‘Suits’ Explodes in Popularity After Move to Netflix from Peacock; Is a Series Revival Possible?
Peacock’s decision to license episodes of its long-running legal drama “Suits” to streaming competitor Netflix is starting to look so good that the lawyers at Pearson Hardman couldn’t even have foreseen the results. Since coming over from the NBCUniversal streamer, the 2011 series has been one of Netflix’s top performers, rising to third in its American streaming TVcharts for the week between July 17 and July 23, having previously been as high as No. 2. Only the Netflix originals “Sweet Magnolias” and “Quarterback” outdid the first season of “Suits” in the United States during the same time period.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why “Suits” is seeing such a big boost in popularity right now other than its arrival on the world’s largest service. It’s been available to stream on Peacock all year — and is still available there — but its move to Netflix has clearly stirred something in the public. TVLine sat down for a discussion with Gene Klein — who acted as a non-writing producer for the entire nine-season run of the show — to discuss why “Suits” has achieved such popularity after becoming available on the streaming giant.
”[‘Suits’ is] a unique enough show that it’s very rewatchable,” Klein said. “You discover new things as you’re rewatching it. So there’s an additional set of things about the show that reveal themselves watching it again. So it’s a tribute to the show, creatively. But then it’s also a tribute to the power of Netflix because it’s been on Peacock for a while. There’s a hat tip that needs to go to Netflix and the power of their platform because it’s finding people.”
Netflix has nearly 10 times Peacock’s current customer base, boasting 238.39 million global users to Peacock’s 24 million. That alone is enough to explain part of the extra popularity “Suits” is enjoying at the moment, but some credit must also be given to the power of the Netflix brand, as Klein says.
Suits
While running from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant young college-dropout, slips into a job interview with one of New York City’s best legal closers, Harvey Specter. Tired of cookie-cutter law school grads, Harvey takes a gamble by hiring Mike on the spot after he recognizes his raw talent and photographic memory.
Will the show’s resurgence lead to a revival? Never say never, Klein says, but he also makes clear he hasn’t heard of any serious discussions about bringing “Suits” back. As he points out, securing the services of former star Meghan Markle would be quite difficult after her marriage to Prince Henry and entrance into the British royal family.
Peacock’s decision to send “Suits” to Netflix is looking increasingly shrewd. The real kicker is that, as Peacock itself has tweeted, not all seasons of “Suits” are available to binge on Netflix now. The first eight seasons are there, but the ninth and final season is still exclusively to stream on Peacock.
But I’m the only one exclusively streaming ALL NINE SEASONS of Suits.
— Peacock (@peacock) July 27, 2023
This tweet was approved by Legal 😘 https://t.co/Y0b3zPZcQ7
Warner Bros. Discovery must be rubbing its hands with glee to see “Suits” rise to such prominent heights on Netflix. WBD is also licensing shows to the world's largest streaming service, with HBO originals like “Insecure” already available on Netflix and more on the way. The combination of the HBO and Netflix brands should bring a hefty dose of new viewers to those titles and maybe to WBD’s streaming platform Max as well.
Other streaming platforms may start licensing seasons of shows to Netflix if the dual writer/actor strike continues for a prolonged period of time. It helps take the pressure off Netflix to continue producing new seasons of its own originals and gives the show’s original streaming platform increased notoriety and the potential to pick up new subscribers, as Peacock hopes to do with “Suits.”
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.