One of the problems of Peak TV is that there’s not enough time in the day to actually watch all of the great new shows coming out on all of the eleventy-billion streamers, cable networks and regular networks. Something which is left unsaid, which I use as a barometer before I get invested in a new show, is “will they keep it?” As is, will the show get multiple seasons so I can invest in the characters and the writers can tell the story they want to tell? Which is often why I refuse to watch whatever show has a lot of buzz in its first season: I’ll wait until it’s confirmed that they’re getting a second season. That issue also explains the popularity of completed multi-season shows airing on platforms like Netflix and Peacock. Well, this year, it’s all about Suits, originally a USA show which started in 2011 and ended in 2019. Suits was popular in its time, but it has found a huge amount of success in streaming on Netflix and Peacock.
Suits is proving to be a top performer for Netflix and Peacock. The USA Network series saw an impressive 3.1B viewing minutes during the week of June 26 to July 2 across the two streaming services, according to Nielsen’s latest streaming data. That marks a 36% increase in viewership from the week prior and another week atop the Nielsen streaming charts.
This is unusually high viewing time for an acquired series and breaks the record for an acquired series in one measurement week. Though there have been several, including Manifest and The Office, that have tallied plenty of weeks with over 1B viewing minutes after landing on a streaming platform, none have managed to perform quite so well.
According to Nielsen, Manifest previously hit a record-breaking (among acquired content) 2.5B weekly viewing minutes in June 2021 — meaning that Suits blew past that record by 650M.
Nielsen also predicts that several more weeks of success are on the horizon for Suits, since 75% of the viewing total during this week was generated by only the first three seasons of the series. There are nine seasons total of the legal dramedy.
I’m happy that people have discovered or rediscovered the show which made Meghan Markle a household name! She was really proud to book that show and she loved her coworkers and she loved working in Toronto. But I have to say something negative: y’all know Meghan and the rest of the cast are barely getting any residuals from this, right? That’s one of the big reasons why SAG-AFTRA is on strike, because streamers like Peacock and Netflix have completely broken the residual system. While I’m sure Meghan loves the support and loves that people are showing so much love for Suits, she deserves to be paid, as do all of the actors.
PS… I still haven’t gotten into Suits, but I’m looking forward to seeing if White Collar ever gets this kind of streaming “revival.” I f–king loved White Collar, another USA show which was on around the same time as Suits. Matt Bomer, Tiffany Thiessen, Tim DeKay, the late Willie Garson, Diahann Carroll. It was amazing and I’m still in love with Tim DeKay, who has a big Harrison Ford-type energy.
Photos courtesy of USA/Peacock and Avalon Red.
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- cast of Suits, Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman and Meghan Markle and attend the NBCUniversal New York Summer Press Day on June 24, 2015 at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, New York, USA.,Image: 524926353, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Robin Platzer/Twin Images / Twin Images / Avalon
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- cast of Suits, Sarah Rafferty and Meghan Markle and attend the NBCUniversal New York Summer Press Day on June 24, 2015 at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, New York, USA.,Image: 524926563, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Robin Platzer/Twin Images / Twin Images / Avalon
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- Meghan Markle at the NBC-Universal 2014 TCA Winter Press Tour, Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa, Pasadena, CA 01-19-14,Image: 551006412, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Martin Sloan / Avalon
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- Meghan Markle at the NBC-Universal 2014 TCA Winter Press Tour, Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa, Pasadena, CA 01-19-14,Image: 551006415, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Martin Sloan / Avalon
It’s getting these numbers BECAUSE of Meghan, full stop.
And the actors would have gotten nice initial payments for the licenses to stream, but they will get next to nothing in residuals. That’s the crime.
@thatsnotok, THIS ☝️
I hope that she negotiated a good royalties deal.
I read that acquired shows pay residuals at the original levels while made for streaming shows do not. The claim was, that acquired shows had residuals built in as a cost of acquisition. Is this factual?
