USA Network's beloved drama series Suits is eyeing a renewal for Season 8, but even if that happens, it may not happen with two of the show's regular characters. A new report reveals that Patrick J. Adams, who plays Mike Ross on the series, and Meghan Markle, who plays Mike's fiancee Rachel Zane, are both reportedly looking to exit the series after Season 7. The USA Network has not announced a Suits renewal as of yet, but all of the original cast members' contracts are set to expire after Season 7, and both Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle will have fulfilled their contractual obligations up to that point. If you aren't caught up with Suits through the first half of Season 7, there will be SPOILERS below, so read on at your own risk.
This news comes just a few months after USA Network announced that the Suits Season 7 finale will set up a Suits spin-off centering on Gina Torres' character Jessica Pearson. In the Suits mid-season finale that aired in September, Jessica Pearson was disbarred in New York, as part of District Attorney Andy Malik's (Usman Ally) legal crusade against Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). Gina Torres left the show after her character Jessica Pearson left her law firm behind in the Season 6 mid-season finale, but she made a triumphant return in the Season 6 finale to help legitimize Mike Ross as an attorney. She also came back for guest-starring spots in four episodes this season, to help guide Harvey as he navigates his new role as managing partner, including the Season 7 mid-season finale, when she was disbarred.
The Season 7 finale, which will air in the first quarter of 2018, will reunite Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty) and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) with their old friend Pearson as she adjusts to her new life in the Windy City. When she is forced to enter the dirty world of Chicago politics, Pearson must rely on her legal wits and valiant relationships from Pearson Specter Litt to navigate this unknown territory. USA hasn't announced the date for Suits' return with the Season 7 mid-season premiere, but hopefully that date will be announced very soon.
Both Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle had numerous guest starring roles and other smaller movie roles to their credit, when they both landed their breakthrough role of Mike Ross and Rachel Zane on Suits. There had been rumors that Patrick J. Adams had been looking to move on from the series after this season, since he recently got married and has been looking to start a new chapter in his career as well as his personal life. He has even started branching out professionally, with a small role as Justice Society of America character Hourman on The CW's DC's Legends of Tomorrow, along with roles on Pillow Talk and the Rosemary's Baby mini-series. As for Meghan Markle, the actress has been dating Prince Harry for more than a year while filming Suits.
Neither Patrick J. Adams nor Meghan Markle's exit plans have been confirmed, nor have USA Network's plans to renew Suits for an eighth season. Suits creator Aaron Korsh did hint in an interview after the Season 7 mid-season finale that fans may finally see the long-awaited wedding between Mike and Rachel, which may be the reason why Jessica Pearson reunites with her former employees, although that has yet to be confirmed. The Season 7 mid-season finale also ended with quite the romantic cliffhanger, with Harvey Specter's longtime secretary Donna (Sarah Rafferty) planting a surprise kiss on her boss, stating, "I just had to know," which followed her surprise revelation in the Season 6 finale, when she told Harvey, "I want more." Deadline broke the news on Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle's possible departure from Suits, but at this time, USA Network has yet to comment on the report.