Suits: Why losing Mike Ross and Rachel Zane won’t kill the show

With Meghan Markle set to join the Royal Family, the USA Network show Suits announced several changes to the cast. We’ll go over those changes and what they mean for the show…

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When Suits began, I thought they would have a hard time continuing beyond Mike’s secret becoming known. With season 7 halfway behind us, we now know that they can.

When rumors then began that Patrick J. Adams (Mike Ross) may leave and that Meghan Markle (Rachel Zane) was dating Prince Harry people worried that these departures would ruin the show. Not only was Adams the star of the show, but Mike and Rachel’s impending wedding was a huge story line. However, because these details have been known behind the scenes the writers have had the chance to transition them out.

With Markle and Adams’ exits confirmed, I have a few reasons why this won’t kill the show.

Mike and Rachel have run their course

For Mike Ross, once the lie was out, many questioned how he’d remain interesting. The answer is that he hasn’t. Professionally, Mike has struggled to balance the pro bono work with his work for the firm. This caused problems for all parties involved and he has essentially been doing more harm than good. Not only with his cases, but with the firms he’s working for. Now that the character doesn’t have the secret hanging over him he’s just a guy with a past. He has a law degree and he served his time. How many times can he be hurt by someone bringing up his past in the courtroom before it gets old? Mike leaving New York for a fresh start makes sense.

As for Rachel, the once paralegal who fought to be valued and is now a lawyer, what’s next for her? The character was always fun as a paralegal and great at her job. Her struggles have surrounded the desire to be respected and her daddy issues. Over the past few seasons, we’ve seen Rachel confront her issues with her father and go to law school. Just like Mike, the only mountain her character has left to climb is (ironically) the wedding.

With Mike no longer having to hide and Rachel becoming a lawyer it’s time to wrap up their stories. They have had issues since Mike went to jail so the wedding became less of an inevitability of late. If one of them were to remain on the show. I’d have expected a split. However, with both leaving I expect the wedding at the end of the season. After the wedding they announce they’re moving, tears are shed, and season 8 is set up. How the writers get us there in 5 episodes is another question.

Harvey Specter

Though the show began with Mike as the primary focus, over the past season or two a shift toward Harvey (Gabriel Macht) has taken place. We’ve taken deep dives into Harvey’s past and have seen him finally find (what appears to be) real love. That love came along just to set us up for the Harvey-Donna moment that finally came to fruition.

In the mid-season finale Donna kissed Harvey. While some have wanted this to happen, others fear what it means for their relationship. The second half of the season will have to deal with the fallout from that moment. Now that Harvey has Paula, the writers have created a conflict for Harvey that would not have been there in prior seasons. If Harvey was not in a relationship “Darvey,” as Suitors have been calling them, would have been easy to pull off. However, many people like Paula and know that someone is going to have their heart-broken.

Alex Williams

With Mike leaving, it is expected that the dynamic between Mike and Harvey will be replaced by the one between Harvey and Alex. We know it won’t be the same, but with Harvey and Alex having history there are plenty of places the show can go with this. The Suits writers have been great about making us care about new characters. I don’t believe we’re there yet with Alex, but there are surely things we have yet to learn that can change that.

As a fan of Dule Hill, I will accept that I may be biased in thinking his character can effectively replace Mike’s presence. The second half of season 7 will determine if the show finds a way to sell the fans.

Katherine Heigl

On the heels of the Dule Hill announcement USA Network also announced that Katherine Heigl will be joining the Suits cast. Heigl brings her Emmy wins and Golden Globe nominations to an already fantastic cast and likely brings her fans with her as well. Her character description makes it appear as though she will be the main source of drama to start the new season.

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While Mike and Rachel’s absences’ will undoubtedly be felt, Heigl’s star could be bright enough to fill that void. While everyone in the firm is dealing with the loss of their friends (in one way or another) they will also have to figure out Samantha Wheeler.

Suits season 7 will return March 28 at 9 PM and will end with a 2 hour finale on April 25th.