“Suits” Ending Explained: Where Did the Legal Drama Leave Mike, Harvey and Louis After Season 9?

Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty and Rick Hoffman said goodbye to their characters in the last season of 'Suits'

Suits may have ended in 2019, but the legal dramedy still captivates viewers with its interesting cases and heartfelt relationships.

The show, which aired on USA Network for nine seasons from 2011 to 2019, broke streaming records four years after its series finale. Between its two streaming platforms, Netflix and Peacock, the title hit 3 billion viewing minutes for the week of June 26 to July 2 in 2023, becoming the most viewed acquired streaming title, Nielsen reported.

Suits follows Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) after he accepts a job offer from corporate attorney Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) at one of New York City’s most prestigious law firms despite him never finishing college or going to law school.

Related: All About the Real-Life Friendships of the 'Suits' Cast

At the firm, Mike works alongside powerhouse attorneys Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), as well as Harvey’s legal secretary, Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty) and paralegal turned full-fledged lawyer Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle).

Throughout the series, Mike, Harvey and Donna work to protect Mike’s secret from the rest of the world, with Jessica, Louis and Rachel becoming privy to the news as the series proceeds until the secret finally gets out.

The show chronicles the highs and lows of each character’s lives, including blackmail, failures and successes, secrets, romance and a revolving door of name partners.

With the final season of the show available to stream on Netflix starting on July 1, 2024, here’s everything to know about season 9 of Suits.

How did Suits end?

Season 9 of Suits picks up after Robert Zane (Wendell Pierce) sacrifices himself for Harvey and takes the blame for breaking attorney-client privilege, which causes him to get disbarred. In the aftermath, Samantha Wheeler (Katherine Heigl) has to deal with the emotional repercussions of losing her mentor, while Louis attempts to salvage Robert’s legacy, though it ultimately hurts the firm’s reputation.

Throughout the final 10 episodes, the crew have one common enemy — Faye Richardson (Denise Crosby), who was brought in to oversee the firm but ignites tension within the office instead.

After going head-to-head with Mike on a case, Samantha fabricates evidence and is fired by Faye. Despite their legal battle, Mike and Samantha join forces to try to take down Faye, with Samantha suing for wrongful termination and Mike acting as her attorney.

Katrina Bennett (Amanda Schull) takes one for the team and feeds Mike information from an internal mock trial to use against Faye in the real trial, but is found out and also fired.

Finally, Mike and Samantha confront Faye at the office and trick her into signing a document admitting to witness tampering. However, Harvey becomes collateral damage and he decides to leave the firm for good.

What happened to Meghan Markle’s character Rachel Zane?

Markle’s final appearance as Rachel on Suits was in the season 7 finale. USA Network announced the actress' departure in November 2017, the day after she revealed her engagement to Prince Harry. The couple later married in May 2018, one month after Suits season 7 concluded.

In the show’s season 7 finale, both Mike and Rachel receive job offers in Seattle, which they take as an opportunity to start their lives over together. Before the pair leave, though, Donna helps put together a last-minute wedding celebration for them, where Mike and Rachel exchange vows in front of their family and friends.

Although their joint absence was felt in the next two seasons, Mike made a few appearances in season 9 and actor Adams addressed Markle’s absence in the show’s final season.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in July 2019, Adams shared that Mike and Rachel were still “building their life together” in Seattle. "There's phone calls with Rachel saying, 'Goodbye, I love you,' and ... I think there's some obvious acknowledgment that she's still there and a part of the show," he added.

Related: Everything Meghan Markle Said About 'Suits': From Her First Audition to Her 2018 Exit

What happened to Mike Ross?

After Mike and Rachel say goodbye to the law firm where they first met, he eventually returns to the Big Apple in Suits season 9. Mike initially makes his comeback to go head-to-head with Harvey after a client wants out of their contract.

Although Mike tries to figure out a quick solution, he still wants to reconnect with Harvey. In addition, Faye continues to walk the halls of Specter Litt, causing a constant sense of distress — that is until Mike and Harvey team up again to take her down once and for all.

With the help of Louis, Donna and others, the firm starts to find its groove again, and so does Mike and Harvey's friendship. Over the years, Harvey considered leaving his career in N.Y.C. behind, but something always stopped him, whether it was his coworkers-turned-family or unforeseen circumstances.

This time, though, Mike offers Harvey a new start in Seattle with him, and Harvey takes it — after an interview, of course.

What happened to Louis Litt?

By the end of season 9 of Suits, Louis has achieved his ultimate dreams in both his personal and professional life.

Throughout the series, Louis endures a rollercoaster ride romance with Sheila Sazs (Rachael Harris). Still, the couple eventually reignite their love for each other and get married — though their wedding gets cut short when Sheila goes into labor and gives birth to their daughter, Lucy Litt.

Louis' professional life also hits a peak at the conclusion of the series. After a strained relationship throughout the show, Harvey and Louis find themselves in a healthy place before Harvey leaves N.Y.C. for Seattle.

Following Harvey’s departure, Louis became head of the firm, which is now named Litt, Wheeler, Williams and Bennett.

What happened to Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen?

At the end of season 8 of Suits, Harvey gives into his true feelings for Donna, and they spend the night together, ending the years-long will-they-won't-they tension.

Season 9 features the new couple trying to keep their relationship a secret from their colleagues while navigating the next chapter together. Apart from struggling to talk about life outside of work, they have individual family issues to worry about, including Donna’s father feeling unsure about the relationship and Harvey’s strained connection with his mother. While Donna helps him mend fences with his mom, she sadly dies in the final season.

Despite the difficult moments, Harvey and Donna get their happy ending in the series finale with a wedding of their own. After Louis goes to the hospital with Sheila while she’s in labor, Harvey spontaneously proposes to Donna, and they decide to get married on the spot at the venue.

It’s not until after Sheila gives birth to her daughter that Harvey and Donna spring the news on Louis that they're leaving N.Y.C. They share that they've made plans to join Mike and Rachel in Seattle so Harvey could work with his former protégé — but this time for the good guys.

Will there be a sequel?

Though the Suits cast had an onstage reunion at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards in January 2024, there is no sequel for the series.

However, fans of the original series can listen to the upcoming SiriusXM podcast Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast, which will follow Adams and Rafferty as they watch the show for the first time, Variety reported.

Despite no official sequel to Suits, there are spinoffs of the original series to enjoy.

Years after the departure of Gina Torres, who portrayed Jessica Pearson, Suits received a short-lived spinoff called Pearson. The series aired for 10 episodes on USA Network before it was canceled and is now available to stream on Peacock.

Related: All About the Suits Spinoff, Suits L.A.

In February 2024, NBCUniversal ordered a pilot for a new Suits spinoff called Suits L.A. PEOPLE confirmed that the network ordered a pilot for the new series, which will be set in the same universe as the original series.

The show will feature a new cast, including Stephen Amell, who landed the lead role of Ted Black but it's unknown if any of the original actors will reprise their roles, though it’s unlikely Markle will return.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.