Suits - Season 1 [DVD]

I know the DVD isn't out yet, so this review is a little premature. But I've watched every episode to date (about 5 I think) and (1) I can't praise it highly enough and (2) I can't understand how it's slipped under the radar (probably 'cos it's on Dave) and isn't been raved about elsewhere.

I won't repeat what others have already said - but what I think they've missed is how great the music and cinematography is too. The whole thing is just a joy to watch and the episodes just FLY by.

I'm also impressed by the standard of the writing and the subtexts. In the episode I just watched Mike lost a "faux trial" because his fav paralegal was on the stand and upset and he backed off from "breaking her". Landing him a telling of from the firm's head, Jessica, for being too soft....and disappointing Harvey in the process.

This was juxtaposed with a storyline for Harvey (they didn't interact much in this one) where he had a hot hook up with a girl who was top of his class in Harvard (Scotty) and, realising she was hiding something about the merger they were both on, pulled something out of the bag and beat her in court. She then got fired by her client and told him she was heading back to England to marry a guy who'd proposed to her a month before.

So you had Mike pulling back and deciding a woman in his life was more important than the win - and Harvey doing the opposite. Clever.

Cannot recommend this show highly enough.

From the first episode onwards, I loved this show. Gabriel Macht who plays Harvey Spectre, a suave, shark like lawyer in New York, hires college drop out Mike Ross, played by Patrick Adams, as his new protégé. Mike is a hyper intelligent rogue, previously making a living helping people cheat on their Bar Exams and lending a hand to his drug dealing best friend. After a brief demonstration of his abilities, Mike is hired by an impressed Spectre into one of New York's leading Law firms...

Don't get me wrong, the series isn't perfect which is reflected in the four star review. I may be being a little finicky but the show can be guilty of being slightly formulaic i.e Harvey and Mike take on a case, encounter some unforeseen difficulties but eventually come up with a clever solution ultimately winning the day.

Right, now onto why this is such a good show.

Quite frankly, even with the above minor issue, this is by far one of the most addictive and enjoyable shows on TV. Macht plays Spectre with a superb polish, encapsulating the persona of a big shot New York lawyer with apparent ease but successfully keeping his character three dimensional, hinting at hidden moral depths.

Adams is brilliant as well. His character is super intelligent yet naive at the same time, a balance which, from an acting perspective, is incredibly difficult to maintain. As a result of his naivety , he frequently has to turn to his mentor for help giving extra depth to their working relationship. Adams acts the part excellently and the viewer is forever wanting Mike to succeed but never completely sure that he will (despite my earlier comments).

I think the main thing though, and this is something which a lot of TV shows don't seem to manage all the time, is that both of the protagonists are extremely likable, but for very different reasons. Their characters are an almost perfect balance for each other and continually take the story in different directions. Mike's career is often jeopardized by his shady past which gives an excellent progressive storyline thus not falling into the trap a lot of shows fall in to where it ends up being 'The Weekly Adventures Of...'

In conclusion, regardless of a slight predictability, a fantastic show which I would highly recommend. Likable and clever characterisation, excellent stories, intelligent script and enough of a progressive back story to keep you going back.

I agree with everything said so far but give this 5 stars because of the fantastic characters in this series. Harvey Spectre is the big shot, hard nosed lawyer, who really has bought into the whole lifestyle of being the successful, senior partner but he can be unpredictable. Harvey is the master of the calculated risk. Its part of his charm and his success. So when he's told to take an associate, the line up of keen, ambitious yet predictable candidates leaves our hero singularly unimpressed. Blundering into these interviews comes brilliant if rather soft hearted genius Mike Ross, on the run from the Police with a briefcase full of drugs attempting to do a friend a favour and earn enough money to keep his beloved grandmother in her care home. A prime example of how someone can be amazingly clever but still fail at life! In a massive gamble Mike becomes Harvey's protege, and in doing so a whole new side of Harvey Spectre slowly becomes apparent as he attempts to guide well-meaning Mike through the pitfalls of being a highly successful associate in a cut throat law firm. From sending him to his tailors in an effort to upgrade Mike's image to uncharacteristically threatening a fellow firm partner who terrifies Mike by sacking another associate in front of him to make a point, its a brilliant watch. Love it!