Patrick J. Adams has opened up about his decision to leaveSuitsafter season 7. Adams had been with the series since its premiere playing Mike Ross, who Harvey Specter hires as an associate at the Pearson Hardman law firm. Despite having never attended law school himself, Mike’s photographic memory earns him the upper hand. For seven seasons,theSuitscharactercharmed fans with his wit. However, at the end of season 7,Ross moved to Seattle with his wife Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) to run a legal clinic, which concluded Adams' time on the show, as well as Markle’s.
Adams recently opened up about the real reason he leftSuitsafter seven seasons during an interview on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’sDinner’s On Mepodcast. The actor revealed thathe was “pretty depressed” and that he “wasn’t taking good care of [his] mental health” at the end of season 7, which led him to start “drinking too much” as a coping mechanism.
According to the actor, his behavior was taking a toll on his marriage withPretty Little Liarsstar Troian Bellisario and pushing him to a breaking point. Aside from the money,Adams admitted that he did not have a reason to stay for season 8. While he revealed that he sometimes reflects on how much his co-star Gabriel Macht earned during those final seasons, he says he “never regretted the decision.” Read his full quote below:
I wasn’t taking good care of my mental health, and I was drinking too much [at] the end of season seven. I was in a zone of living a pretty unexamined life. Pretty miserable [and] I would say, pretty depressed. I didn’t have the tools to deal with that depression beyond just spending money and drinking too much, and not really knowing how to talk about it.
I would numb myself [to] deal with my insecurity and my fears. And they just weren’t working. And they were taking a toll on my relationship, for sure, but also just making me a very not present father. That for me was a breaking point when I was like, “I think I should stop drinking probably, because I don’t wanna be that dad.” The best thing I think I ever did for myself was stop drinking. It just needed to happen in order for all these other things to happen.
The only reason to stay was … money. I didn’t know what else to offer. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and think about the money [Suitsstar Gabriel Macht] made those last two years, but I never regretted the decision for a second. It was the right thing for my marriage … it was time.
What This Means For Suits
Mike Ross Could Return In The Spin-off
After Adams' departure, the series continued for another two seasons and wrapped up after nine seasons in 2019, with Adams returning as a guest star for three episodes of 10-episode season 9. While the series may have concluded, thespinoff seriesSuits: L.A.is set to premiere on June 14, 2025. The upcoming spinoff has an entirely new set of characters and sets its scene at an entertainment law firm in Los Angeles, butMacht is set to reprise his role as Harvey Specter in a rumored three-episode arc.
Bryan Greenberg
Rick Dodsen
So far, not many plot details have been revealed about the upcoming spinoff series aside from the circumstances of Stephen Amell’s character Ted Black, who will lead his firm through a crisis when the past comes knocking at the door. Meanwhile, Adams is set to star in theYellowstonespinoff seriesThe Madisonopposite Michelle Pfeiffer, Beau Garrett, Elle Chapman, and Amiah Miller.
[He] may be willing to return for further appearances in the franchise.
However, in the podcast, the actor also expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the show now that he is looking back at his time working onSuits. This, combined with the fact that he has already reunited with Macht in a recent T-Mobile commercial following the record-breaking streaming success of the legal drama throughout 2023,could indicate that he has healed from his experience during season 7and may be willing to return for further appearances in the franchise.
How A Mike Ross Return Could Work In Suits: L.A.
He Could Only Stay For So Long
With Mike canonically running a practice in Seattle and the spinoff’s apparent willingness to embrace its connections to the flagship show,Adams' return to the franchise is entirely within the realm of possibility. Additionally, in-universe, the character is geographically closer to the new show’s Black Lane law firm than Harvey Specter. However, there is one major potential road block to an extended appearance among theSuits L.A.cast.
TheSuits: L.A.cast also includes Troy Winbush, Alice Lee, Rachelle Goulding, Azita Ghanizada, and the late John Amos.
While Adams' commitments toThe Madisonas well as upcoming projects including the miniseriesLockerbieandWaywardwill likely already prevent him from having more than a guest star role, any extended recurring appearance would beg the question as to why Rachel Zane is not accompanying him on his trip to L.A.His co-star Meghan Markle’s return seems extremely unlikely, as Markle has not performed onscreen since 2018, when she married British royal Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Her absence might become more pronounced should Adams play a major role in the new show.
Our Take On Adams' Suits Comments
SuitsHas Grown Beyond Mike Ross
In a way, Adams' sentiment about having nothing more to offer by the end ofSuitsseason 7makes sense. While Mike’s gimmicks and secrets were charming in the first couple of seasons,things slowly got tiresome and repetitive. WithSuitsheading toward the direction of being a more grounded legal drama series, Mike posed a problem despite having been at the center of the show since season 1.
There might not be a need to have [another character like Mike.]
So far,Suits: L.A.doesn’t have a character that sharesMike Ross’s secretor anything similar.It is unclear whether there will end up being a similar character in the newSuitsspinoff series, but with a focus on entertainment law and Black’s complicated past with being an ex-prosecutor, there might not be a need to have one. This could help the new show avoid becoming repetitive or feeling like too close of a facsimile of the original program. However, it would still be nice to see Mike appear on a joint case at some point, should Adams' schedule allow.
Suits
Cast
Suits is a legal drama series that premiered in 2011, centering on Mike Ross, a college dropout with a photographic memory who lands a job at a top New York law firm despite lacking a law degree. Partnering with one of the city’s best legal closers, Harvey Specter, they navigate the challenges of high-stakes cases and firm dynamics.
