Who could have possibly predicted that this would be the summer of Suits? Despite being off the air for almost four years, viewers have rediscovered the USA Network’s legal dramedy, and Suits has risen to become one of the most popular TV shows on Netflix. That’s because it is more than just the show where an estranged member of the British royal family, Meghan Markle, made her mark as an actress. Over the course of nine seasons, Suits built up a very impressive fan base. And that loyalty is paying dividends for Netflix right now.
Gabriel Macht headlined the series as Harvey Reginald Specter, an elite lawyer who hired Michael James Ross (Patrick J. Adams) to work as an associate at his law firm because of his encyclopedic knowledge of the law and his willingness to do whatever it takes to win cases. However, Harvey was fully aware of Mike’s secret that he wasn’t actually licensed to practice law, which could have taken down their prestigious law firm. That secret hangs over their heads for a long time on the show, but it created a lot of juicy tension, especially when Rachel Zane (Markle) formed a romance with Mike.
If you’ve made your way through all nine seasons of Suits and you’re looking for something else to scratch that same itch, these are the 3 TV shows to watch if you like Suits.
Boston Legal (2004-2008)
While David E. Kelley’s previous show, The Practice, had a longer run, the spinoff series, Boston Legal, had more fun and dynamic characters in the lead. James Spader reinvented himself as the smarmy lawyer, Alan Shore, a litigator who didn’t let little things like ethics and rules get in the way of winning in court. Star Trek veteran William Shatner co-headlined the series as Denny Crane, a famous lawyer whose mind was slowly losing its war with Alzheimer’s disease.
Kelley has always been a master at mixing comedy and drama with his legal stories, although Boston Legal tended to lean more toward the former at times. But given the flashy personalities at the heart of the series, Suits fans should be right at home when watching this show.
Watch Boston Legal on Prime Video and Hulu.
White Collar (2009-2014)
White Collar is not a legal drama, but it has almost the exact same tone as Suits. That’s because both series ran on USA Network, which was very eager to have most of its shows fall within the same thematic space. Matt Bomer starred in the series as Neal Caffrey, a world-class art thief and con artist who found himself in FBI custody.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) saw Neal as a potential asset who could be used to bring down other white-collar criminals who would otherwise escape justice. That’s why Peter convinced his superiors to let him use Neal’s particular skills in exchange for his release from custody. And while Neal was almost always tempted to go back to his old life, he was very charmed by Peter’s wife, Elizabeth Burke (Tiffani Thiessen), and Neal eventually came to care for the couple as two of his closest friends.
Watch White Collar on Hulu.
The Good Wife (2009-2016)
The Good Wife is more of a straight drama than Suits, although it isn’t without occasional moments of levity. It also happens to be one the very best legal shows to emerge in this century. Julianna Margulies stars as the titular “good wife, Alicia Florrick. Alicia’s husband, Peter Florrick (Chris Noth), is caught up in a political scandal when the series opens, which forces Alicia to renter the workforce and reestablish her legal career.
Alicia finds her second chance working alongside Will Gardner (Josh Charles) at his firm, as well as a potential romance with Will himself. However, Alicia is far too strong-willed to be under anyone’s thumb, which eventually sparks a conflict with Will that leads to some truly electrifying television. This series was made to be binged, and there’s even a great spinoff series, The Good Fight, waiting for you when you’ve finished it.
Watch The Good Wife on Paramount+.
