, bright, snappy, unclichéd, witty, and helps define the complexities of the characters. The pop references and wordplay go by so quickly, you need to listen carefully to not miss them, but I like that in a show. The pacing is exceptional (directors Kevin Bray and John Scott) and the series has the appearance of a high-end movie — excellent cinematography, expansive development of the story in well-selected locations — but most of all this is a cast that is worthy of attention every moment they are on camera.
The show contains real drama and conflict, yet I find myself laughing out loud during each episode. This is excellent writing. There are story arcs within each episode and extending over multiple episodes. It gets interesting watching how Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht grow into our psyches: both are exceptionally fine and provide a spectrum of the lawyer personality we haven’t seen on a series before.
No wonder this show has been a major hit!
