For reasons no one can quite decipher, the legal soap opera ‘Suits’, which aired on the US from 2011-2019, has become the show of the summer. While it was popular enough when it aired, I’ve read more “Suits” articles in the last few weeks than during the entire series.
The show is a hit on Netflix, but if you’re currently on your “Suits” journey, keep in mind that the ninth and final season isn’t actually on Netflix – although it is on Peacock and Amazon.
You might be thinking, “Wow, if only there was a ‘Suits’ spin-off, surely everyone would want to get involved.” Well, there’s a spin-off of “Suits,” called “Pearson,” that follows Gina Torres’ character, Jessica Pearson, through her next legal venture. But in a perfect snapshot of the pointless and hostile world of streaming, “Pearson” doesn’t stream on any platform. Make it meaningful!
But we don’t come here to complain, but to enjoy. I think “Suits” is really fun for a while and then dies out for a while; exactly where this decline begins is in the eye of the beholder, but to me season 3 is on shaky ground and season 4 begins a marked decline.
If you feel you’ve gotten what you need out of “Suits” and want something different that maintains the invigorating abundance of corporate air conditioning, here are some next steps.
I want something… better.
‘The Good Woman’
Where to watch: Freevee and Paramount+.
‘The Good Wife’ does much of what ‘Suits’ does, but smarter and more mature: there’s constant and glorious sexual tension between all the characters, everyone is posh and smart, and much of the legal maneuvering happens in the office and not just the courtroom. (Both shows also vastly overestimate the intrigue of the musical chairs partners, whose will start their own companies, whose name is on the blah-blah—I don’t care.)
Like “Suits,” “The Good Wife” has a spin-off that follows the big firm’s female partner (Christine Baranski) on her new adventure, though “The Good Fight” is richer than “Pearson.”
‘Wife’ has a lot more to say than ‘Suits’, and it’s more overtly political and a bit darker. But you gods, the smoldering looks, the moments when you stand too close in the office library, the delayed gratification of the will-they-will-not-they—if that’s what you crave, there’s more than enough of that here also.
I want something more outrageous.
‘Scandal’
Where to watch: Hulu.
If you love the horny loyalty that binds all the characters at Pearson Hardman, you’ll love the murderous devotion that all the employees of Olivia Pope & Associates display.
The office attire is even hipper on “Scandal,” and the stakes are much higher: The show, starring Kerry Washington, is set at a Washington DC crisis company, and many of the crises involve the president. ‘Scandal’ contains a lot of torture and violence, and may be less soothing than ‘Suits’ in that respect, but it’s also jocular and juicy, and secrets abound. The shows share an affection for lavish wine goblets, reverence for one’s mentors, and velvety dress-downs that might begin with a powerful person telling a subordinate, “I like you…,” before malice erupts.
‘Scandal’ and ‘Suits’ were contemporaries, and I remember enjoying at the time how much more story ‘Scandal’ was willing to burn through, how fast the metabolism was compared to the drag that eventually drove me crazy. Each show picked up steam in its own way, so stick with a “watch it until you get tired of it; know that there is no ‘late game resurgence’ approach. (Season 1 starts off slow, so consider just starting with Season 2.)
I want something crazier.
‘Psych’
Where to watch: Amazon and Peacock.
‘Psych’ belongs to the American brethren of ‘Suits’ and shares a ‘cute, cocky white guy who commits convincing social fraud’ as its backbone. In “Suits” it is Mike (Patrick J. Adams) who pretends to be a licensed lawyer, when in fact he is only self-taught; in “Psych,” it’s Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez) who pretends to be a psychic to help the police solve crimes, when he’s really just a keen observer.
‘Psych’ is less glamorous than ‘Suits’, but more poppy and bright, and there are 120 episodes plus three movies, so there’s a similar ‘I’ll never run out of here!’ Zen.
One of the appeals of ‘Suits’ is that it punches above its weight class – smarter and faster than the chuga-chuga lawyer lets on. ‘Psych’ is similar. Many shows followed the “Monk” and “House” formula, but not many are as funny as “Psych” or as creative. “Psych” has an entire parody episode of “Twin Peaks”!
I love it when a man yells, “Donna!”
‘The West Wing’
Where to watch: max.
“Suits” is a typical Sorkin diet; some of the chatter mostly echoes “The West Wing” and “The American President.” More concretely, “West Wing” and “Suits” both feature central duos: a vaguely obnoxious boss (Gabriel Macht in “Suits,” Bradley Whitford in “West Wing) and his painfully devoted assistant named Donna (Sarah Rafferty, Janel Moloney), who he protects and worships, but sometimes also scolds.
Both shows also love Ivy League references, though “West Wing” loves luxury schooling in a more general sense — the president (Martin Sheen) is a Notre Dame alum, for example — while everyone on “Suits” has an exhausting and laughable obsession. has with Harvard and Harvard only.
