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“Dad, Are You Watching Suits?” That question from my Millennial daughter on a recent phone call caught me off guard. Even though we talk about shows we’re watching, asking if I was watching that particular show seemed odd. I’ve seen it featured regularly when I log onto Netflix, but it never triggered my interest. She talked about how many of her friends started watching it and as I Googled it for more background, I realized it’s become quite the recent craze. But honestly, all I could think was “Why?” No offense to anyone related to the show or those who love it, but it was a run-of-the-mill show on a lesser cable network whose main claim to fame seemed to be having Megan Markle as part of the cast. So, as we do here on Assume and Doom, we looked at what the organic conversations on the internet are around the Suits trend and give you the reasons why it’s one of the hottest shows going. Every day we dive into hypotheses to understand trends and attitudes within popular culture.
Assumption: The reason why Suits is so popular is because of Megan Markle.
VERDICT: Not really. She plays a small part but there are more significant factors attracting viewers.
Let’s start with a little background on Suits. During its original run on the USA Network, its highest viewer average of 4.28 million happened during Season 1, but it had significantly decreased to an average of 1 million viewers by the time it went off the air. By basic cable standards, even 1 million viewers isn’t too bad, but it never came close to approaching the popularity level of other cable shows like Yellowstone, Game of Thrones, The Wire, Breaking Bad, or The Sopranos where people would talk about them around the water cooler. But it’s safe to say that more people will watch Suits now compared to its original run.
During an interview with The Los Angeles Times, show creator Aaron Korsch presented the assumption that the huge resurgence of the series has a lot to do with Markle’s increased fame since the show ended. So let’s start there.
The Markle Effect
There is no doubt seeing Her Highness, the Dutchess of Sussex in her pre-royal life, despite the negative press she and Prince Harry have received, is appealing to many viewers. It’s certainly a part of the renaissance the series is having. For those who love her and those who don’t, there was a curiosity to see what the fuss is all about. It may have been a reason to check out the series, but even Aaron Korsch seems to overestimate her impact on the show’s resurgence.
Every time I see promo landing page for it or hear someone talk about it all I can think of is the Meghan Markle character in The Windsors.
Some people stopped by out of curiosity concerning Meghan Markle and stayed because its a good show.
Very interesting to see Megan Markle in before times.
The Netflix Factor
But there are more significant drivers behind the Suits phenomenon. One of which is Netflix itself. In 2022, streaming viewership overtook cable viewership for the first time. So just having it on Netflix is a huge win for the show. Netflix is helping by putting the show on the main page/screen, the Top 10 list, and positioning it in the “For You” section. That’s a far cry from the show being buried on an average cable channel in the on-screen guide. Lastly, some think the original programming on Netflix has fallen off in terms of quality, so new original shows are not worth their time.
And Netflix has nothing good to watch from its original shows.
It realistically won’t do as good in other platforms. Just as Friends, Breaking Bad and co fell off once they left Netflix.
Where its placed in Netflix’ menu plus lack of new programs that are remotely interesting with conventionally attractive people.
Started watching it recently too, and I’m not sure why. It probably was because I kept seeing it pop up every time I opened Netflix.
Because no matter how many new Netflix profiles l make trying to start with a clean algorithm, Suits is number one in the suggestions.
Because 99% of all new Netflix content is absolute shit and people are running out of options.
Tik Tok
Yes, everyone’s favorite social media whipping boy is playing a huge role in Suits’ popularity. The show has fast-paced dialogue and many scenes that can be condensed to an entertaining 30-second or less clip, so many of which litter the social media platform.
I think it’s because of TikTok. I’ve been seeing lots of clips on there lately and it looks like the new generation is getting exposed to it.
Perfect show for Tik Tok, quick scenes with snappy dialog. Only one season in, and I don’t think there is one scene over 30 seconds.
Because my tiktok feed is filled with clips. FILLED.
TikTok, for the past few months I’ve been seeing clips of it on my fyp, so has all my friends and my partner.
For some reason Suits clips became a thing on Tiktok.
Does anyone here watch suits? I started drinking the TikTok kool aid and watching it and I need someone to rant to immediately.
It got on my radar after it seemed to get pushed on my for you page on TikTok.
Background Noise for Multitasking
So many of us can’t stand a quiet house or room when we’re doing homework or housework and Suits is a show that’s great in the background when doing other things. The plot lines and stories are easy to follow, and it won’t matter if you aren’t paying attention 100% of the time.
What is it that we think my roommate is doing until 1am in the kitchen every night for the past two weeks? the kitchen aide mixer is being used and she’s watching suits on her laptop at the same time.
I made pumpkin cake with vanilla icing while I started watching Suits.
