A new “Suits” series is in the works at NBCUniversal after the original show, which ended in 2019, unexpectedly returned to air over the summer.
The drama, which starred 42-year-old Meghan Markle as ambitious young paralegal Rachel Zane, will now have a companion show, according to Deadline.
Series creator Aaron Korsh is reportedly in the early stages of developing the new series, which will be set in the same world of legal dramas but will not be a reboot or sequel.
The series will feature new characters and a new setting, rumored to include Los Angeles. The original series, whose cast also included Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams and Rick Hoffman, was set in New York City.
This comes after Suits was surprisingly the most-streamed title in the United States for 12 consecutive weeks, according to Nielsen data that includes total minutes played across all streaming platforms.
New Legal Drama: A New Suits Series Is In The Works At NBCUniversal; Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams in a still from Season 5
In addition to Netflix, “Suits” is also available on NBC’s streaming platform Peacock. Between Netflix and Peacock, Suits’ viewership reached 2.359 billion minutes.
The new series would be the third “Suits” series, following the one-part spinoff “Pearson,” which starred Gina Torres and is set in Chicago.
The original Suits was added to Netflix in June and quickly attracted viewers with its binge-friendly catalog of 134 episodes spanning nine seasons.
From 2010 until her final episode of season seven aired in April 2018, a month before her wedding to Prince Harry at Windsor Castle, Meghan played the lead role of Zane on Suits.
In September, Markle’s Suits co-star Patrick J. Adams sent fans into a frenzy after sharing several shots from the series – leading his followers to speculate whether the series “might be coming back.”
The legal drama tells the story of Mike Ross (played by Patrick), a courageous law student who sneaks his way into a prestigious law firm and falls in love with the beautiful paralegal Rachel (Meghan).
Patrick shared a series of pictures of the cast on his Instagram with the caption: “Let’s get serious.” Seriously. I miss my friends. Every single one of them.’
Among the images was a previously unseen black and white portrait of Meghan, apparently on the set of the show, while another showed the duchess lying on the floor as she posed with her co-star Sarah Rafferty.
Fans were delighted with the snaps and many took the post as an obvious hint that the series could return.
New show: The drama, in which Markle, 42, played ambitious young paralegal Rachel Zane, will now have a companion show, according to Deadline; Markle and Sarah Rafferty are still in early stages: Series creator Aaron Korsh is reportedly in the early stages of developing the new series, which will be set in the same world of legal dramas, but not a reboot or will be a sequel. Set in LA: According to sources, the series will have new characters and locations and is rumored to take place in Los Angeles. First Place: According to Nielsen data based on total minutes watched, Suits was surprisingly the most-streamed title in the United States across all streaming platforms for 12 consecutive weeks
One commented: “Law is a precise endeavor, Patrick.” Be clear. The reboot is just around the corner, right?
A second took the post as an obvious hint and said: “Something’s coming… isn’t it?”
Another wrote: “I miss you all!” Please do another season!!! Bring Rachel back too!’
A third added: “This show needs a reboot!!! ‘I miss the show!’
A fourth commented: “Don’t give us hope.”[s]. Is “Suits” coming back? After the office [was] announced, that seems to be a legitimate possibility.’
The first season began in 2011 with an average of 4.6 million viewers.
However, ratings have been steadily declining since the beginning, even with Meghan on the show.
Meghan and Patrick both left the show at the end of season seven. In their final episode, Rachel and Mike finally tied the knot before heading off to Seattle.
Her show: Meghan starred in Suits from 2010 until her final episode of season seven aired in 2018, a month before her wedding to Prince Harry. You will be seen on Tuesday
According to FOX News, the Season 8 return (excluding Meghan and Patrick) averaged 1.2 million viewers, 100,000 fewer than Season 7.
It was canceled in January 2019 after the ninth part with 10 episodes.
However, the show has seen an increase in viewership across screening platforms in recent months.
After launching on Netflix earlier this year, the series set a viewing time record for an acquired series with 3.14 billion minutes during the week of June 26 to July 2.