114 Fun Facts About Suits

Which kitchen tool is at the heart of the secret ritual Harvey shares with Donna before trials in Suits?

A can opener is all viewers ever see: creator Aaron Korsh added it to soften a hint that the pair were sleeping together, and said fans were better off not knowing what they do with it.

What is the Suits law firm called when the series begins?

Pearson Hardman is the firm's name at the start, after its two founding partners took control of what had been Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke.

Which actor plays Louis Litt, the neurotic Suits partner who manages the associates?

Rick Hoffman plays Louis Litt, who starts the series as a junior partner tormenting the associates and ends it as managing partner, voted in by his colleagues in season 8.

What job does Donna Paulsen hold at Harvey's firm for most of Suits?

Legal Secretary undersells her: Donna followed Harvey from the District Attorney's office, listens in on every conversation in his office and in season 7 demanded, and got, a promotion into management.

Before becoming a fake lawyer, how did Mike make money after being expelled from college?

Taking LSATs for others paid a relative's private nursing-home bills, and the pilot shows the risk when a proctor nearly catches him sitting one for a paying student.

What do the lawyers in Suits call the open-plan floor where the firm's associates work?

The bullpen is Louis's domain as the partner who supervises the associates; when he learns Mike's secret he tells Jessica he wants to see her perp-walked through it in handcuffs.

Which law school does Rachel Zane attend in Suits while keeping her job at the firm?

Columbia won out over Stanford, which had also accepted Rachel, because it kept her near Mike, and Jessica agreed to waive the firm's Harvard-only hiring rule for her.

In Suits, Harvey Specter is hailed as the best what in New York City?

Closer is what Jessica calls Harvey in the pilot; a waitress takes it for a sporting term and says she will never go out with him, yet the next morning she wakes up in his bed.

Which childhood friend of Mike Ross sets up the drug deal that sends him running into Harvey's interview?

Trevor Evans had already cost Mike his place at college: he talked him into selling a maths test that reached the dean's daughter, and Mike was expelled for it.

Although set in Manhattan, where was Suits actually filmed after the pilot?

Toronto doubles for Manhattan after the New York-shot pilot because Canadian tax credits made it cheaper; yellow cabs and hot dog stands are dressed into shots to sell the illusion.

Mikado, a cat that Louis fights to keep in a mock trial, belongs to which Suits character?

Nigel Nesbitt, Louis's British counterpart, left Mikado with him during a business trip; Louis grew so attached that the two settled custody in a mock trial, with Rachel arguing his side.

What do Louis and Sheila name the daughter born in the Suits series finale?

Louis and Sheila name their daughter Lucy, born in the series finale after Sheila went into labour on the day of their wedding.

Which federal prosecutor pursues Mike for practising law without a licence?

Anita Gibbs offered Mike a plea that spared Harvey and the other partners, and he took it; the jury foreman later told Harvey the verdict would have been not guilty.

Which drink does Harvey pour in his office to toast a win?

Scotch seals Harvey's wins and can even thaw a feud: when Louis pulls off a rescue deal in season 4, Harvey tells him to fetch two of his mugs so they can crack open a bottle.

Under which working title did USA Network develop and order Suits before its 2011 premiere?

A Legal Mind was still the title when USA ordered the series in January 2011, and names shifted too: Meghan Markle was cast to play 'Rachel Lane' before her character became Rachel Zane.

Who was Harvey's boss and mentor during his years at the Manhattan District Attorney's office?

Cameron Dennis, played by Gary Cole, was Harvey's mentor at the Manhattan DA's office; he later returned as a special prosecutor with a grudge in the Ava Hessington case.

Which former associate of Louis's makes senior partner in season 8 of Suits and name partner in the finale?

Katrina Bennett came from the District Attorney's office as Harvey's hire and began by trading pranks with Louis; she later became his associate, then a senior partner, then a name on the wall.

Which client's case haunts Harvey in season 2 when Travis Tanner alleges buried evidence?

Coastal Motors came back when Travis Tanner claimed a damning memo had been buried; Donna found she had signed for it, destroyed it in a panic and was fired, before it emerged the memo had been planted in the file room.

Which actress joins the cast in season 8 as Samantha Wheeler?

