In a move that’s great news for those who love quality television, USA has renewed its legal drama, Suits, for a second season. Even though the show represents a slight alteration in USA’s standard drama formula, it has succeeded on the network’s summer schedule. It’s also really, really good.
Suits follows two high-end Manhattan lawyers, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). Harvey is a polished, aggressive and ruthless lawyer who impulsively takes a chance when he hires Mike — a young, pot-smoking, mildly-criminal loser — as his associate.
It is not, however, quite as crazy as it sounds. Mike turns out to be a genius with a photographic memory, a law license (having taken the New York bar exam on a dare) and a desperate desire to work as a lawyer. Of course, the two have to keep Mike’s shady background a secret from the rest of the firm.
Debuting on June 23 and scheduled to run through September 8, the 12 episodes of Suits‘ first season have received solid ratings throughout the summer. According to Deadline.com, the show has averaged 6.34 million viewers (live viewings plus seven) over the season. In light of this, USA will be ordering a longer season — 16 episodes — for next year.
As quoted on Deadline.com, network executives at USA are pleased with the success of Suits. The network’s co-presidents both made statements praising the show. Co-president Jeff Wachtel said:
“One of the things that we are trying with this show is really pushing out, trying new things. With Suits, we’ve gone to a new level of storytelling and visual sophistication and to a little bit of an edgier place — Harvey is not immediately likable and the young hero has made so many bad choices in his life, when we meet him his is dealing drugs. For a network that has made its mark with aspirational characters and smart escapism, this is a step in a new direction.”
USA’s other co-president, Chris McCumber added that USA sees the show as “a long-term player.”
There is not yet any word on the fate of USA’s other new drama, Necessary Roughness, but reports indicate that a second-season deal is expected soon. With both shows likely to come back next year, USA has extended its winning series streak yet again: virtually no programming on the network (which features established hits like Burn Notice, Psych, White Collar and Covert Affairs) has been taken off the air in years.
At least with Suits, that record protects a show of truly high quality.
Click here to visit the Suits Ultimate Fan Page for more Suits news, trivia and more.
Suits airs Thursdays on USA at 10pm.
(Image courtesy of USA)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include Chuck, Modern Family, Supernatural, Mad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.
