Preview of "Suits" on USA (no spoilers)

 

Pilots are almost never the best episodes of a series.  There's the introductions to get through, the establishment of characters, and then of course, the inevitable challenge of targeting an audience that will actually watch the show. 

Suits throws together a little of everything that your average audience may enjoy.  Take a show about lawyers, a down and out misguided prodigy, and a few potential love interests and you get Suits.  I didn't have high expectations for this show, and while I found it watchable, I struggled while trying to find one of the main characters sympathetic. 

Harvey Spector, played by Gabriel Macht, is supposed to be our know-it-all lawyer.  The guy who gets the girls, doesn't like to get personal, and is the ultimate ego-maniacal charmer.  There was only one problem: I wasn't charmed in the slightest.  I'm not sure Aaron Korsh, the writer who penned this pilot, wanted me to feel irritated with his character throughout the episode, but they need to introduce some kind of Achilles heel so Harvey borders on appealing instead of stunted and one dimensional.

As for the newest member of Harvey's law firm, Mike Ross, Mr. I-went-down-the-wrong-path-but-I'm-still-a-genius, I felt completely different.  He has a compelling story and a Friday Night Lights Matthew Saracen appeal.  I was rooting for his success in this episode the whole time. 

The basic plot of the series has Spector taking Ross, played by Patrick J. Adams, under his wing, even though Ross is not legally allowed to practice law.  Unfortunately, Harvey taking a risk on a likable character  still doesn't make him sympathetic. 

Harvey's boss Jessica (Gina Torres) has potential to be more interesting, but at this point just seems to play only the foil to Harvey's plans.  Imagine her as a lesser Cuddy to a risk-taking House. There's possibility there, but no big sparks yet. There's a few more cute girls on the roster of this show, all playing potential love interests to Mike and Harvey.  At this point with the series, I'm just really curious where it can go that's original.  I realize characters are welcome on USA, but does that include underdeveloped and one-dimensional ones? 

The pilot of this series last for about 90 minutes, which was at least 40 minutes too long.  I would have enjoyed the show more had it been more fast paced, which I am guessing the creator also wants based on the stock shots of Manhattan spliced in-between the lawyer jargon, flirtation, and sympathetic grandma pep-talks Mike received. 

In Mike's corner, we have the cute paralegal, Rachel, played by Meghan Markle.  What starts as a bad first impression could blossom into an interesting romance, as long as it's drawn out.  I'd like to see these characters slowly become attracted to one another and not act on it for as long as the audience can take it. 

Back to plot-so when Harvey dumps a pro bono case on Mike, can he solve it using his photographic memory (oh yeah, that does make him even more of a character!) or will he fail because he didn't go to Harvard Law like everyone else on the firm's roster?  And will Louis (Rick Hoffman), Harvey's arch nemesis at the firm, find out Mike is there illegally?  I would love to see Louis as a more likeable character to those around him.  That might end more dimension to his must-sink-Harvey platform. 

Only 90 full minutes will tell.  Tune in on Thursday, June 23rd at 10/9 central and let me know how you feel about the show by tweeting me @TVTherapy.

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