Katherine Heigl was announced as Samantha Wheeler the day after USA confirmed that two of its leads were leaving; she said she had watched Suits from the very beginning and was a fan of the cast.

Where does Mike Ross take a job after prison in Suits, while still barred from practising law?

The Eastside Legal Clinic took Mike on to manage its staff when no one else would hire a felon; his price for rejoining the firm later included Harvey funding the clinic for two years.

Which band performs the Suits theme song, 'Greenback Boogie'?

Ima Robot tucked the song away as a bonus B-side sold through the band's own website in 2010, a year before it opened a hit drama. Frontman Alex Ebert also leads Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Aaron Korsh first wrote Suits as a half-hour comedy about which world, drawn from his own career?

Wall Street banking was the original setting; Korsh moved the story to a law firm because a maths genius needs no licence to work in finance, while a fake lawyer has the bar exam to get round.

Which employee is the firm's IT guy, who helps Donna build a digital assistant loaded with her quips?

Benjamin, the firm's IT specialist, built 'The Donna', a gadget loaded with thousands of her one-liners; it never reached the market, but the venture left Donna wanting more than her desk.

Who raised Mike after his parents died when he was eleven?

His grandmother, Edith Ross, took Mike in and later told him to cut loose the friend she called an anchor; she died in season 2, just before he could show her the apartment he had bought for her.

What is Rachel Zane's job at the firm when Suits begins?

Paralegal Rachel has her own office and a reputation as the firm's best researcher; giving Mike his first-day tour, she tells him she will not be blown away by his dazzling degree.

With which London-based firm did Jessica merge at the end of season 2?

Darby International gave Jessica a London partner in Edward Darby, but the merger lasted barely a season: he was tricked into signing away his right to practise law in America, and the firms split.

Which special master does the New York bar send to take control of the firm in the final season of Suits?

Faye Richardson, sent by the New York bar to police the firm in season 9, was driven out in the finale by a con Harvey and Mike staged together.

Which fruit goes into the smoothie Louis Litt says he invented in Suits?

Prunes go into what Louis calls a 'prunie'; in season 7 he stress-blends so many that he warns of an international prune shortage.

Louis Litt's sister Esther, who first appears in season 5 of Suits, is played by which actress?

Amy Acker, of Angel and Person of Interest, plays Esther; Harvey promises Louis not to pursue her, spends the night with her anyway, and the row that follows turns physical.

In which Connecticut town is the federal prison where Mike serves his sentence?

Danbury is a real federal prison, where the author of Orange Is the New Black served her sentence; Mike does not see out his two years there, winning early release by informing for prosecutors.

Which company is at the centre of the season 4 takeover battle that pits Mike against Harvey in Suits?

Gillis Industries was Walter Gillis's passion after the death of his son, and he trusted Mike to save it until Harvey told him Mike had once dealt drugs; the son had died of an overdose.

Which actress plays Jessica Pearson, the firm's managing partner in Suits?

Gina Torres plays Jessica Pearson and carried the character into a Chicago-set spin-off of her own, Pearson, in 2019; it was cancelled after a single season.

Which sport did Harvey Specter play at high school in Suits, missing the state final through injury?

Baseball: Harvey was his school's star pitcher until a bad shoulder kept him out of the state championship, and a rival needles him with the fact that the team won it without him.

Which inmate makes Mike's life hell in prison because of an old grudge against Harvey?

Frank Gallo got 15 years for racketeering, three times the usual term, because Harvey could not pin a murder on him; on Mike's first night inside he poses as a friendly cellmate to begin his revenge.

Which gadget does Louis Litt use in Suits to record what he calls his singular triumphs?

A dictaphone holds what Louis calls his singular triumphs, such as the day Harvey told him he was the man; his most agonising defeats go into a written diary instead.

Which investment banker becomes Mike's boss when he leaves the firm at the start of season 4?

Jonathan Sidwell ran the investment bank Mike joined after leaving the firm; Mike was fired from Sidwell Investment Group later in season 4 for going behind his boss's back on a financing deal.

Which Suits co-star, his friend for some twenty years, did Gabriel Macht recommend for her role?

Sarah Rafferty had been Macht's friend since a theatre festival in 1993, and he put her name forward to play Donna; creator Aaron Korsh said she still had to earn the part in her audition, and did.

