The original pitch for “Suits” looked very different from the legal drama fans know today.
Creator Aaron Korsh initially called his first script for the series “Dominion Capital,” which would’ve been the name of the investment banking firm the lead characters worked at. The idea grew out of Korsh’s post-college years on Wall Street and included one key element that survived into the finished series: one of the main characters lying about their credentials.
“Obviously I was not a fraud in real life, but during those years I sort of felt like I didn’t belong — imposter syndrome or whatever,” the showrunner told Entertainment Weekly. “So I decided to externalize that feeling and make it, ‘What if he really doesn’t belong? What if he’s a fraud?'”
Lead character Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who shares the spotlight with Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), went on to be the one to falsify his educational background in the final version of the series.
Before Suits, Dominion Capital needed to raise the stakes
However, there was one small issue with the premise of “Dominion Capital.” Despite the severity of the lead character’s lies, the stakes were relatively low because it isn’t punishable by law to lie about having a finance degree — which prompted USA Network executive Alex Sepiol, who was championing the series, to suggest changing the show to a legal drama.
That tweak ultimately shot the stakes into the stratosphere because of the legal risks Mike Ross takes by claiming he has a Harvard Law degree — and it made the entire premise click, leading the series into an epic nine-season run (after the title changed from “A Legal Mind,” that is).
“[Sepiol’s suggestion] was incredibly good for the longevity of the show,” creator Aaron Korsh told Entertainment Weekly, and given “Suits” saw an unexpected cultural revival when it broke an all-time streaming record on Netflix in 2023, the showrunner couldn’t have been more right.