Suits fans, many of your wishes have apparently been heard loud and clear by the powers that be. It has been confirmed by all the important people involved that Patrick J. Adams is returning to the USA drama for Season 9, which will be Suits' final season. That's right, Mike Ross is coming back, baybee!
Of course, when Suits welcomes Patrick J. Adams' Mike back into the fold for the first time since Season 7's finale, it'll be for a storyline pitting him against his old boss and mentor. We might as well get it out of the way now that Meghan Markle's Rachel almost definitely won't be back alongside Mike, no matter what USA would be willing to pay.
For Season 9, Suits' fans will watch Gabriel Macht's Harvey and Sarah Rafferty's Donna attempting to pull the firm's name and reputation out of the mud, along with their relationship. According to Deadline, Patrick J. Adams will return as Mike for Episode 5, which has the now-legitimate lawyer getting bogged down in a case that sets him up in opposition to Harvey and Katherine Heigl's Samantha. It's worth noting that Mike isn't initially looped in on Samantha's involvement, as she only enters the case after "a series of events," according to creator and showrunner Aaron Korsh.
As one might imagine, former star Patrick J. Adams was oh-so-positive about being able to return to the show that made him a household name. In his words:
I couldn’t be happier to be part of the final chapter of Suits. I’ve missed my TV family, and am looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Mike Ross can stir up at the firm one last time. But if the wardrobe department thinks they’re getting back the suits I stole when I left, they’re going to be very disappointed.
Is anybody else out there also picturing Adams using those take-home suits to create and record some DIY Suits episodes at home? Surely there are videos somewhere.
In any case, showrunner Aaron Korsh sounds like some major thought went into how the show could bring Mike back for more in a way that wouldn't under-step fans' expectations but also wouldn't overstep the reality of it being a one-episode guest spot. Here's how Korsh put it:
What we tried to do with the case is, we want to have some fun scenes with Mike, we don’t want it to be all contentious. But we also didn’t want it to be just be no conflict, no contention. They are on opposite sides but it doesn’t get too testy for the first chunk of it, and then as it ratchets up, things get a little bit more heated. I won’t say how it ends but when it’s over, there’ve been one or two twists and turns in the case and there is more than meets the eye going on. But in addition to that, we try to get some fun scenes and some emotional scenes with Mike and the old gang. He will [interact] with more than Harvey and Samantha.
That explanation should be a relief to fans who might be nervous that Suits would try to do something unexpected and different with Patrick J. Adams for his final-season comeback. Aaron Korsh and the rest of the creative team want to set Mike's return with ample parts head-butting and bear-hugging, along with some surprises to keep the case interesting. It probably won't be anything too life-changing, but I'm hoping there's an issue with the case that requires Mike to return one more time before Suits is over for good.
Though Meghan Markle's Rachel likely won't be seen for Suits' final season, it's likely Mike will share some news about Rachel and their current situation. Aaron Korsh recalled the points during Seasons 8 and 9 when Mike and Rachel would get referenced together, and says he does believe there is "a little update" about Rachel when Mike returns.
But – and this is a big one – don't get too hopeful about the prospects of hearing about Mike and Rachel having had a child, or that they'll be expecting one when Patrick J. Adams makes his impending guest appearance. At the time of the interview, Aaron Korsh claimed that the writers hadn't landed on that as a plot point, though it's not completely out of the question.
The last item of business concerning Patrick J. Adams' return is whether or not he'll make a secondary return for Suits' series finale. The showrunner wasn't willing to just come out and say it, but his answer will likely have fans excited anyway.
He leaves, and we are not sure if he is going to be back or not after he leaves. He may or may not be back again. If you know the history of my answers to that question, I’m you leading you down a certain answer.
Had Aaron Korsh wanted to seriously deter fans from thinking about Patrick J. Adams returning for Suits' final episode, he probably would have worded that in a slightly different fashion. But considering how he laid things out there, I'd be willing to put a few dollars on Mike making one more trip through the Zane Specter Litt offices before all is said and done.
Of course, it's also possible that Adams could return to the franchise even after Suits is off the air, considering USA will be premiering Gina Torres' spinoff series Pearson alongside Season 9. It might be something of a stretch to work that plot up, considering Pearson is taking the legal action to Chicago, but maybe Suits' finale can alter Mike's story enough to send him to Illinois for the spinoff's second season. Or maybe he'll just stay in Seattle with Rachel.
As fans will no doubt remember, both Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle decided to make their exits from Suits at the same time, with their characters Mike and Rachel opting to leave New York City to start up their own firm in Seattle as a newlywed couple. Fans have waited patiently for one of them to return, and it only took a season and a half to make it happen.
For what it's worth, Patrick J. Adams just recently signed on for his first starring TV role following his Suits departure. Adams will take on the role of John Glenn for Nat Geo's adaptation of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff.
Suits will premiere its final season on USA on Wednesday, July 17, at 9:00 p.m. ET. That first episode will be followed by the debut of Pearson at 10:00 p.m. ET. Both seasons will run for ten episodes, so be sure to watch them live to let the network know everyone still loves this summer series.