Which old friend of Harvey's is lured away from Bratton Gould to join the firm in season 7?

Alex Williams, played by Dulé Hill, left Bratton Gould for the firm in season 7 and spent season 8 competing with Samantha Wheeler to be made name partner; both got there.

What is the name of Louis Litt's therapist in Suits?

Dr. Stan Lipschitz is for years only the unseen other end of Louis's phone calls before he appears in person in season 7; in the finale he officiates at Louis's wedding, ending the therapy and starting a friendship.

Which royal title did Suits actress Meghan Markle receive on her wedding day in May 2018?

Duchess of Sussex became her title because the Queen made Prince Harry a duke that morning; by then she had left Suits, written out as her character Rachel also got married.

Which season 1 character leaves her drug-dealing boyfriend and starts dating Mike Ross in Suits?

Jenny Griffith walks out on Mike's best friend on learning he deals drugs, grows close to Mike while rehearsing as a witness for his mock trial, and ends it once she learns how he feels about Rachel.

Which therapist does Harvey date in season 7, until she demands he stop working with Donna?

Paula Agard had been Harvey's own therapist before they dated; when she asked him to choose between her and working with Donna, he ended the relationship.

Which actor plays Robert Zane, Rachel's father and a formidable rival lawyer, in Suits?

Wendell Pierce, Bunk in The Wire, plays Robert Zane, who starts out as Harvey's courtroom opponent and ends up running Harvey's own firm as its managing partner.

Which actress plays Sheila Sazs, Louis Litt's on-off love and eventual wife, in Suits?

Rachael Harris plays Sheila Sazs, whose season 3 engagement to Louis collapses because she does not want children, yet she ends the series married to him with a newborn daughter.

Suits lead Patrick J. Adams married Troian Bellisario, a star of which teen mystery series, in 2016?

Pretty Little Liars filmed far from the Suits set, so the couple spent much of their engagement apart; Bellisario also guest-starred on Suits, playing an old flame of Mike's.

On which TV game show did Meghan Markle work as a model before Suits made her name?

Deal or No Deal paid the bills: she spent 2006 and 2007 holding a numbered case as a 'briefcase girl', and also worked as a freelance calligrapher between small acting parts.

At which royal residence did Suits co-stars watch Meghan Markle marry Prince Harry in May 2018?

Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel hosted the wedding, and her old colleagues came: Gabriel Macht had two suits made by his tailor and planned a 'game time call' on which to wear.

How did Mike's parents die when he was 11?

In a car accident caused by a drunk driver; in season 2 the memory nearly derails Mike's defence of a young client charged over a hit-and-run.

Which SEC prosecutor accuses Harvey and Mike of collusion in Season 4?

Sean Cahill, played by Neal McDonough, was the SEC enforcer who went after Harvey and Mike in season 4 and later helped engineer Mike's early release from prison.

Which shady billionaire does Louis make an illegal deal with in Season 4?

Charles Forstman makes Louis route the payment through Switzerland and the Cayman Islands to dodge US tax, then forces a $1 million fee on him so that Louis is implicated too.

Which ambitious partner does Hardman manipulate against Harvey in Season 5?

Jack Soloff, head of the compensation committee, circulates Harvey's pay to win a vote against him and then fronts Hardman's bid for the firm; Hardman, it emerges, holds damaging information over him.

What do Jessica, Louis and Donna find at the firm in the Suits season 5 finale?

Every employee has left, from the partners to the secretaries: they walked out to be on record as gone before the lawsuit over every case Mike had worked on arrived.

Who turns out to be Mike Ross's real cellmate in prison in Suits?

Kevin Miller saves Mike from a stabbing and becomes his friend, which makes the way out harder: Mike's early release depends on informing on Kevin's father-in-law, William Sutter.

What was Harvey's father Gordon's profession?

A jazz saxophonist, Gordon Specter kept asking when his son would be promoted; he died of a heart attack just as Harvey made junior partner, news that reaches Harvey in the flashback episode 'Rewind'.

What kind of work does Rachel take on for a law professor in season 6?