I loved loved loved suits. I don’t even remember how my husband and I discovered it, but to this day when I talk about Meghan markle to my husband I have to clarify I’m talking about Rachel Zane from suits.
@2L2Q Same! My husband loved this show. We watched Suits on another streamer a while ago, and are now rewatching it on Netflix. The pace of the show is fantastic, and I love the writing and all the actors. And the music- great music selections on Suits! Meghan must have loved working there.
I mean…I doubt the whole country is organizing to support Meghan. I think they’re just bored (a heat wave and terrible air quality in the Midwest) and want to watch a new show on Netflix. No one is doing is so she gets residuals. We all know she doesn’t.
Allygator. So you think it’s because of a heatwave and people are bored that they are watching Suits? Netflix puts new stuff out all the time so they have much content. Plus any older stuff that they can get. I doubt highly it has to do with a heat wave or being bored.
I think it comes down to a combination of the fact of Netflix actually promoting the show, strategic timing for when more people would be at home, and people curious about Meghan Markle. Season 1 broke the top ten in the 5th spot the week of June 19, dropped to the seventh spot a week later, dropped to the 10th spot a week later, then went back up to the 8th spot two weeks after that, so the interest was able to be carried across multiple weeks.
Last year it was the 6th Season of Peaky Blinders that had the same result, an acquired series that already aired, except Peaky Blinders was more in the public consciousness because the last season had just finished on Network TV.
So it is undeniably a hit, but also probably a combination of things at play.
Heat wave and boredom do not explain why Suits is the top performer. Fans of Meghan are probably curious to see it and find it’s a good show.
It really must hurt your soul to see people succeed and be happy. So bitter
Is every show’s success or failure attributable to a weather event, or just Suits?
It’s a fun show—rain or shine—and it’s now reaching the people (like me) who didn’t catch it when it was originally on the air.
It’s great news. I hope everyone involved with the show is making lots of cash from the insurgence.
It’s too bad that the focus of the show has turned to be Meg-centric, because imo, she’s just mediocre as an actress & her character is annoying. Don’t like Mike either.
No, the real talent in that show is Louis Litt & Jessica Pearson. 2 incredibly talented actors who I fear are being ignored for popularity reasons.
Watch the show, but really watch those 2. They steal every scene (especially the always delightful Gina Torres).
Are you sure you love the show? I would never keep watching a show where I hated the main characters. Gina Torres is doing OK. She’s currently on a show that is equally as big so no need to have concerns for her.
@Amy Bee
Where did I say I love the show? What a weird inference.
Thanks for posting, I guess.
@Kokiro: you were raving about Gina Torres and the guy who played Louis Litte. So there was something you loved about the show.
@ Amy Bee
What are you still going on about? Are you drunk?
I assure you, I meant exactly what I said in my original post. Nothing more, nothing less.
Go sleep it off honey, & you can try again tomorrow.
The post says the actors are not making much due to the fact that streamers pay very little in residuals. Do you mean you’re hoping that the strike works so that people involved with show makes lots of cash?
@ Jais
We can hope, right? Maybe they will eventually be able to renegotiate contracts or something, as well as moving forward for new projects.
I thought because the show was made for cable and then went to streaming, actors get residuals?
I agree that her character is annoying! I also love Harvey and Donna. Agreed on Louis and Jessica. I loved watching it when it came out but had to wait every week for a new episode!
Myself & my partner love love Suits, we must have rewatched most of it a few times. I’m very glad it’s doing well because it’s a great show, give it a watch Kaiser!!
Louis Litt was probably the best character/most well acted for me out of that show too. Rachel Zane and Mike Ross were slightly annoying characters tbh, and unfortunately they were also not the best actors in the show by far. But overall the ensemble cast was very good.
Everyone on the show was good, including Meghan, but the storylines around Louis Litt were my favorites.
Louis Litt annoyed me so badly the first season that I almost stopped watching. My crushes on Jessica and Harvey kept me watching, those are two gorgeous people! I ended up loving Louis and his storylines the best.
You don’t like Meghan, but she is the one selling the show.
