Suits' Original Plan For Harvey And Mike Was So Different, I Can't Even Imagine It

The original plan for Suits was so different that it’s difficult to even imagine these alternate versions of Harvey Specter, Mike Ross, and the rest of the Suits cast. Suits ran for nine seasons, from 2011 to 2019, and although it concluded more than five years ago, it remains a beloved and highly-regarded show.

In fact, the show is still so popular that NBC made a run at a spin-off, but sadly, Suits LA was canceled after just one season. Even so, it’s clear that Suits has staying power, and that only makes it all the more shocking that Suits almost looked entirely different—so much so that I struggle to picture it.

All Of The Suits Characters Were Bankers In The Original Script

Rather Than Hot-Shot Lawyers, The Characters Would Have Been Investment Bankers

Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Mike (Patrick J. Adams) walking together outside in Suits Season 6

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the original plan for Suits saw the main characters as bankers, rather than the brilliant but slightly ruthless corporate lawyers they ultimately turned out to be. Creator of Suits Aaron Korsh, who is himself a former investment banker, shared:

“I wouldn’t say it was a thriller, but it was much more dramatic, with these plot twists and turns. And we ended up using a lot of it in that first half-hour of the Suits pilot, though Mike was an investment banker, not a lawyer — all of them were bankers in that original script.”

Given how integral to the plot and to each main character’s development the legal field becomes, it’s genuinely difficult to even imagine how different these characters and the overall show would have looked. It’s true that it’s not as tough to picture Mike in this role for myriad reasons, but envisioning the entire cast as bankers is a challenge.

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That’s especially true because it’s the legal landscape that drives the plot of Suits more often than not. Not only is the characters’ work as lawyers obviously a key part of each episode, but also, significant arcs of the show, such as Mike’s own legal troubles, relied heavily on characters like Harvey and Jessica being on the inside.

Suits Could Have Been A Half-Hour Show Set On Wall Street

This Would Have Been A Major Deviation From The One-Hour Legal Dramedy

In addition to the major difference with the characters originally being bankers rather than lawyers, Suits was also initially conceived of as a thirty-minute show set on Wall Street and done in the style of Entourage. This is a significant departure from what the show ultimately turned into.

In addition to the hour-long episodes Suits ended up with, the show really was much more like a drama (or a ‘dramedy’) in the end. Yes, there was plenty of humor and comic relief throughout the show’s nine seasons, but Suits also dealt with some incredibly heavy themes, and certain arcs were very intense.

Suits also dealt with some incredibly heavy themes, and certain arcs were very intense.

This is in large part due to the legal focus of the show, as the lawyers, especially Mike Ross, who tended to take pro bono cases when possible, tackled some heartbreaking issues. Had the creators maintained their original plan of a half-hour Entourage-style show set on Wall Street, we may have lost that more serious tone.

Suits Had To Pivot To Lawyers So That USA Network Would Pick It Up

Aaron Korsh Was Right About The Lack Of Interest In A “Wall Street Show”

Meghan Markle, Rick Hoffman, and Amy Acker sitting at a table in Suits

Although Korsh was at least in part writing from the place of what he knew, given his own background on Wall Street, he was aware that a show of that kind was unlikely to sell. In fact, when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Korsh explained that he’d had no real hope of the show being picked up.

On the contrary, Korsh shared that he was at a point in his career where he was uncertain of work in the future, particularly in light of the writers’ strikes at the time. Because of that uncertainty, he’d seen this script as a sort of launchpad to get him hired for something rather than a serious project.

Ultimately, of course, that completely changed, with the latter becoming the reality for Suits. The switch from bankers to lawyers was ultimately a strategic decision, with the goal of getting the show picked up. In the same Hollywood Reporter article, Korsh explained:

“USA didn’t do Wall Street, they didn’t do serialized, they didn’t do ensembles, and they needed it to be a franchise. So, we decided we could make them lawyers, and then, since USA also only did two-handers, we pitched it so that Harvey and Mike were going to quit and start on their own.”

It’s also interesting to note that this explanation from Korsh means characters like Jessica, Donna, and Louis were not originally intended to be major players. This is likewise nearly impossible to imagine, as they are widely considered some of the best characters on Suits and became hugely important to the plot.

Mike Becoming An Investment Banker In Season 4 Brought Suits Full Circle

We Eventually Got A Version Of This Story—And It Proved How Needed This Change Was

Patrick J. Adams as Mike Ross in Suits.

The original plan for Suits was still used in a way, as Mike briefly became an investment banker in the show. In an effort to escape being caught and the consequences of that, Mike took the leap to change careers. That arc only reinforced that changing from bankers to lawyers was the right call for the success of the show.

That arc only reinforced that changing from bankers to lawyers was the right call for the success of the show.

While the episodes in which Mike was an investment banker were still interesting, they lacked the same compelling nature of the episodes that really focused on the legal field and the lawyers’ cases. In fact, the best seasons of Suits were the ones that emphasized the legal focus of the show.

By contrast, Mike’s stint as a banker was something many viewers were happy to see was relatively short-lived. Eventually, Mike returned to the path he was meant to be on, as a lawyer, and that was where the show truly found its magic. Therefore, while knowing how different Suits almost was is fascinating, I’m so glad these changes were made.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter