It's almost wedding time, Suitors. Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) and Rachel Zane’s (future royal Meghan Markle) whirlwind romance has dominated USA Network’s legal drama Suits for several seasons. Their wedding hung in the balance between Mike's dilemma over being a corporate lawyer vs. taking cases to help a not-for-profit legal clinic and Rachel rescuing the day at Pearson Specter Litt. Now, they are finally ready to walk down the aisle after a season filled with tension. The highly anticipated wedding takes place during a two-episode finale on April 25, but what will happen next season? The Suits Season 8 premiere does not have a confirmed date, but the show is a summer month staple so fans will likely see new episodes around that time next year.
Season 8 is already in production but the show’s golden couple will not be a part of the next chapter. According to The Hollywood Reporter, actors Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle are both leaving Suits at the end of Season 7. But, there will be a few interesting updates to the roster. Per Deadline, actor Dule Hill, who portrays Attorney Alex Williams, will become Harvey Specter’s new Robin, and Amanda Schull's role as Katrina Bennett will increase as the character works toward a senior partner position.
Variety also revealed that Grey’s Anatomy alum Katherine Heigl will stir up drama as new partner Samantha Wheeler as she bumps heads with COO Donna Paulsen, name partner Louis Litt, and Alex Williams. Heigl gave her fans a sneak peek of her new role on Instagram with a set photo. She said Wheeler was a “girl with gumption” who wins in the courtroom and in a fight.
In addition to Markle and Adams' departure, Entertainment Weekly reported that actress Gina Torres will also leave Suits at the end of the current season. She was a part of the main cast for the first six seasons of the show as Jessica Pearson, a lawyer who previously co-owned the firm, but her character left the corporate law circus in Season 6 for a fresh start in Chicago. She popped up several times in Season 7 as Harvey’s mentor and a guiding hand to her former co-workers but she will not come back to the law firm.
Jessica Pearson's story will continue, however, with her own spinoff show. According to USA Network, the untitled series will focus on Pearson's new career in Chicago politics. In the same article, Torres released a statement about the upcoming pilot and said she was thrilled to continue Jessica’s onscreen journey.
“Shawshank Redemption is one of my all-time favorite movies. And there is a line in it where Morgan Freeman's character Red, basically says that in prison, hope is a dangerous thing. Well, such is the life of an actor. But every now and then, if you're lucky, you get a miracle. Suits was one such miracle. And then I had the audacity to not just hope, but dream up another. Is there a world where we follow Jessica's story? Who is this woman, REALLY? And what's next? And then Chris McCumber and Jeff Wachtel and Aaron Korsh said, ‘Let's do it... now.’’
Suits Season 8 will continue to follow the never-ending legal curve balls thrown at Harvey and Louis as well as the former’s relationship with Donna. Louis has rekindled his romance with Shelia, and Mike tied the knot with Rachel — but Harvey’s love life hangs in the balance after a breakup with his former therapist Paula. He split with her to salvage his long-term working partnership with Donna and years of romantic tension between the two have them pondering a relationship. Donna and Harvey ('ship name Darvey) fans have shipped their union for years and it might happen next season.
USA Network dropped several photos of the season finale and a few of them showed Darvey walking down the aisle and dancing together at the wedding reception. And, more could be in store. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, actor Gabriel Macht, who portrays Harvey Specter, talked about what could be next for Harvey and Donna after their best friends' wedding.
“There’s a bit of mystery with that moment. ... It’s so enigmatic, and just the idea that they would be walking down the aisle together, it just seemed like a metaphor for moving forward. Is this where these two are going to end up? Who knows! We don’t know until we get the script.”
The new season will clearly give Suits fans a lot to look forward to as Harvey and Donna try to move forward without their work BFFs. So, expect the same Suits you love, with a few new faces, sometime in the summer of 2019.
