Patrick J. Adams Says ‘Suits’ “Walked So that ‘Succession’ Could Run”

Patrick J. Adams is throwing out the idea that “ Suits walked so that Succession could run.”

How Superhero Franchise Movies Lost Their Way: "It's Actual Chaos"

The actor, who played Mike Ross on the popular legal drama, shared his theory in a recent episode of his and Sarah Rafferty’s Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast , saying, “ Suits is a predecessor to another very popular show,” which was HBO’s Succession .

Adams went on to list “the things that we have in common,” including “Dagmara [Domińczyk]. She was in Succession , she was in Suits . Rob Yang. Do you know who Rob Yang was in our show? He was the doctor in [ Suits’ pilot] where he’s giving Mike the drug test. You know where else you’ve seen Rob Yang? The pilot of Succession .”

The Plan B actor also noted that Kevin Bray, who directed and produced several early episodes of Suits , and who Adams said is “arguably responsible for the look and vibe of the whole thing,” also directed a few episodes of Succession .

Adams explained that the overall themes are similar as well. “It’s in New York, we’re dealing with New York. Power brokers, people moving and shaking at the highest levels of New York society,” he added.

'Suits: L.A.' Nabs California Tax Credits to Relocate from Vancouver

While Rafferty, who played Donna Paulsen on Suits , understood all of Adams’ points, she also pointed out a major difference between the two series.

“They were sitting in a radically different place than we were at the Golden Globes,” she said, referring to Succession ‘s popularity among awards voters (the show won nine Golden Globes and 19 Emmys throughout its run from 2018 to 2023).

“Yeah, well, they got to be the grown-up” to Suits ‘ “PG version,” Adams responded. That could likely be attributed to the fact that Suits aired for nine seasons on USA Network, which has more limitations as it’s a basic cable channel, while Succession aired on HBO , a premium cable network that allowed more freedom to what characters said and did.

However, Suits , which initially ran 2011-2019, saw a recent resurgence following its premiere on Netflix last year, becoming the most-streamed show over the course of a year. A reboot, Suits L.A. , is also in the works.

Shailene Woodley to Star in Janis Joplin Biopic