argue that they wouldn't have found better footing on Syfy. As these two examples illustrate, cable has the luxury of niche programming in a way that the big four generally don't. Basic cable networks especially can tap into a very specific demographic and can survive without the huge numbers that network TV demands. In this sense, cable networks oftentimes have a more defined brand, but they also have the power to step outside that branding with relative impunity.
That lengthy preamble brings me to one of basic cable's most successful networks, USA. Show for show, season for season, USA has hardly had a misstep. It's actually incredibly impressive the way the network uses its current programs to set its new shows up for success. I honestly can't even think of a the last time a new show didn't get a second season. Fairly Legal came the closest, but rather than pulling the plug, USA decided to retool and relaunch it instead. The reason they can use their current shows to boost their new shows is branding. USA has what is called "Blue Skies" programming in the biz. If you like one of their shows, odds are you'll like some of the others because in terms of tone, narrative approach, basic structure, and amount of risk-taking, all of their shows fall within a fairly narrow spectrum. There's a certain amount of deviation from the midline, but in general, USA shows are light and breezy to watch, are exciting, but not gut-wrenchingly suspenseful, and tend to wrap up the A-plot in a neat bow at the end, keeping the ongoing storylines ever-present, but clearly secondary. The term "Blue Skies" doesn't only mean that the stakes are never all that high, but also comes from the fact that these shows quite simply have a lot of blue sky. Seriously, next time you watch a USA show, take a look at the weather.
It's a brand that has a wide appeal and is easy to enjoy. I'd put Burn Notice and In Plain Sight at the gritty end of the spectrum, if you can believe it, and put shows like Psych and Royal Pains at the fluffiest end. It's a brand that I clearly enjoy, given how many USA shows are in my regular rotation (with the exceptions of Royal Pains, Fairly Legal, and Necessary Roughness, I watch them all), but it gets tedious. I know that even when things are at their worst, it will all probably work out okay in the end. Heretofore, BN and IPS have taken the most chances and imparted the most heartbreak, but at the end of the day, our heroes come out on top. It makes for fun and entertaining programming, but also makes for a predictable show and occasionally unsatisfying aftertaste.
I think USA has finally noticed that this is the case. There are only so many episodes of these shows you can watch before you can tell exactly what is going to happen and at what minute. I've felt that USA needed to switch things up and takes some real risks for a long time. Well, in the biggest surprise the network has doled out in years, they are managing to take the most risks and play with their brand in the most satisfying ways with one of the most overpopulated genres in town: the legal show. I started watching Suits with the assumption that it would be like every other USA show, but, you know, with lawyers and stuff, but I'm very pleased to report that I sold the show and the network short. What could have been, and by all accounts should have been your typical blue skies buddy show about a wacky law office has proved itself to be more engaging, mature, and off-brand than I ever would have expected. It actually does fit with the network brand in a fair few regards, but in so many little ways, Suits is taking USA in a new and far more satisfying direction.
It isn't overt and it isn't brazen, but the seeds of change are there and I'm loving them. I think the first thing that really struck me is the more liberal use of language on Suits. While other USA shows are unrealistically squeaky clean, relying on only the occasional "damn" or "hell," Suits uses a vocabulary that would be more akin to an episode of Justified. It still pales in comparison to pay cable, but for USA, the occasional "shit" makes a statement. It may
seem like nothing, but in its own little way, it's telling the audience that this is a more adult show and that it isn't intended for the whole family. The biggest problem with the network, as far as my enjoyment of its programming is concerned, is that they have always cast too wide a net. When you're appealing to all ages and demographics, your hands are tied. Suits unties those hands ever so slightly, and seems to be upping the ante more and more as the show goes on. Where the pilot held to the party line in most ways, merely dipping a toe outside the blue skies mantra, the subsequent episodes have gone further and further into that delightful gray area that makes a good serial a good serial. What I initially thought would be another USA fluff piece has unexpectedly turned into a smart, sexy serial replete with characters who aren't always likable, which paradoxically, makes me like them a whole lot more.
I had heard rumor that the most recent episode, titled "Play the Man", would be the episode that, if you weren't already invested, you absolutely would be afterward. Well, I was already pretty invested in the show, but I can absolutely see what they mean. Only 7 episodes into its freshman season and I'm blown away by how good it is and how committed I am to the show. Most shows take me a few episodes to really get me hooked, but Suits not only has me hooked, it has me thoroughly impressed in a way that most USA shows simply don't. The show's willingness to diverge from the mold is what makes it great. Suits is, more than anything,
a serial. In the same way that The Good Wife is a procedural wrapped in a gripping serial, Suits has its cases of the week, but at its core, it's about the characters involved. The cases of the week are never throwaways and even the most seemingly irrelevant court case finds a way to relate to the characters or illustrate a new aspect of their personalities. I really feel like these characters are on a journey that continues week to week and that doesn't get wrapped up at the end of the hour and doesn't get reset sometime between the end of the previous episode and the beginning of the next. For me, that's what great television is. If I wanted an encapsulated experience, I'd watch a movie. The beauty of TV is that you get to see what happens next. With far too many programs out there (and certainly not just on USA), what happens next is exactly what happened before, only with different guest stars.