An Innocence Project case put Rachel on the side of death-row inmate Leonard Bailey; her professor first ruled the case out, but with Jessica beside her she saw him exonerated and freed.

What position does Donna take in Season 7?

Chief Operating Officer was Donna's second ask: she first demanded a senior partnership, and when Harvey decided that would cheapen the title, she named the job she wanted instead.

Sheila Sazs leaves Harvard in the later seasons of Suits for which job at another Ivy League university?

Head of Admissions is the post Sheila takes after following a fiancé to New York; earlier, working in Harvard's admissions office, she found no record of Mike and tipped off prosecutors.

To which city do Mike and Rachel move after their wedding?

Seattle, where the couple were offered a firm of their own fighting class-action suits; the job offer forced them to bring their wedding forward.

What is the Suits firm renamed once Rachel's father becomes managing partner in Season 8?

Zane Specter Litt: the firm's two top lawyers turned a client conflict into a contest for the managing partner's chair, and Harvey ended it by conceding the job.

Which boyfriend does Donna tip off about a sham deal, a breach that ends in Zane's disbarment?

Thomas Kessler, played by Sasha Roiz: Harvey told Donna in confidence that an offer made to Thomas was a ruse, she warned him anyway, and Zane took the fall for it.

What is the law firm's final name at the end of Suits?

The firm ends the series as Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett, with Louis as managing partner after Harvey follows Mike out of New York in the finale.

What keeps Rachel Zane from getting into law school when Suits begins?

Test anxiety kept Rachel's entrance-exam scores too low for years; when she finally scored 172 in season 2, high enough for Harvard, the school turned her down anyway.

Which two characters marry in a spur-of-the-moment ceremony in the Suits finale?

Harvey and Donna marry on the spot: when Sheila goes into labour during her own wedding to Louis, Harvey proposes in front of the stranded guests.

Which prosecutor, played by Usman Ally, sets out to have Jessica disbarred in season 7?

Andrew Malik, played by Usman Ally, is a state deputy attorney general who once worked down the hall from Harvey at the district attorney's office and resented being the one nobody noticed.

Which astronaut did Suits star Patrick J. Adams play in the Disney+ series The Right Stuff?

John Glenn: Disney+ cancelled the Mercury Seven drama after one season, only months after California had awarded it a tax credit to film a second there.

Which HBO series did Aaron Korsh say his first Suits script was meant to be a half-hour version of?

Entourage was the model: Korsh set out to write a half-hour show in that vein from his own first career, and realised as he wrote that it wanted to be an hour-long drama.

Where in the Suits firm did Harvey start out before Jessica paid his way through law school?

The mailroom is where Jessica first came across Harvey; she later paid for his law degree and made him her right-hand man.

In Suits, what is the first name of Harvey's younger brother?

Marcus Specter hid a cancer relapse from Harvey rather than reopen the family feud, and it was their mother, whom Harvey had cut off for years, who nursed him through it.

Which drug is in the case Mike is carrying when he stumbles into Harvey's interview in the Suits pilot?

Marijuana: the case springs open in front of Harvey and the packets spill out, yet Mike explains himself so well that Harvey offers him the job anyway.

Which animal is the subject of the prized painting by Harvey's mother in Suits?

A duck: Harvey gives the painting up to a rival lawyer as the price of a settlement in season 6, and Donna gets it back for him in the final season.

Which actress plays Dana 'Scottie' Scott, Harvey's on-off girlfriend since law school in Suits?

Abigail Spencer plays Scottie, who graduated top of the class she shared with Harvey; he wins her a senior partnership in season 3, and the romance is over by the finale.

Which Olympic swimmer plays himself in season 3 of Suits, signed up as a client of the firm?

Michael Phelps turns up as himself when Scottie, newly hired, lands him as a client to win over Jessica.

Which UK channel aired the first six seasons of Suits before Netflix took over the rights?

Dave lost Suits in 2017 when its owner UKTV declined to renew the deal after season 6, saying the channel's line-up had to evolve; Netflix picked up the UK rights.

Which children's cartoon finished second to Suits among America's most-streamed shows of 2023?

Bluey logged 43.9 billion minutes on Disney+ against 57.7 billion for Suits, and not one streaming original made Nielsen's top ten for the year.

