Why did Patrick J. Adams leave Suits?

❘ Published: 2023-11-15T22:19:53

USA Network

As USA Network’s hit series Suits continues to climb the Netflix charts, fans have wondered why Patrick J. Adams left the series.

It’s safe to say that one of the most memorable series ever created by USA Network was their courtroom legal series Suits.

Starring Patrick J. Adams, Gabriel Macht, and Meghan Markle, the series followed Mike Ross, a highly intelligent college dropout who used his photographic memory to charm his way into getting a job at a law firm without having a license.

Though the show ran for nine seasons between 2011 to 2019, it’s getting a streaming renaissance through Netflix. And now new viewers are wondering why Adams, arguably the star of the show, left at the end of Season 7.

Patrick J. Adams exited Suits to focus on his personal life

Adams played the role of Mike Ross one last time as he made his exit at the end of Season 7 alongside Markle, who coincidentally left at the same time.

During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Adams revealed that his decision to leave the show was because he wanted to spend more time with his wife and child. He explained: “After seven seasons — really, eight years of being away from home and away from my now-wife [Adams married Pretty Little Liars alum Troian Bellisario in December 2016] and there was that pressure.

I started thinking about leaving at the end of the first half of season six, after Mike was released from prison. From a story point of view, I was a little unsure of what was left for him to do. Mike had made the pledge during his trial that if he were allowed to continue to practice the law, he would dedicate his time and energy to underrepresented people and not big, corporate interests.

I wasn’t sure how we were going to work that version of the character into the fabric of the show. Aaron Korsh and I talked about it and he pitched this idea of Harvey (Gabriel Macht) offering a one-for-one deal that would keep Mike working at the firm so he could gather the resources to go and do more pro-bono cases. That brought up an interesting season seven. And I’m proud of how this season turned out.”

The Suits actor was afraid to let the show’s fans down, but wanted people to recognize that “just because something stops for [him] doesn’t mean that there isn’t more for the show itself to do.”

Adams also revealed that he and Korsh, Suits’ creator, had a three hour conversation about Mike’s exit and how they could do justice by it in a way that felt authentic to the character they created together. “Aaron and I have spent seven years working on this thing,” Adams said, “And it was a real chance to say our goodbyes in this chapter of our relationship.”

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