Suits is drawing a line in the sand for USA network. If "Play the Man" is an indication of where the series is heading, I'm in. I am all in. Rather than providing a forgettable throwaway A-plot, the wacky misadventures of which to be discarded at the end of the hour, this episode, of this show, examines the cost of winning in a way that illuminates the characters in a surprisingly captivating way. Through Harvey (whose hair is looking a whole lot better and a whole lot less shellacked) and Mike, the show looks at the toll being a winner can take on those around you and on yourself. It sounds incredibly cheesy and cliche, but the show pulled it off in a truly lovely way. The hallmark of an excellent show is the ability to establish characters quickly and in a way that gets that audience invested effortlessly. Abigail Spencer
guest stars as Scottie, an old college rival/friend/casual sexual partner of Harvey's. The love-hate competition between the two could have been a trite retread of the same dynamic we've seen a million times, but I found myself instantly invested in her character, her and Harvey's relationship, the case they were working on, and the fallout their rivalry would have on their mutual affection. In only one half of one episode, the storyline had me completely enthralled. The bare bones of the case they were working on were interesting enough in their own way, but it was the ways in which it affected Harvey and Scottie that really hit me. I've always been a sucker for this kind of contentious romantic vibe, but rarely do I fall into it so easily. The chemistry between the pair was so palpable that when they part ways at the end, I was already pondering ways in which she could casually become a series regular on the show, living in a lovely town called Denial where her character would call off her wedding and move to New York. That that final scene to have the necessary impact, the writers had to establish this couple as one you'd fall in love with, and amazingly, they succeeded in spades. For as wonderful as Scottie was, more than anything, I loved what it brought out in Harvey's character. He's a winner first, last, and always, so to place him in a set of circumstances in which he truly was sorry to have won was heartbreaking and endearing. He and Scottie are so much the same that they were both willing to annihilate the other in order to win the case. Harvey felt duped by her, realizing he'd
been played after a steamy romp ("You think I don't recognize victory sex when I see it?"), and took all necessary countermeasures to crush her for it. On paper, two worthy opponents met and fought and Harvey won. But in terms of the cost of winning, Harvey lost, and he knows it. There were a lot of wonderful scenes in this episode, but it was the scene at the bar at the end that hit me the hardest. I went back and rewatched it immediately after the show ended. It was really, truly beautiful. It's all fun and games until someone crushes his/her opponent and leaves the loser plummeting. The best part of this scene was that they both knew exactly how horrible things were. Most shows would have written it with the loser being completely pissed or whiny, refusing to even engage the winner, but here, these two foes, who adore each other in their own way, walked away from the Pyrrhic victory licking their wounds. Heartbreak is written all over both their faces when they see each other and its immediately clear to both that the games are over. There's no coming back from this one. They both played the game well, but the stakes were too high and the downfall too harsh. Technically, Harvey walked away with a big win and Scottie simply lost the battle, but in reality, Harvey was the cutthroat lawyer he always is and Scottie got fired and lost her footing in her firm. Had the tide turned, and it's nice to have a show where that's an actual possibility (honestly, one of the best parts of the show is that they allow their characters to fail), and Harvey had been crushed, this scene would have played out in much the same way. As it stands, Scottie makes the break that deep down they both know is necessary. Their relationship is fun and sexy and exciting, but also brutal. She decides she's going to marry her boyfriend back in London and walk out of Harvey's life. It's a heartbreaker in the best possible way. What I liked best was that no one was bitter. When she starts to walk away and Harvey stops her, wrapping her in his arms, it's clear that these are two people who really needed a hug. They put each other through the wringer and neither came out 
unscathed. When Harvey says, "I'm sorry I won," I believe it. I believe it more than anything else he's ever said. Is it true? I think so. Harvey is a straight shooter who doesn't mince words. He says what he means. And here he's a winner who's sorry he won. "No, Harvey. I would hate it if you were sorry for that," she responds. This interaction goes against both of their natures and they know it. They are both super-competitive winners who live for the kill. Until now. Which is why Scottie leaves and Harvey lets her go. I'm amazed at how much I cared about this storyline, but that's what good writing does to me. I don't need to see the same people solving the same crimes or winning the same cases week-in and week-out, I need a true examination of the human condition, and that's what I got.