@ Lizzie
And that’s my point exactly. Meg is selling the show, now, & she shouldn’t be.
Off all the performances, hers was a weaker one. She had good moments, but the character itself is boring. Same with Mike, self righteous yet lying his face off every day.
The real gems are who I mentioned, imo. But their performances are being over shadowed, & I hope people who start watching for Meg keep watching for Gina & Rick (Jessica & Louis).
Meghan is selling the show and she shouldn’t be? Eh, I don’t agree with that. She hasn’t done any new promotion for it but Netflix advertises it with pictures of her. Why wouldn’t they? Maybe new viewers are coming in because of Meghan but the reason people like it and stick around is bc it’s a very good ensemble show. Some people are going to love one character and not another and vice versa. If Meghan is bringing in more viewers who end up loving Gina Torres, then awesome. I would say that her being the selling point but then turning new viewers into fans of other working actors is a very cool thing. Imo, Meghan gives an effervescent and solid performance. So do the other actors. But obv people are going to have their opinions. No biggie.
Meghan is selling the show because she is the most well known and she is really good in it.
@Kokiri: Totally agree! Mike and Rachel are boring and the whole Mike plot is just overblown. But Louis lights up every scene and Jessica is simply divine. At this point I watch it for them and for the wardrobe and set design – dreamy! (I’m on season 6 or 7 I think.)
I loved Rachel Zane. I definitely could have done without the stretched out Mike plot, and think both the characters would have benefitted from it. But tbh, in hindsight, kind of expected it, that seemed the “formula” at the time: two hot people pining and then having drama through the show’s run.
Absolutely loved Louis, and I think the scenes with him and Rachel were so much fun. I hated that we didn’t get scenes with Rachel and Jessica, or a storyline for the three OG women of Suits (Donna, Rachel and Jessica) but it is what it is.
I think it’s a little unfair to say Meg shouldn’t be selling the show, it wasn’t like she had any say in how Netflix was going to market it nor could she be blamed for being the most recognisable (to a casual viewer). Aside from Gina Torres and Meghan, I don’t know the other actors’ works outside of the show.
I agree Kaiser and have been thinking about this since I have been seeing Suits talked about on Twitter so much – the actors aren’t making any real money from it. And the majority of that cast are working actors, they aren’t rich. Meghan may not need the money but she along with her former coworkers deserve to be paid. Especially considering how much money Peacock and Netflix are making from her name.
LOVE White Collar SO much. I will always wonder if Matt Bomer wouldn’t have been a bigger name if he didn’t come out? Glad he did but still think that him doing mostly LGBT roles since speaks to what Hollywood is still like with our actors. Also, yay SUITS getting so much streaming but awful the actors and writers will get paid cents for it.
I bought all seasons of white collar on prime, I binge watch it every now and then, great characters, I think I also bought the last 2 seasons of Suits so I’ll probably watch suits on Netflix again. I did wonder how it works when you buy a season of a show, I hope they get some money, I have shows I’ve bought across different platforms Apple TV before it became a thing and also on prime,
I’m one of those viewers that just discovered Suits. I knew about the Duchess of Sussex before I knew about Meghan Markle, the actress. I admit I came for her, but I’m staying for the rest of the cast and storylines. It’s good TV.
Same! I finished Seasons 1&2, and am worried about Season 3 because it’s starting to lull. Hope it picks back up again in terms of plot and writing.
Everyone does a great job on the show. The annoying characters are annoying and everyone is flawed. It’s a fun ensemble cast and they all have great chemistry. I watched for Meghan and swooned for Harvey/Gabriel. He’s got a taller/strapping pre-downfall Johnny Depp thing going on, and isn’t as big of a d-bag as he wants to be.
Actors deserve to get residuals from streaming.
