It’s been 12 years since Suits made its original television debut on June 23, 2011, but the show is currently more popular than ever. Initially titled “A Legal Mind,” the pilot, written by series creator Aaron Korsh, was picked up by USA Network on Jan, 19, 2011, with a 12-episode order that included a 90-minute premiere.
Greenlighting the legal series centered on the employees at the fictional Pearson Hardman law firm in New York City marked a greater expansion into drama series for USA, which at the time was running its popular “Characters Welcome” slogan, signifying its diverse lineup of programming. The investment paid off. Suits would go on to air for nine seasons and even spawned a short-lived spinoff titled Pearson, based on Gina Torres’ character Jessica Pearson’s foray into Chicago politics. The new series premiered July 17, 2019, during the final season of Suits, which concluded Sept. 25, 2019.
USA canceled Pearson after one season and not much was thought of Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) or the rest of the characters at the firm afterward. However, when Netflix added seasons one through eight of Suits to its streaming platform in June, it sparked a surge of renewed interest in the drama which, as of Oct. 5, has broken Nielsen’s all-time overall streaming record by remaining in the No. 1 spot for 12 straight weeks. (Season nine of Suits is currently streaming on Peaco*ck along with Pearson, and a companion series is in the works at NBCUniversal.)
In honor of Suits’ resurgence, The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at how the castmembers of this popular show got their start in Hollywood and what they’ve been up to since the series ended.
Gabriel Macht as Harvey Reginald Specter
Gabriel Macht landed his first role at the age of 8 in the 1980 comedy-drama Why Would I Lie?, for which he received a nomination for the best young motion picture actor award from the Young Artist Foundation. When Macht signed on for the lead role of senior partner Harvey Specter in Suits in 2010, he was best known for playing the title role in Frank Miller’s 2008 adaptation of Will Eisner’s superhero cult film The Spirit. He’d also appeared in episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210; Spin City; and Sex & the City. Macht directed four episodes over the course of his nine seasons on Suits and began receiving co-producer credit during season three. His father, Stephen Macht, also guest starred as Harvard ethics professor Henry Gerard over multiple seasons. When Suits ended, Macht reprised his role as Specter during a guest appearance on Pearson.
Patrick J. Adams as Michael James Ross
Canadian actor Patrick J. Adams appeared in episodes of procedural dramas such as Cold Case, NCIS and Without a Trace before working his way up to guest appearances on popular series like Lost and Pretty Little Liars prior to Suits. In his first year starring as lawyer Mike Ross, Adams was nominated for a SAG Award for best performance by a male actor in a drama series. Like his co-lead Macht, Adams — the first actor cast in the legal drama — became a co-producer on Suits and directed multiple episodes before departing the series in season seven (he returned as a recurring character in season nine). After taking additional TV roles, including a recurring part on Prime Video’s A League of Their Own, Adams made his Broadway debut in the Second Stage Theater revival of Take Me Out, which won the Tony Award for best revival of a play in 2022.
Gina Torres as Jessica Lourdes Pearson
When Gina Torres signed on for the role of Jessica Pearson, co-founder and managing partner of the Pearson Hardman firm, she was known for numerous supporting roles across TV and film, including portraying Cas in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions and Zoe Washburne in the space western series Firefly, a role that she reprised for the 2005 movie sequel, Serenity. At the 2013 NHMC Impact Awards, Torres was honored for best performance in a television series for her role as Pearson. She also received two nominations from the Imagen Foundation Awards for best supporting actress/television, winning in 2018. That same year, it was announced that Torres would executive produce and star in the spinoff based on her character. Pearson aired for one season on USA before it was canceled on Nov. 1, 2019. Torres currently stars as Tommy Vega on the Fox procedural drama 911: Lone Star and played opposite Gabriel Union in the romantic comedy The Perfect Find on Netflix earlier this year.
