marla pachter gets on the suit and tie…
I’m gonna be honest here. I generally don’t like USA as a channel. Sure, I’ve sat through episodes of USA shows and thought, “This is mildly enjoyable.” But I tend to feel like they’re missing something. I know other people who swear by Psych and Monk, but I just don’t get anything out of them. I see decent writing, and lackluster comedic timing. I’ve never once in my life seen an episode of any USA show and thought, “Can’t wait til next week!” The mid-season premiere of Suits was no different for me.
That’s not to say I didn’t find Suits to be entertaining. But for me, this is more like good background television. I know that appeals to a lot of people. They want to multitask and clean the house and catch up on work while being able to half-pay attention to whatever’s happening on screen. If that’s what floats your boat, that’s great! Sometimes I have need for that, too. But the difference is I really love television. When I sit down to watch my shows at the end of the day (or in the middle of the day. Or in the morning. …I watch a LOT of television.), I want something that I have to pay attention to. A show that when I try to do something else during, I feel like I missed something and end up rewinding so I can catch every second.
Suits contains some good old fashioned drama, with some well-placed comic relief, and an underlying procedural nature. It is about a law firm, after all. I was basically able to piece together what was going on without ever having watched an episode before, and even if I couldn’t everything was interesting without quite getting it. I am assuming that we’ve been rooting for Mike (Patrick J. Adams) and Rachel (Meghan Markle) to get together for some time now, so the fact that Mike is now with Tess (Elisabeth Howar) and she dropped the bomb that she might leave her husband for him is one of those typical, predictable, and highly frustrating bits of writing if you’re a fan of the show. Of course these two can’t get together yet, the writers want the show to last. I do think Suits has some great characterization, which I guess is what USA wants, right? “Characters Welcome.” My favorite bits of this episode were the parts between Louis (Rick Hoffman), and Sheila (Rachel Harris). These two are really funny together, having this kind of electric chemistry but in the weirdest way possible.
Basically, if you are bored on a Thursday evening at 10pm and haven’t already been TV’ed out by all the amazing stuff that’s on earlier in the evening (Fun Fact: I never get TV’ed out), Suits is an excellent choice to tune in to. You will enjoy your hour of television. But if you’re looking for something that will make you come crawling back for more, Thursday is a great night for both comedy and drama. Grey’s Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and more. It could take you all weekend to catch up on all the good TV you DVR’ed on Thursday night. And in comparison, Suits just doesn’t cut it.