OMG, I loved White Collar so much and Tim DeKay. I’ve been watching Suits. I think the acting is just fine and I like the characters and the original premise, but I’m getting bored with the business dealings of law firms – who’s merging with/buying out/omg we’re going under/blah, blah. It’s like sitting through budget meetings at the office
That’s how I felt about it. I enjoyed the first couple of seasons, but grew bored with all of the business shenanigans. I know that is very much a part of private law practice, but so is dealing with cases and clients. I wanted to see more of that. I also felt like they sort of fumbled the great ball that they had to run, which was the initial catalyst of how Mike got started in his law career and the fallout and intrigue from that.
I thought Meghan was just fine in it, very appealing for the most part.
Here to holler for WHITE COLLAR! Was so so sad when it abruptly ended!!
I watched Suits back in the day, and it was a fun watch.
I’m one of the newbies watching on Netflix. I’m on the last season now. It’s not The Sopranos or Mad Men, but it’s a solid show and the leads keep you engaged. Definitely one I can watch while I’m working (it’s ok to miss some).
I will say, I’ve always thought Meghan was beautiful, but man, she’s GORGEOUS.
Really, she glows right through the screen.
I’m now on the fourth season of “Suits,” and Meghan really does light up the screen. I love her character, but I think Rachel Zane deserves better than Mike Ross.
If anyone’s looking for something fun to watch, “Survival of the Thickest” is fantastic, and Michelle Buteau is a freaking delight. Bonus: It feels good to support a show created by a Black woman, especially now.
If you love Tim DeKay, you need to watch a little gem of a movie called Big Eden. Arye Gross stars as an artist who goes home to Montana to take care of his ailing grandfather who raised him. Tim plays his former BFF. There’s more to it but I don’t wanna spoil it because it’s such a precious film.
Does it make me basic if most of my favorite guilty-pleasure shows of all time were from the USA Network? White Collar, Suits, Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, In Plain Sight, Colony, Royal Pains, Psych. It goes all the way back to the original Nikita in the late 90’s. Sigh, I was obsessed with that show. Someone really needs to bring that one back, they would get my money so fast.
I miss the blue sky shows of USA so much. Every show is so depressing with terrible characters that the USA shows are a breath of fresh air.
Suits, Psych and Covert Affairs were my favorites.
@ Dara, I loved La Femme Nikita aka LFN, the one and only show/movie fandom that I’ve ever gone really gung-ho over. I did the whole email lists, message boards, convention thing and made a lot of longtime friends through it. A lot of the behind the scenes details were fascinating and I wound up visiting Toronto at least 10 times while it was being filmed.
And you want to talk bad ass characters, Madeline and her stilettos clicking around the White Room chair and then the door would open with the Torture Twins standing there with their suitcases. Fun times indeed. Alberta Watson was a fabulous actor and absolutely lovely in person, I still miss her.
@Dara
How cow, I forgot about Burn Notice! That was such a fun show that was different. Loved the characters.
I tuned into Suits for Meghan but kept watching for Harvey, Donna, and Jessica. Mike annoyed me in later seasons because like someone said above, he became so self righteous while being such a liar himself. Donna and the writing around her character annoyed me towards the very end because they made her character always right that everybody always listened to and it was too much. Jessica was just a badass through it all. Overall, such a cute and fun show. My husband was so annoyed with Louis because he messed things up so much so it’s good to seeing him getting some love here. Lol
Dara – Nothing wrong with being basic! Or liking blue sky shows! I never got around to watching Suits regularly after Season 6. So it’s a kick to see Dulé Hill as lawyer Alex Williams rather than a sorta timid sidekick with a little blue car in Psych.
Teeny rant: it does make me a bit pi**ed off to know that Netflix (and by that I mean the executives/money people) have been promoting Suits and cashing in on Meghan The Duchess of Sussex name now
That it’s them, and not the actors (leads and featured extras) getting the $$$ off of Meg’s back. If the cast of Suits were getting broadcast (terrestrial) royalties instead of streaming residuals, I’d be less salty
However, silver lining, if the renewed interest in Suits has lead to a whole new audience learning about Meghan. Hopefully the other lead actors on Suits get recognition and it leads to more work in the future
Suits used to be my go to *comfort, me-time TV* when it initially aired because it was a young wardrobe crew dream gig (kinda how I imagine it must have been for crew working in wardrobe on the OG SATC)
I was curious the first two seasons but then got bored with it. Megs is cute but not a top actress.
That’s too bad because Season 4 is so good. Enjoying hating Louis. Meghan is really good in it but enjoying the whole cast.
Meghan Markle continues to have the golden touch.
Suits was already the number 1 show on cable until Game of Thrones and then number 2 after that. It was a hit so I can imagine old viewers feeling nostalgic and rewatching. But I guarantee that all these new viewers tuned in because they were curious about Meghan and then stayed because the show and characters are insanely addictive. Lol who wouldn’t LOVE Jessica Pearson or Donna?
The head writer Aaron Korsch actually addressed residuals and said he and the other writers were getting paid healthy residuals because of the deal that was struck during the 2007-2008 writer’s strike. Aaron spoke very eloquently about how he lost the cable show he was working on in 2007 and really thought the gains made from the strike would only benefit future writers. At the time losing his show was hard but Aaron expressed how grateful he is. Now he benefits from the deals that were made to maintain writer residuals for shows that go from network to streaming. Aaron also made it clear that this protection was only for the writers.
This is why we should all work together to improve everyone’s pay because we don’t know the future. They gain you make for one group could one day benefit you. They harm you allow to one group can one day be used against you.
Yay. Great news that it is on and so popular. Can’t wait to watch it, hoping to start tonight. Have a good weekend everybody!
I too have started watching Suits and enjoy it. I doubt I will go all nine seasons unless the writing quality is maintained.
I came to say that I love, love White Collar! My sister and I were talking about how we just really loved that show. She found you can get it on demand for free on Freevee. There are limited commercials so I guess not totally free. Breaks for ads, though, are much shorter than on regular programming for network or cable tv networks.
I feel like suits was fun for 2 seasons and then went downhill – I tried to watch season 3 onwards but couldn’t get into it. Meghan isn’t a bad actress, she has charisma and she looked beautiful in the show. Also her wardrobe was great, her stylist did a great job.
I just started the first episode, I am into it!!
Go Meghan 💕
I’m pretty sure the new viewers tuned in because of Meghan. Suits is nothing new but people are still fascinated by her. Which is making the BRF(esp Kate) nuts.
I think Meghan is what one would call a working or journeyman actress. I don’t think she sees acting as her “calling” or that she lives to act. Acting seems to be the way she earns a living and raises her profile so that she can do humanitarian work. And btw, I think she has a nice comedic touch and would have done well in a sit-com. Theatre was one of her majors at Northwestern, and I’m a bit surprised that she doesn’t seem to have done anything professionally on stage. Her other major was international relations, if memory serves me correctly, and she could perhaps have had a career in diplomacy.
She strikes me as one of those people who want to live a life that contributes to humanity in some way no matter how small or large. Judging from her actions, she obviously has a kind heart, is loyal , and has great integrity. Her friends have attested to her good qualities publicly. I have watched some of suits and thoroughly enjoyed the first two seasons. I didn’t enjoy the plot lines so much but I think the character development is excellent. And the clothes are to die for!
Even the men’s fashions. Worth scrolling through just for the wardrobes if you love fashion.
It’s nice seeing new audiences discovering the show and seeing Meghan pre-royal life. The show is a fun watch. Saw many comments on Twitter saying they thought she was just a bit player based on UK press and didn’t realize she’s quite good in the role, looks amazing and a main part of the cast. Also they get why Harry left it all for her, lol. Best of all, she still looks amazing today, even more so.
My husband walked in as I was watching Suits and he’s as addicted as I am. I can’t even watch an episode without him and if I try I must watch it again with him. He was even talking about purchasing a gift set for his parents, one whose a retired lawyer and the other still a practicing lawyer. This is out of character for him, so I know it’s a great show, especially seeing the huge success in comparison to other shows on Netflix.