Sarah Rafferty as Donna Roberta Paulsen
Sarah Rafferty studied theater abroad at the University of Oxford before graduating magna cum laude from Hamilton College and going on to earn a master of fine arts degree at the Yale School of Drama. In 1993, she met her future Suits co-star Macht at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the two have remained friends since. Playing Specter’s legal secretary and confidant Donna Paulsen was Rafferty’s breakout TV role following appearances on episodes of The Practice, Six Feet Under, Law & Order and Bones. After starring in 132 of Suits’ 134 episodes, Rafferty had recurring roles on Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Med. She will star as Dr. Katherine Walter in the upcoming TV adaptation of My Life With the Walter Boys, set for release on Netflix.
Rick Hoffman as Louis Marlowe Litt
Prior to landing the starring role of Louis Marlowe Litt on Suits, Rick Hoffman was known for playing Jerry Best on The Bernie Mac Show and Chase Chapman in Samantha Who? Hoffman portrayed the sly partner of the Pearson Hardman firm for the entirety of the series and guest starred as Litt on one episode of Pearson. In 2020, Hoffman had a recurring role as Dr. Swerdlow on Billions and will appear in the upcoming Eli Roth slasher film Thanksgiving, set for release Nov. 17.
Meghan Markle as Rachel Elizabeth Zane
Meghan Markle’s first onscreen role was as a nurse in an episode of the daytime soap opera General Hospital in 2001. After small appearances in films Remember Me and Horrible Bosses and being the holder of Case No. 24 for 34 episodes of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, in addition to parts on 90210, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, Markle joined Suits as main character Rachel Zane. After starring as the paralegal from season one through seven, Markle quit acting, telling BBC News in November 2017, “I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change. It’s a new chapter.” That same month, Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry was announced after the two began dating in July 2016. The titles of Duke and duch*ess of Sussex were bestowed upon Markle and Prince Harry on their wedding day on May 19, 2018, and remain in place despite the couple stepping down from their royal duties on Feb. 19, 2020. In an October 2022 cover story for Variety, Markle expressed zero interest in returning to acting, saying, “I’m done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.”
Amanda Schull as Katrina Amanda Bennett
Amanda Schull attended Indiana University on a ballet scholarship and was cast in the lead role of Jody Sawyer in the 2000 film Center Stage while still an apprentice with the San Francisco Ballet School, where she participated in a summer intensive. After retiring from San Francisco Ballet in 2006, she pursued acting full time, landing recurring roles on Pretty Little Liars and One Tree Hill before joining season two of Suits as the recurring character Katrina Bennett. Schull was promoted to series regular in seasons eight and nine and went on to star in five made-for-TV Hallmark movies following its ending. She currently has a recurring role on 911: Lone Star alongside fellow Suits alum Torres.
Dulé Hill as Alex Williams
Dulé Hill joined Suits in the recurring role of Alex Williams in season seven. The actor best known for his role as Charlie Young on The West Wing, for which he received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor in a drama series in 2002, was already a member of the USA Network family, having starred as Burton “Gus” Guster on the detective comedy-drama Psych from 2006-14. Hill’s role on Suits was promoted to a main character for the final two seasons of the series, after which he reprised the role of Guster for 2020’s Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, a stand-alone sequel to the 2017 TV film Psych: The Movie, in which he also starred. After playing Guster once more in Psych 3: This Is Gus, Hill starred in the ABC reboot of The Wonder Years, which was canceled after two seasons in September of this year.
Katherine Heigl as Samantha Wheeler
When Katherine Heigl joined Suits as series regular Samantha Wheeler in season eight, she was already a household name, having portrayed Izzie Stevens on Grey’s Anatomy from 2005-10, a role for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for best supporting actress in a drama series in 2007. Heigl had also starred in several successful romantic comedy films, including Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, Life as We Know It and 2011’s star-studded New Year’s Eve. After Suits, Heigl starred opposite Sarah Chalke in the TV adaptation of Firefly Lane on Netflix, on which she was also an executive producer. In 2020, it was announced that Heigl would portray Victoria Woodhull in the upcoming miniseries Woodhull, based on the book The Woman Who Ran for President.