Suits' 57.7 billion streamed minutes in 2023 beat a single-year record held by which sitcom?

The Office set the old mark of 57.1 billion minutes in 2020; Suits had an edge, with about 83 hours of episodes to The Office's 73.

Which two streaming services carried Suits during its record-breaking 2023 surge?

Netflix and Peacock: Suits had sat on Peacock for years, but the surge only began once Netflix added it in mid-2023.

Which no-nonsense assistant does Harvey hire in season 5 of Suits, later inherited by Louis?

Gretchen Bodinski, played by Aloma Wright, was picked as the opposite of her predecessor and proved just as sharp; she later moved across to Louis's desk.

Which architect becomes Louis's fiancée in season 6 of Suits?

Tara Messer came in to remodel the firm's offices; when Jessica killed the project, a smitten Louis hired her to redesign a summer house he did not own.

Which Suits episode served as the backdoor pilot for Pearson?

The Season 7 finale sent Harvey out of town to rescue a former boss in trouble, the storyline that launched the spin-off.

Which network aired the short-lived 2025 Suits spin-off?

NBC launched the spin-off in February 2025 on the back of the original's streaming boom and cancelled it after one season when the ratings failed to follow.

Which name partner is fired by the bar's special master in the final season of Suits, then rehired in the finale?

Samantha Wheeler was fired after a case that pitted her against the returning Mike; Louis put her name back on the wall in the finale.

Which country aired the first overseas remake of Suits, in April 2018?

South Korea: the remake rights were sold in 2015 and the show took nearly three years to reach the screen, yet it still aired more than five months ahead of Japan's version.

Which Cosby Show star plays Julius Rowe, Mike's prison counsellor in Suits?

Malcolm-Jamal Warner's counsellor ends up speaking for him: when Mike later goes before the bar's committee, he calls Rowe as his character witness.

Which peer-voted award had Suits star Patrick J. Adams among its 2012 nominees?

Screen Actors Guild Award: Adams had no idea the nominations were due that day, and when his phone began ringing in the early morning he assumed something terrible had happened.

Which actor plays Jeff Malone, the SEC lawyer Jessica hires and falls for?

D.B. Woodside, Amenadiel in Lucifer, played Jeff Malone, who talked his way into a senior partnership and quit within months when he caught Jessica lying to him about Louis.

Which fixer is revealed to have ordered the killings in the Ava Hessington case in Suits?

Stephen Huntley, Edward Darby's fixer played by Max Beesley, was exposed as the man who ordered the killings behind Ava Hessington's case, ending his romance with Donna.

Which Game of Thrones actress played Ava Hessington?

Michelle Fairley, Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones, plays the British oil boss whose bribery case turns into a murder charge and takes over season 3.

Which client, Rachel's former lover, does Harvey represent against Mike in the season 4 takeover fight in Suits?

Logan Sanders had an affair with Rachel while he was married; when he kissed her again during the takeover, Mike moved out and Harvey dropped him as a client.

What condition sends Harvey to a therapist in season 5?

Harvey started therapy in season 5 for panic attacks, which began after Donna left his desk to work for Louis.

In Suits, what is the name of Louis's long-serving secretary, who is never seen on screen?

Norma is only ever talked about; her death in the season 4 finale opens the vacancy at Louis's desk that Donna, at odds with Harvey, takes.

In Suits, a forged transcript shows Mike earning an A+ in whose Harvard class?

Professor Henry Gerard taught ethics and was notorious for never awarding an A+, which is why that grade on Mike's file set Louis digging.

Where does Louis propose to Sheila in season 3 of Suits?

In the hospital, where Louis was recovering from a minor heart attack; the engagement collapsed when she said she never wanted children and he did.

In Suits, what was Mike's job before Harvey hired him?

Bike messenger: a college dropout with a photographic memory was delivering packages around New York when he stumbled into Harvey's interview.

Why did Patrick J. Adams say he left Suits after season 7?

His character's story was told: Adams said that once the fraud became a fully qualified lawyer he would be just another lawyer on television, and he was tired of years away from home.

What does Louis fake in season 1 of Suits to blackmail the newly hired Mike?

A failed drug test: the positive result was bogus, and Louis held it over the new associate to make him win over a prestigious client for the firm.

