Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Suits

Credits

Cast

Network

Reviewer

Paul Asay
Kristin Smith

TV Series Review

Mike Ross is not a lawyer. He just plays one … in a law firm.

Or, I should say, he used to.

Practicing Law?

A great deal of upheaval has taken place on USA’s Suits, the drama that has chronicled the bumpy path of a prestigious New York City law firm since 2011. Mike was the show’s original linchpin—an incredibly bright, somewhat unprincipled attorney who never let the fact that he didn’t actually go to law school slow him down. Initially, the show was about his bulldog work in the legal trenches for boss Harvey Specter (the only person who knew Mike’s secret), and whether Mike would ever get caught.

But it’s hard to keep that sort of peccadillo under wraps for multiple seasons. Eventually Mike did get his law degree, went to prison anyway, got married to office mate Rachel Zane (played by now real-life princess Meghan Markle) and zipped off to Seattle to run his own firm. So the original character catalyst for the whole series is gone now, remembered only in pictures and occasional asides.

But that’s hardly reason to stop a semi-successful basic cable show, is it?

While Mike may be gone, Harvey’s replaced him with a new legal hitman, Alex Williams, who is joined by a bevy of other top-notch lawyers and prosecutors: Harvey’s lover, Donna Paulsen, the fiery Louis Litt, and tough-as-nails prosecutor Sean Cahill.

But while the former law firm of Pearson Specter Litt has gone through more name changes than an on-the-lam drug dealer, the cutthroat office politics remain very much the same.

Disorder in the Court

Suits is all about internal power struggles, gratuitous grudges and—every now and then—courtroom drama. It’s House of Cards without Capitol Hill, Game of Thrones without swords and nudity. Oh, and of course Suits must also live without any Emmy love; it’s just not the sort of show you’d expect to see taking home a lot of awards.

Nor will it make many friends here at Plugged In. For some viewers, this may qualify as a soap-based guilty pleasure, but the emphasis is on the guilt, not the pleasure: Sex, seriously sour language and rampant bad behavior weigh as heavily on this show as a dumpster full of illicit legal briefs.

While it’s certainly not the worst thing on television, it is a show that shamelessly shoots low. It doesn’t try to be clean. It doesn’t try to be meaningful. It doesn’t even try to be good. It, like Harvey Specter, only wants to “win”—presumably its time slot.

Episode Reviews

Sept. 11, 2019: “Prisoner’s Dilemma”

On his sister’s behalf, lawyer Louis Litt goes head-to-head against a business mogul who sexually assaulted her 15 years prior. Lawyer Harvey Specter is charged with collusion, but his teammates won’t let him go down without a fight.

A woman confesses that she was sexually assaulted by a beloved mentor during the early stages of her career. A man jokes about a kid who “died a virgin.”

A prosecutor and lawyer are charged with conspiracy, blackmail, collusion and corruption. Harvey is arrested and illegally detained. An elderly woman dies after a heart attack.

A man drinks a glass of hard liquor. God’s name is abused five times, occasionally paired with “d–mit.” The f-word (although bleeped out) is used five times and the s-word is heard about 15 times. Other profanity includes multiple utterances of “h—,” “son of a b–ch,” “d–mit,” “d–n, “a–hole, “a–” and “b–tard.” A laywer repetitvely tells a foe that he’s “screwed.”

July 17, 2018: “Right-Hand Man”

Harvey Specter, longtime partner Louis Litt and new partner Robert Zane try to navigate the merger of their respective legal firms. The first turf battle in play: Who’s going to become the firm’s managing partner? Both Specter and Zane want that seat of power, and each enlists his most trusted acolyte to outmaneuver the other: Harvey pushes wildly ambitious Alex Williams into the fray, while Robert unleashes cutthroat Samantha Wheeler. A furious battle ensues via legal briefings, angry conversations in the hallways and the occasional dirty glare.

We also hear quite a few dirty words, too. One f-word is bleeped in the episode streamed on Amazon, but 10 s-words go uncensored. Other vulgarities include multiple uses of “a–,” along with “b–ch,” “d–n,” “h—,” “p-ss” as well as crude slang referencing the male anatomy. God’s name is misused four times, three of which come with the word “d–n.” Jesus’ name is also abused. Two obscene gestures are seen as well.

We see plenty of semi-underhanded legal action as well, with lawyers (who, you’ll remember, all actually work for the same firm) try to outmaneuver and undercut one another. Victory is often couched in violent or warlike terms, including Alex’s promise to “kill” whoever’s on top of the hill he’s charging.

Samantha pours herself a glass of whiskey. Sexual content isn’t an issue in this episode, other than one understated joke that riffs on homosexuality and a quick verbal exchange emphasizing how much two lawyers are not attracted to each other. (“I care for you deeply in a completely asexual manner,” one says. “I too care for you deeply and see you as neither man nor woman,” the other responds.)

“Mudmare”

Louis Litt, one of the firm’s titular partners, struggles with insecurity when a new high-powered attorney, Alex Williams, comes on board. Meanwhile, Mike takes on a pro bono case involving a man whose son died mysteriously in prison. But alas, Harvey asks Mike to drop the case because there’s a conflict with one of Alex’s biggest clients.

