Banking on the renewed interest in “Suits,” which has become a streaming hit on Netflix 12 years after it first debuted on the USA Network, Peacock has exclusively added the legal series’ short-lived spinoff, “Pearson,” to its ranks.
Gina Torres starred as title character Jessica Pearson in the Chicago-set offshoot, which was canceled after one season. The story picked up after Pearson had been disbarred in New York State and accepted a job as a fixer for Chicago Mayor Bobby Novak (Morgan Spector).
The series, which was more about politics than legal battles, was based on a suggestion by Torres after the 2016 election. She also came on board as a producer.
“I started talking to [executive producers] Aaron Korsh and Daniel Arkin, and we started throwing ideas back and forth, until it became what it is now,” Torres told Collider in 2019.
“Jessica really is a shark… She’s gotta keep moving. She’s gotta cut through the water and see what’s out there. I think that excites her and keeps her going. That keeps her energized. She loves a challenge, and she excels at finding her way out from behind the eight ball,” she added.
For the week of Aug. 14 to Aug. 20, “Suits” reentered Netflix’s top 10 streaming shows, edging out the streamers’ originals for the sixth time since it was added in June.
While Netflix has the first eight seasons of “Suits,” the full series of nine seasons, as well as spinoff “Pearson,” are exclusively available on Peacock.
Netflix has found new viewers for the series, which memorably starred Meghan Markle as Rachel Zan, by recommending it to viewers of the “Harry & Meghan” documentary.
“Pearson” costarred Bethany Joy Lenz, Chantel Riley, Simon Kassianides, Eli Goree and Isabel Arraiza.
Both “Suits” and “Pearson” were executive produced by Aaron Korsh and Daniel Arkin, who served as showrunner. EPs also included Torres, Doug Liman, David Bartis and Gene Klein of Hypnotic.
Torres joined Fox’s “9-1-1: Lone Star” as Tommy Vega in 2021. The series, which stars Rob Lowe, was renewed for a fifth season in May.
