Meghan Markle Has A Theory On What’s Behind The “Wild” Suits Resurgence

Before she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was more recognizable as her Suits character, Rachel Zane. The USA Network legal drama ran from 2011 to 2019, and Meghan stayed all the way till Season 7, taking her character on a paralegal-to-attorney journey. After the show’s eventual cancellation, Suits got a second life in streaming, but its recent record-setting success on Netflix and Peacock is more than even its former stars like Meghan can fully wrap their heads around.

The Duchess’ Theory

Meghan was at Variety’s Power of Women event on Nov. 16 when the outlet’s red carpet reporter Angelique Jackson asked her about Suits becoming a phenomenon again. “Isn’t it wild?” Meghan said, laughing. When Jackson let her know that 45 billion minutes had been watched as of that week, Meghan was shocked. “Is that right?” she asked.

Jackson specifically sought Meghan’s thoughts on why the show has been getting so much love lately (including taking over Netflix’s top spot for more weeks than any other show). At first, the Duchess of Sussex said she had “no idea.” She did go on to speculate, though.

“It’s just hard to find a show you can binge-watch that many episodes of these days, so that could have something to do with it,” she said. And, just as importantly, she added: “Good shows are everlasting.”

Meghan’s Suits Era

Before sharing her theory, Meghan also reminisced a little about her time on the series, including some of the ingredients that have contributed to Suits’ success. “It was great to work on,” she said. “Such a great cast and crew. We had a really fun time. I was on it for seven seasons, so quite a bit.”

Meghan was still starring on Suits when she began dating Prince Harry in 2016. However, once they became engaged the following November, USA announced she was exiting the show. “I don’t see it as giving anything up, I just see it as a change,” Megan told the BBC’s Mishal Husain of leaving acting behind during her first interview with Harry. “It’s a new chapter.”

Meghan reflected on her time on Suits, specifically, and shared why she didn’t have regrets about moving on. “Keep in mind, I’ve been working on my show for seven years,” she said. “So, we were very, very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on a series. And, for me, once we hit the 100-episode marker, I thought, ‘You know what, I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work I’ve done there,’ and now it’s time to, as you said, work as a team with [Harry].”

It turns out that was just the start of Suits’ longevity.