Netflix Added USA Network’s Popular Legal Drama “Suits” To Its Platform

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When Netflix added the long-running legal drama from USA Network, it quickly became very popular. Just like players in “Hungry, Hungry Hippos” competing for the same balls, streaming services are all vying for viewers, but there’s a limited amount of content and only so many people to watch it.

It’s tough to constantly create brand new, original TV shows, so streaming services like Netflix often look to traditional networks to see what’s already popular and likely to attract viewers. Predicting what people will enjoy is always a gamble, but Netflix had a big success in 2023.

This year, both Netflix and Peacock started streaming the legal drama Suits, which originally ran for nine seasons on USA Network. The show centers around Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a college dropout who gets a job working for Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), a highly successful lawyer in New York City.

As a critic, I remember Suits being a solid performer on television, but honestly, its second life on streaming is the part everyone talks about now. When it hit Netflix and Peacock, it was like a blast from the past – those early streaming days when network hits were the real draws, not just the original content. It felt like everyone was discovering – or rediscovering – this show, and it gave those platforms a huge boost too.

Suits Instantly Ended Up As One Of Netflix’s Most Watched Shows

I couldn’t believe how popular Suits became after Netflix started streaming it! It quickly hit number one on the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 and stayed there for an amazing 12 weeks – even beating out Ozark as Netflix’s most successful show in terms of weeks at number one (according to Deadline). Honestly, it’s been a huge part of the pop culture conversation ever since 2023, and it’s so cool to see!

The show was viewed for a massive 57.7 billion minutes – the most Nielsen has ever recorded since they started tracking viewing time in 2020 (according to The Hollywood Reporter). It’s a quick and easy watch, with 134 episodes averaging about 42 minutes each, and storylines that are enjoyable without being overly complex.

The Suits Spinoffs Could Not Capture The Magic Of The Original

The show’s success led NBC to commission a spin-off series called Suit LA, which was announced in July 2024. The new series centers around Ted Black (played by Stephen Amell), a lawyer who used to be a federal prosecutor in New York City but now represents famous clients in Los Angeles.

Suits Spinoffs
Show Seasons Years Network
Pearson 1 2019 USA Network
Suits LA 1 2025 NBC

The show Suits LA launched in February 2025, but unfortunately, it was canceled after only one season a few months later. While it shares some similarities with the original Suits, it feels noticeably darker and lacks the same lighthearted energy. This isn’t the first attempt to expand the Suits universe to fall short; Pearson debuted on USA Network back in 2019.

As a big fan of Suits, I was really excited when Pearson came out, following Jessica Pearson as she navigated Chicago politics. Sadly, it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me, and the show was canceled after only one season. It lacked that same legal drama spark that made Suits so enjoyable.

International Remakes Of Suits Have Proven Popular

Even though attempts to create spinoffs didn’t succeed, the show Suits is now popular in many countries around the world. Several international versions have been made, including a Korean remake starring Jang Dong-gun and Park Hyung-sik, and a Japanese version with Yūji Oda and Yuto Nakajima.

In 2022, an Egyptian adaptation of Suits featuring Asser Yassin and Ahmed Dawood was released, followed by a Mongolian version starring Samdanpurev Oyunsambuu and Chinzorig Erdenebayar in 2023. It’s clear the show has a widespread appeal that keeps drawing new adaptations.

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2026-04-21 00:09