The main series may be over, but the Suits franchise isn’t done with Harvey Specter yet. The high-powered lawyer played by Gabriel Macht— formerly known as New York’s best closer— made Suits one of the best legal dramas of all time. Though it originally ended in 2019, the legacy of Suits (and Harvey’s character in particular) lives on in perpetuity.
Throughout the nine original seasons of Suits, Harvey underwent extreme changes both personally and professionally. His role within the overarching plot changed on a dime, oscillating between endearing antihero and arrogant antagonist. As fans clamor for a belated Suits sequel, however, Harvey Specter remains the character with the most room to grow, especially after the eventful Suits season 9 finale.
Harvey Specter’s Life Changed Drastically At The End Of Suits Season 9
While Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) was irrefutably the main protagonist at the beginning of Suits, Harvey Specter is one of only three characters to appear in every single episode (a distinction shared only with Rick Hoffman’s Louis Litt and Sarah Rafferty’s Donna Paulsen). Naturally, Harvey’s character underwent extreme development over the 134 episodes of Suits’ original run.
Despite starting off as a cool but sometimes cruel figure, Harvey grew more heartfelt throughout Suits, especially when it came to Donna. Rafferty’s scene-stealing spitfire started out as Harvey’s quirky secretary and close friend, but nearly a decade of slow-burn romance made Donna and Harvey one of Suits’ best couples. In the series finale, Donna and Harvey even get married.
In that sense, the ending of Suits gave Harvey a classic happy ever-after, but even more pivotal was his shocking decision to move. Rachel Zane (Meghan, Duchess of Sussex née Markle) and Mike left Suits in season 7 to open a legal clinic in Seattle, and the season 9 finale surprisingly saw Harvey and Donna join them (albeit off-screen).
Moving to Seattle is sweet enough when taken at face value as a reunion between best friends, but it truly illuminated just how much Harvey had grown throughout the series. Harvey went from a ruthless shark in the water to voluntarily leaving New York to help people in need, proving the events of Suits changed him for the better.
Suits LA Didn’t Show Us What Harvey’s Life In Seattle Looks Like
Sadly, Harvey Specter’s only post-2019 appearance— a three-episode arc on Suits LA— failed as a follow-up. As soon as Harvey was forcibly injected into the Suits LA lore as the main character’s old friend, it became glaringly obvious the best Suits character would be forced to play second fiddle to the spinoff’s Harvey replacement, Stephen Amell’s Ted Black.
Consequently, many were incredibly disappointed by Harvey Specter’s return in Suits LA, as his role seemed decorative. His recurring role in the spinoff seemed heavily diluted, as if Harvey’s highly-anticipated return was meant to draw in viewers without any real follow-through. Furthermore, any attempt to address Harvey’s post-Suits life was quickly swept under the rug, leaving viewers without much-deserved answers.
Granted, Suits LA did include one fact about Harvey’s fate after the original series finale. In Suits LA season 1, episode 9, it was revealed that Harvey and Donna had a son after Suits ended. Unfortunately, just like the rest of his appearance, details regarding Harvey’s son were scarce. Despite the bombshell admission, the child’s name was never shared.
Suits LA played off the ambiguity as Harvey being purposely vague, but that did nothing to quell fans’ understandable ire. Donna was notably absent as well, with Rafferty not even making a voice cameo. Without any update regarding his years in Seattle, Suits LA bringing back Harvey felt like mere nostalgia fodder.
Suits Season 10 Could Finally Give Fans A New Side Of Harvey Specter
After such an anticlimactic return, longtime fans of Suits yearn for a full-blown reunion more than ever. Moreover, with Meghan Markle’s return to acting, a Suits reboot seems increasingly possible, though admittedly still not probable. Nonetheless, there certainly remains a profitable market for the Suits franchise if creator Aaron Korsh and the original cast were amenable to a new project.
Whether it be a miniseries á la Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, a Seattle-based spinoff, or a straightforward sequel to catch up with the former Pearson-Hardman crew, there are plenty of interesting options to extend the Suits franchise and continue developing the beloved characters. Plus, since three original actors appeared in Suits LA, fans’ appetites have been whetted.
If Suits were renewed for a belated season 10, it would have to finally show what life has been like for the core four in Seattle. Harvey moving cross-country was a heartwarming gesture, but it was still an extreme change for the character. A potential season 10 could show how Harvey acclimated to his new life, both literally and figuratively.
Undoubtedly, there must have been a learning curve for a native New Yorker moving to Washington, but the shift in Harvey’s career from defending big corporations to underprivileged clients must have been even more whiplash-inducing. After six years, Harvey has likely settled into his new life, but that’s precisely what must be explored if Suits season 10 is green-lit.
- Release Date
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2011 – 2019
- Network
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USA Network
- Showrunner
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Aaron Korsh
- Directors
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Anton Cropper, Michael Smith, Christopher Misiano, Kevin Bray, Roger Kumble, Silver Tree, Cherie Nowlan, John Scott, Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Emile B. Levisetti, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Valerie Weiss, James Whitmore Jr., Jennifer Getzinger, Kate Dennis, Terry McDonough, Maurice Marable, Adam Davidson, David Platt, Dennie Gordon, Gregor Jordan, Julian Holmes, Kate Woods
- Writers
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Aaron Korsh, Genevieve Sparling, Daniel Arkin, Ethan Drogin, Sharyn Rothstein, Jon Cowan, Erica Lipez, Justin Peacock, Nora Zuckerman, Lilla Zuckerman, Chris Downey, Garrett Schabb, Kristin Rusk Robinson, Sean Jablonski, Ian Deitchman, Paul Redford, Michael L. Kramer
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Gabriel Macht
Harvey Specter
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