The episode takes its peculiar title, “Mudmare,” from a nasty dream that Louis has. He’s sitting in a mudbath next to Harvey when Alex walks in and demands that Louis get out of the mud-filled tub. “Harvey and I are more than friends,” Alex says. “We’re best friends.” (In real life, Harvey tells Alex that Louis “totally has a crush on me, but not like that.”) In the dream, we see both Harvey and Louis, presumably naked, in their respective baths, though we only see skin from the chest up. There’s also a reference to an incident in which Louis may have done something (unnamed) in the mud.

People down alcoholic drinks at a bar over dinner. A couple of guys threaten to beat Mike up, and there’s some discussion about the incident that took the prisoner’s life. The man who died had apparently been incarcerated for possessing an ounce of marijuana. Elsewhere, Harvey kisses a woman, and there’s discussion whether she’ll spend the night with him. (She eventually leaves.) Promises are broken.

Two f-words (one censored) and more than 20 s-words (uncensored on my streamed version of the show). Audiences will also hear “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n” “p-ss” and a dozen or so uses of “h—.” God’s name is paired with “d–n” seven times.

Suits: July 20, 2016 “Accounts Payable”

Harvey, Jessica and Louis work to settle a class-action lawsuit brought against the firm by almost every client Mike ever had dealings with. Meanwhile, Mike finds himself in a different sort of power struggle: A fellow inmate whom Harvey put behind bars sees a chance for a little payback.

The inmate, Gallo, weaseled Mike’s phone away from him in the previous episode. Now he suggests to Mike that his fiancée, Rachel, is sending Gallo sexy pictures. When Mike expresses doubts, Gallo recants and says instead he Photoshopped Rachel’s head on someone else’s body (a lie), and that he plans to distribute photocopies of the image to the rest of the prisoners. Mike attacks Gallo in the lunch line, leaving Mike with a bruised face and two weeks without visitors. Later, Gallo threatens Mike again—getting two goons to hold him while he brandishes a shiv. (A guard steps in to put a stop to the assault.) Harvey, seeing Gallo in the prison yard, nearly breaks the man’s fingers through a chain link fence. He also threatens to hire a “hit” on him. And if that doesn’t work, pledges to kill Gallo himself.

Characters drink wine and whiskey, and one scene takes place in a bar. Louis flirts with a fellow lawyer. Under-the-table deals are done or contemplated. Characters swear incredibly frequently: We hear the s-word 24 times and also are exposed to “a–,” “d–n,” “b–ch,” “b–tard,” “h—” and “p—y,” most of those words numerous times. Characters use a crass stand-in for the male anatomy. We also hear at least 10 uses of the phrase “g–d–n,” along with a couple of misuses of God’s name without the extra profanity.

Suits: 8-6-2014

“Exposure”

Mike is working again at Pearson Specter, but struggling to deal with Rachel in the wake of her kissing another guy. (The two had been cohabiting, but Mike’s now moved into a hotel for a while.) In pleading to patch things up, Rachel reminds Mike that she forgave him for an earlier affair. “I got over it without getting rid of it because forgiveness doesn’t work that way,” she tells him.

Louis is spending his time trying to bury evidence that he embezzled money. Then, given an opportunity to frame Harvey for his mistake, he instead appears to fess up at the end of the episode.

Lawyers are willing to stand up for one another and, at least to some degree, do some self-sacrificial things. On the other hand, we hear people talk about crime, cover ups, sleeping together and infidelity. They drink whiskey. They say the s-word nearly 20 times (uncensored on the iTunes instance we watched) and also give voice to other profanities like “a–,” “b–ch,” “h—” and “p—.” We hear God’s name misused a half-dozen times, half the time with “d–n.”

Suits: 8-6-2013

“Conflict of Interest”

Pearson Darby is in an precarious position: Harvey is defending murder suspect Dr. Ava Hessington, the head of an oil company. Louis Litt, another attorney for the firm and Harvey’s archrival, represents Hessington Oil, and he believes it’d be best for Hessington to step down. Much in-firm backbiting ensues as lawyers yell and fume and do everything but wag their fingers at one another.

Meanwhile, Donna strikes up a relationship with a visiting lawyer from across the pond. Their “arrangement” is cemented through a series of suggestive double entendres slyly referencing, for example, a man’s arousal. Later, she brags about the sex they’ve been having.

Costumes can be revealing. Someone asks, somewhat longingly and kiddingly, whether Donna and Rachel are in a lesbian relationship. When a lawyer jokingly asks an assistant whether she would kill somebody for him, she replies, “You want a gun or a knife?” Characters use the s-word two-dozen times. Other curses include “h‑‑‑,” “p‑‑‑,” “douche” and at least eight misuses of God’s name (three with “d‑‑n”).

The Plugged In Show logo
Elevate family time with our parent-friendly entertainment reviews! The Plugged In Podcast has in-depth conversations on the latest movies, video games, social media and more.
paul-asay
Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

kristin-smith
Kristin Smith

Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).

Latest Reviews

Educational

Testament: The Story of Moses

This documentary into Moses’ life draws on Christian, Jewish, Islamic and purely creative interpretations, leaving us with a blurred version of events.

Drama

The Baxters

Karen Kingsbury’s Baxters series hits Amazon’s Prime Video—and for fans of the series, it hits home.

Comedy

Davey & Jonesie’s Locker

This latest original series from Hulu is silly and quirky in a lot of ways, but parents should exercise some caution before letting tweens or teens turn it on.