Watching Suits and creating projects on excel. This is my joy.
I’m really at work, on my laptop watching Suits kicking my lil feet and eating Chessmen cookies.
Doing homework while watching Suits.
Well it is a “housework” show, You can do all kinds of stuff with that in the background and you won’t get lost as it is very predictable.
It’s Predictable—In a Good Way
The show is easy to watch, you can catch on to what is happening, the characters are fun, people are attractive, and as the show’s title indicates, they dress really well.
Good writing jokes snide remarks etc. but overly redundant and predictable.
The appeal of “Suits” is in the ease of watching. The dialogue is fast and pleasing to the ear, the plots are engaging without being too complex and the people are pretty.
This show has been so good and I love how things are predictable enough.
So I’m watching suits for the first time and I’m halfway through season 8. I quickly noticed that every episode seems to have the same framework.
And it’s an easy watch, with a lot of humor, and attractive actors.
It’s a Lawyer Show That Is Familiar and Comfortable
One of the shows most mentioned in the same breath as Suits is Boston Legal, and the comfort of lawyer shows in general. People like lawyer-type shows, maybe because there is a sense of a predictable pattern. Ally McBeal preceded Boston Legal, which preceded Suits, but some blur the lines of when the shows aired, often thinking they aired closer together (Ally McBeal ended in 2002, Boston Legal aired from 2004-2008, while Suits began in 2011). Mix in The Practice and the long-running Law & Order franchise, and there has been a steady stream of legal shows people enjoy.
I used to LOVE Boston Legal. I forgot that show exists. That’s what turned us on to James Spader when I was younger.
Watch Boston Legal. It’s an oldie but f*%^ing awesome.
Suits was crack when it came out in high school. Was also watching Boston Legal for the first time around that time. Surprised I didn’t become a douchebag lawyer.
Suits is an updated Boston Legal format/formula, a series that also had a huge 100+ episode run.
I wonder how well the Law & Order shows would do if they ever put on Netflix. There was a Law & Order UK I wouldn’t mind watching.
Will It Last?
The one question being discussed in the narratives is how long will the Suits craze last? Of those who are starting the show, how many will finish all nine seasons? Seasons 1-8 are available on Netflix with Season 9 available on Peacock or Prime Video. Some have binged all the way through nonstop, but there is chatter about how the show falls off in quality at some point—the exact season is debatable. Some say after Season 4, some say later seasons, while others say it’s when Mike left. The comments seem to come more from those who watched it during its original run saying it started off strong but finished weak.
“First season was great – 2nd season has some really good bits. I seem to remember the remainder of the seasons become a basic blur of repeating plot lines. The format gets old quick, especially when things start getting a little far fetched in later seasons.- worth a watch until you get bored.”
I never finished it because it jumped the shark at one point and I knew at that specific moment it was done. I don’t regret the lead up though. For a while it was a ton of fun.
Yeah, same here. The first few seasons are a fun time but then it’s basically just the same problems over and over again along with the same solutions.
It’s fun. I eventually got bored of it, but the first few seasons are enjoyable.
I’ve been watching Suits and season 6 is so stupid I’m struggling.
I am two episodes into season 7 and wow have things gotten cheesy.
To be so honest I’m over Suits. I’m starting to feel like watching the rest of the season isn’t worth it.
The question that causes the most daily frustration is “What’s for dinner?” Over the past few years, “What do you want to watch? is certainly gaining ground. You could jump on the Suits bandwagon the next time that question is asked in your household.
Quester’s series “Assume and Doom,” presents some prevalent assumptions, then brings clarity to them using our intuitive and informative ability to dig into social narratives to see what consumers are saying about these issues. So many times, people on all levels within a company hear about trends and buzzwords or read one article about a topic and make assumptions based on limited information. They then sometimes make knee-jerk decisions that do not help their business. We’re here to bring clarity to current issues so companies don’t fall prey to the “Assume and Doom.”
While most social listening/analytics quantifies large ideas and metrics, Quester social narratives go underneath the numbers to explain consumer behaviors, emotions, and motivations. We focus on the deep “why,” offering insight into implications, directions, and whitespaces. Because all consumer decisions are influenced by narratives—what they hear, read, watch, and discuss; social listening or analytics may not fully explain, analyze, or break down how these narratives affect consumer behavior.
While sometimes these assumptions will be an easy “true” or “false,” in most cases, as is common with human behavior, we’re predicting there will be a lot of nuances. Issues like these generally are not black-and-white.
The quotes you see in these articles are pulled from the various social platforms from which we analyzed the narratives and are representative of many thousands of discussions about the themes, not as “one-off” quotes from a qualitative study.
I loved suits when it was on.