Which 2008 comic-book film, directed by Frank Miller, gave Suits star Gabriel Macht the title role?

The Spirit was Will Eisner's comic, not Miller's own: Gabriel Macht played Denny Colt, the masked hero defending Central City from Samuel L. Jackson's Octopus.

Which NBC pilot had Patrick J. Adams been fired from just before landing Suits?

Friends with Benefits recast before it reached air; Adams has said the firing left him miserable, that the show fell apart anyway, and that Suits pulled him out of the hole.

Which sci-fi role made Gina Torres a cult favourite before Suits?

Zoë Washburne in Firefly: Fox cancelled the space western after a single season in 2002, yet Gina Torres played Zoë again in the 2005 film Serenity.

Why did Gina Torres say she left Suits during season 6?

Her home life was in Los Angeles: with her contract up, Torres said she was worn out by years of travelling to the set, and she joined The Catch, which filmed in LA.

Which Suits watch podcast did Sarah Rafferty and Patrick J. Adams launch together?

Sidebar is billed as a watch podcast, not a rewatch: Adams says he had never watched Suits before signing on, and the hosts present it as their first time through the show.

At which university did Sarah Rafferty earn her MFA in acting?

Yale gave Sarah Rafferty more than her MFA: she met Santtu Seppälä while she was studying there, and the two married in 2001.

Which actor plays Travis Tanner, the rival who arrives in Suits having never lost a case?

Eric Close, an FBI agent in Without a Trace, plays Tanner, who first appears in the season 1 episode 'Undefeated' and promptly loses to Harvey.

In Suits, what is the first name of Harvey's loyal driver?

Ray Benghazi gets Harvey as his lawyer in season 1: when a cab driver sues him over a crash, Harvey takes the case himself with a lucrative deal competing for his time.

Which West Wing role earned Dulé Hill an Emmy nomination before he joined Suits?

Charlie Young, President Bartlet's personal aide, earned Dulé Hill a 2002 Emmy nomination; in the story, dating the president's daughter made Charlie the target of an assassination attempt.

Amanda Schull was a professional what before acting?

Ballet dancer: Amanda Schull was still an apprentice with San Francisco Ballet when she was cast as the lead in Center Stage, and she danced with the company until 2006.

In Suits, what does Daniel Hardman claim the money he embezzled was paying for?

His wife's cancer treatment was the story he gave Jessica; the money was really paying for an affair with a colleague, and Harvey used that discovery to force him out.

Which Star Trek: The Next Generation actress played Faye Richardson in Suits?

Denise Crosby played security chief Tasha Yar and, unhappy with the part, asked to leave during the first season, so the character was killed off.

How does Mike Ross end up listed as a Harvard Law graduate in season 1 of Suits?

A hacker adds him: a businessman's daughter first threatens to expose Mike's secret unless he drops a case against her, then creates his entry in Harvard's graduate records herself.

At which university did Meghan Markle study theatre and international studies before Suits?

Northwestern, class of 2003: Markle also interned at the US embassy in Buenos Aires and briefly considered a career in diplomacy rather than acting.

Which film director served as an executive producer on Suits alongside Aaron Korsh and David Bartis?

Doug Liman, director of The Bourne Identity, came aboard through Hypnotic, the company he co-owns with David Bartis, which backed Korsh's unsold script and pitched it to USA Network.

Which nervous associate, played by Max Topplin, is a favourite target of Louis's bullying?

Harold Gunderson, played by Max Topplin, is the hapless associate Louis torments until firing him in season 2; Harold resurfaces later at a rival firm.

On which USA Network comedy did Dulé Hill play Gus before he joined Suits?

Psych lured Hill off a hit: in 2005 he announced he was leaving The West Wing after a handful of final-season episodes to shoot the detective comedy's pilot.

Which country produced the 2022 Arabic-language remake of Suits, which aired through Ramadan?

Egypt: Asser Yassin led the cast, and the series was released across Ramadan, the month when Arab broadcasters launch their biggest dramas.

Which spa ritual is Louis devoted to in Suits?

Mudding, a long soak in a tub of mud, is Louis's favourite way to unwind; season 7's 'Mudmare' opens on his nightmare that Harvey goes mudding with another friend.