Not only did this episode explore the true cost of winning with Harvey, but it looked at the flip side of the coin with Mike. They've been posed as foils for one another since day one, but it was with this episode that I truly appreciated how wonderful these two are together, which is strange, because they spent almost no time together onscreen. This episode took these two very different men and walked them down the same path, but with one winning the case and the other winning at life. Mike's flirtation with Rachel is put to the test with a mock trial, the results of which I was even more invested in than with Harvey's real case. Mike is the screw-up, but he's ultimately very capable of being an amazing lawyer just by being himself.
The show does a lovely job of putting Mike and Rachel at odds and throwing Jenny into the mix to really stir things up. At the end, when Rachel asks Mike to think about the reasons she was so made at him, it drives it home how much she cares about him. Mike may be a genius, but it seems above his head that the reason she expects so much more of him is that she genuinely like him. However dense he may be, he knows how much he likes her and he won't compromise that. Mike has the opportunity to crush his opponent, just as Harvey did, but Mike looks at the collateral damage and begs off. He's takes the loss in order to win, something that Harvey scorns and scoffs at just prior to the bar scene with Scottie. I think that's why I believe him so much when he says he's sorry he lost. He just balled out Mike for taking the loss to save someone he cares about, only to realize he wishes he'd done the same. Harvey accuses Mike of having a weak stomach and no killer instinct, but ultimately? It took a lot more fortitude to take the loss and the outcome was a lot more satisfying for Mike in the end. After all was said and done, both our male leads met with the women they love at a bar. Harvey's ends in loss because he won, Mike's ends in a win because he lost. The show did a lovely job paralleling the two men and the different outcomes. It wasn't oppressive or cheesy, but was symmetrical and powerful. Well played, show. Well played.
I'm loving this show so much more than I ever thought I would and for reasons I never would have expected. When the series began, I thought I had all the characters pretty well pegged. Harvey is the arrogant dick, Mike is the adorable wayward screw-up with a heart of gold, Louis is just plain evil, and the woman are simply eye candy supporting players. I'm rarely so happy to be wrong. The biggest surprise I'd say is the characterization of
Harvey. USA has a tendency to make characters a little too likable most of the time, but at its basis, Harvey is a character I never thought I'd gravitate toward. To my delight, Gabriel Macht luxuriates in the role and makes him attractive and interesting without being "blue skies" likable. Probably more than any other character on the show, Harvey lives in the gray area. He's a cuttroat lawyer who knows how to win, but he barely even tries to mask how much he truly cares about people. Finding the balance between those dual roles is thrilling to watch. He's not the kind of character I ever would have expected to gravitate toward, but I find myself oddly attracted to him. He's almost like a modern Don Draper (made all the more palpable by the fact that Abigail Spencer used to be on Mad Men) and I can't seem to tear my eyes off of him. Let me just say, the view is pretty nice from here. He's layered and can be an ass sometimes, but that's what makes him all the more captivating.
The other major surprise and delight is the depiction of women on the show. Initially, I was unimpressed. Jessica, Rachel, and Donna seemed like little more than second fiddle supporting players whom I
assumed would pop up when needed then receded to the background. In another divergence from the norm, these supporting players are actually well-rounded and engaging characters on their own. Would they exist without Harvey and Mike at the center of the show? No. But would Harvey and Mike have much without them? Certainly not. I assumed Jessica would be the boss with brass balls, Rachel would be the hard-to-get love interest, and Donna would just sort of be there. Once again, I'm thrilled to be wrong. Jessica is fabulous in so many ways and brings a snarky humor to the table that belies the stereotypical "woman in power". Rachel has a lot more going for her than Mike's affections, and Donna is the biggest surprise of all. She doesn't get as much screentime as the others, but her dynamic with Harvey is pitch perfect. He's a slick legal eagle who knows how to take charge, but she brings out a wonderfully playful side of him. Their chemistry together is hilarious and warm and he plays the straight man to her comedy flawlessly. Rather than chastising her for not working or giving him a hard time, Harvey happily plays along. One of the aspects I like best about his character is that he appreciates different kinds
of people and he recognizes the gem he has in Donna. She was absolutely wonderful this week and I hope the writers take that into account when penning future episodes.
It speaks volumes about the show that I just spoke volumes about the show. I fully intended this to be a simple little post about my admiration for a new show, but turned into an epic tome about humanity. The short of it is, if you aren't watching Suits, you should be. It's close enough to the brand to appeal to true "Blue Skies" aficionados, but strays into grayer skies enough to be distinctive and addictive. While some USA staples have been hit or miss lately, I find myself looking forward to Suits more than most of my other shows. It has seen a near unprecedented and meteoric rise to my top tier, and if it keeps up its game to even a small degree, it'll stay there for the long-haul. Suits allows it characters to fail, to be unlikable at times, and to jump feet first into ethical and moral gray areas in a way that most of their shows don't. To that I say, more please.
I, for one, hope those gray skies never clear up. That's what puts on my happy face.
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