New Suits series ‘in development’ following show’s renewed success on Netflix

Meghan Markle starred in seven seasons of the legal drama before exiting in 2018 ahead of her royal wedding to Prince Harry

A new Suits spin-off is reportedly in development following the legal drama’s renewed success on Netflix.

Suits, starring Patrick J Adams as an attorney who lands a job at a prestigious New York legal firm despite never attending law school, has smashed streaming records since returning to Netflix earlier this summer.

The show, which also starred Meghan Markle, originally premiered on USA Network between 2011 and 2019, and aired on Dave in the UK.

Citing sources, Deadline reported on Thursday (12 October) that series creator Aaron Korsh is working on a new offshoot for NBCUniversal.

The report adds that Los Angeles is in consideration for the new series’ backdrop.

The Independent has contacted NBCUniversal for comment.

Suits also follows the lives of famous litigator Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike’s boss, and paralegal-turned-lawyer Rachel Zane (Markle), Mike’s love interest.

Meghan Markle with Patrick J Adams (Dutch Oven/Kobal/Rex)

The now-Duchess of Sussex played attorney Rachel in seven seasons before exiting in 2018 ahead of her royal wedding to Prince Harry. She became romantically involved with the prince in 2016.

Many of her Suits costars attended the wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Adams previously defended Markle from online hate after she and Prince Harry stepped down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020. “Hello to the people and many bots debating all things Meghan and including me in the conversation. I just want you to know a couple of things,” he tweeted in January 2022.

He also defended Markle against allegations of bullying, after Buckingham Palace said in March 2021 it would be launching a probe into claims made against the duchess by former members of staff.

“Meghan Markle and I spent the better part of a decade working together on Suits. From day one she was an enthusiastic, kind, cooperative, giving, joyful and supportive member of our television family. She remained that person and colleague as fame, prestige and power accrued,” he wrote on Twitter at the time.

Last month, Suits became the first TV show to record 3 billion minutes viewed in seven consecutive weeks.

It was previously revealed that Suits broke its own record for the most-watched acquired title, with 3.7 billion minutes watched from 3 July to 9 July across Netflix and Peacock, according to Nielsen data.

In an interview with the LA Times, Suits creator Aaron Korsch credited the show’s renewed success in part to Markle’s role in the royal family.

“[The show] has an inherent optimism to it, and I think that’s a real part of what people respond to,” Korsh said.

In another interview, he recalled a line that the royal family asked to be cut.