When it comes to cable TV spinoffs, two of the biggest shows that come up are The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, but there are quite a few other series out there that fans would love to see expanded in different ways. For fans of USA's long-running legal dramedy Suits, now is the time to maybe start getting excited, as it appears the network is into some hush-hush planning on a potential spinoff based on someone you might not expect: Jessica Pearson.
Any shock inspired by this story obviously doesn't come from disbelief that actress Gina Torres could lead her own companion series, because that would be crazy talk. The former Firefly star could lead water to a thirsty horse. No, it's surprising because Jessica Pearson was suddenly and unceremoniously written out of Season 6 before it took its extremely lengthy hiatus last year. But the split didn't come down to any tumultuous drama, and Torres opted out voluntarily, no longer wanting to travel to Toronto for the production stints, and she chose to remain home in Los Angeles to take care of things.
It's unclear if this in-the-works project would be filmed outside of Toronto - which serves as a stand-in for New York - or if Jessica's post-Mike & Harvey life would take her down to Los Angeles, where filming wouldn't be nearly as troublesome for Gina Torres. (She was supposed to be going to Chicago, but life changes things, you know?) Nothing is actually official at this point, and the report from TVLine says Universal Cable Productions' reps responded with neither yes or no to the spinoff questions, stating only that everyone's interests are fully on the currently airing Season 6 and the already ordered Season 7.
And not that IMDb is a fully trustworthy source of information or anything, but Gina Torres is listed there for two more Season 6 appearances, with one coming during tonight's episode and the other happening next week. Since these are the last two installments for the season, could that mean we're going to get some kind of a backdoor pilot concept happening really soon? Or is IMDb just wrong? If it's the latter, I demand legal action immediately!
Another reason why this rumored news is slightly odd is because USA isn't a network known for supplementing its original series. At least, not the ones that don't involve professional wrestling. I mean, we all wanted a second Burn Notice show centered solely on Bruce Campbell's Sam Axe, and a Psych follow-up that basically just continued following Shawn and Gus. But if Suits is the current hit to spin itself off with a fan favorite character, we'll be watching.
With its future as the sole entry in the overall Suits Cinematic Universe now in jeopardy, Suits prime airs Wednesday nights on USA at 9:00 p.m. ET. Head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what shows are hitting the small screen in the near future.
