We Loved 'Suits' Because Of The Friendships — Is That True For The Cast Today IRL?

There are so many reasons why we love the USA Network series "Suits." The show, which ran from 2011 to 2019, was ostensibly about Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) accidentally conning his way into a position at a prestigious law firm — even though he never actually completed law school. But while it was sometimes tense and always entertaining to watch Mike deal with the ramifications of the secret, the show was also about the relationships between the people at the firm as they worked on legal cases.

The deep friendship between Mike and his boss Harvey Spector (Gabriel Macht), the romance that sprung up between Mike and paralegal Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle), the close working relationship that blossoms into something more between Harvey and his legal secretary Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty) ... these relationships made us root for the firm all the more.

But what about these relationships in real life, especially as the show has been off the air for years? Well, the good news is many of them do still keep in touch!

"Suits" fans likely already know Macht and Rafferty have been close friends for decades after meeting in drama school. In fact, Macht told "Blast Magazine" in 2012 that their daughters are even best friends. Macht has also had IRL family members appear on suits: His wife, Jacinda Barrett, played a love interest for him named Zoe Lawford, and his dad, Stephen Macht, plays Harvey's dad on the show.

As for his relationship with his best friend on the show, Mike? Well, in real life Macht and Patrick J. Adams share a deep connection.

"Gabriel is an amazing guy and a lot of fun to work with. He's endlessly patient and shoulders the weight of being number one a call sheet with a lot more grace than some people in this business. He really welcomes you into the process and we like to push each other's buttons until the scene feels right. Everyone has a different way of working but they are all total pros and are constantly looking to make the day easy and get the best version of the scene possible. and that only happens when you have fun and take any and all ego out of it," Adams wrote during an AMA on Reddit.

While reflecting on the finale in 2019, Macht revealed how much it meant to have Adams return to "Suits" for that momentous occasion.

"I always felt that my right arm was missing and part of the show was missing without Patrick there. So, to have him show up in three episodes of the season and have his energy back on set... I loved working with him. We fell right in stride the second he got back and that was the last scene we shot. We were talking about how this was the last scene we were going to be in this space, in this office, with these basketballs, with that couch, this desk, the records. We looked at each other like, 'Holy s**t, we've been through a lot together.' And you can count the ways — through marriages, deaths, divorces, more marriages and kids. He has a child now. It was a real moment for us and so, not only nostalgic for the viewer but for us in shooting that," he told "Yahoo."

In the same interview, Rafferty reflected on how the "Suits" cast will always be tight.

"The castmates — honestly I never felt like I was saying goodbye to them because I know I'm going to see them. I just saw Gina two days ago, I'm texting with Patrick and I was texting with Rick [Hoffman] this morning," she explained.

At the time of shooting the finale, she even posted an Instagram dedicated to Rick Hoffman, who played Louis Litt, calling him her brother.

Of course, many may wonder how the relationship with Meghan Markle has changed. After all, she left "Suits" to marry an actual British prince and became one of the most famous women in the world.

Well, she actually invited many of them to her wedding to Prince Harry. Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres, and Abigail Spencer all attended the 2018 nuptials. Since then, many of them have stood up for Markle in light of her complicated relationship with the British monarchy and the media.

"Meghan Markle and I spent the better part of a decade working together on 'Suits,'" Adams, who has long maintained a close relationship with Markle, tweeted in her defense in 2021. “From day one she was an enthusiastic, kind, cooperative, giving, joyful and supportive member of our television family. She remained that person and colleague as fame, prestige and power accrued ... It sickened me to read the endless racist, slanderous, clickbaiting vitriol spewed in her direction from all manner of media across the UK and the world but I also knew that Meghan was stronger than people realized or understood and they would regret underestimating her."

Spencer, who played Dana Scott on "Suits," also defended Markle in a lengthy caption on Instagram, noting, "She’s what I’d call 'an on-call friend.' At the ready. She’s modeled nothing but generous professionalism on sets and an even more generous friendship in private," adding, " I can’t tell you the value of having another working mother I can lean on when with the pressures of visibility & child-rearing woes become overwhelming. She’s always been a safe harbor for me, someone I can fall apart in front of... and with."

You can watch all of "Suits" on Peacock or the USA Network app.