24 June 2011

First Thoughts: "SUITS" Partly Franklin & Bash, Partly White Collar

I didn't find Suits interesting the first time I heard it. Nothing about the show's title stood out. I mean, how utterly uncreative would this series be if all the writers could think for a title was "SUITS"?

It also didn't help that none of the two male leads were that appealing. They're generic, I thought. Like any GQ model. In a suit.

So, I watched this show's premiere tonight, not expecting to like it.

And then I ended up enjoying it. I've been raving to friends about it for a full hour.

Suits fits the exact template of every show that airs on USA Network (e.g. Burn Notice, White Collar, Royal Pains), wherein the lead character, who is almost always male, must be:
  • suave and savvy  - check.
  • good looking and presentable - check.
  • an expert in their field - check.
  • witty or snarky - check.
Suits gives us not just one of this, but two.

One is lawyer, Harvey Specter, who is considered as the best Closer in the planet; and the other is a college dropout, Mike Ross, who is....actually full of surprises.

I think that it's Mike Ross' character who stands out and makes this show less generic than I initially thought. See, Mike's got a photographic memory and he uses this to his advantage very well. While he's no Harvard Law graduate, he can easily pass off as one. He's street smart and he's clever. Which is why Harvey was impressed and hired him as his apprentice in the law firm.

Their relationship feels like that of a father and son; of the Jedi and his Padawan; or of Peter Burke and Neil Caffrey (White Collar) and the two hour pilot builds this up really well, it was fun to watch. Their rapport and chemistry transcends on the screen and they balance the whole show evenly.

Less interesting are the cases these lawyers have to try or defend. This week it was about a sexual harassment lawsuit and it had a pretty simple resolution. This show is aired on USA Network after all, where the story is a lot less important and it's the characters that matter.

Suits comes right up there on my list of fun summer shows to watch.

I had been sick today and was supposed to be resting. But Suits was so interesting, I ended up skipping sleep and having fun on my sick bed watching this.