The best episodes of 'Suits'

Best suits episodes — Gabriel Macht on 'Suits'; Sarah Rafferty on 'Suits'; Katherine Heigl on 'Suits'. Photo:
Netflix (3)

If 134 episodes of Suits feel intimidating, remember, "you always have a choice" to jump straight to the highlights.

From 2011 to 2019, the USA Network legal drama had fans checking in with the charismatic lawyers of a fictional NYC law firm for nine seasons. With the series breaking streaming records on Netflix and Peacock, a new wave of viewers is giving it a second life, leading to a new spinoff and a possible reunion movie. So, whether you're diving into a complete rewatch or a newbie on the lookout for the standout moments, we've compiled a list of all the must-see installments.

Here are EW's top picks for the best episodes of Suits.

01 of 13

"She Knows" (season 2, episode 1)

Gina Torres and Patrick J. Adams on 'Suits'. Christos Kalohoridis/USA Network

Season 2 remains Suits' strongest run, and it all began with the premiere episode, which tackled two things: Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) learning Mike's (Patrick J. Adams) secret, and the return of ousted named partner Daniel Hardman (David Costabile) — the show's best villain.

02 of 13

"Sucker Punch" (season 2, episode 7)

Rick Hoffman, David Costabile, and Sarah Rafferty on 'Suits'. Christos Kalohoridis/USA Network

When The Good Wife pitted its characters against one another in a mock trial in season 4, it led to one of the series' best episodes, and the same can be said of Suits. "Sucker Punch" features an emotionally fraught mock trial that puts the firm's relationships under a microscope, examining how the partners feel about Harvey (Gabriel Macht), Harvey and Louis' (Rick Hoffman) relationship, and Harvey and Donna's (Sarah Rafferty) relationship. As a bonus, Macht's real-life wife, Jacinda Barrett, also guest stars.

03 of 13

"Asterisk" (season 2, episode 9)

Suits - Season 2 — Gabriel Macht and Rick Hoffman on 'Suits'. Christos Kalohoridis/USA Network

"Asterisk" is a great reminder of how much fun this show used to have: from the "Disco Inferno" sequence to Donna deducing Louis was promoted to senior partner based on the suit he's wearing, to the strong case of the week, this episode is just a classic crowd pleaser. However, it's not all fun and games. The hour ends with the upsetting reveal that Mike's grandmother passed away.

04 of 13

"Heartburn" (season 3, episode 14)

Rick Hoffman and Sarah Rafferty on 'Suits'. USA Network

Rick Hoffman and Patrick J. Adams turn in some of their finest performances on the show in this poignant hour that sees both Louis and Mike realizing that they might have to give something up to achieve everything they want out of life. In the wake of his heart attack, Louis breaks up with Sheila (Rachael Harris), the love of his life, since she doesn't want to have kids (but he does). Meanwhile, Mike continues to struggle with the realization that there's a limit to how far he can go in this profession because he's living a lie.

05 of 13

"No Way Out" (season 3, episode 16)

Suits - Season 3 — Zeljko Ivanek and Patrick J. Adams on 'Suits'. Ian Watson/USA Network

Is Harvey a good man? Actually, are any of these characters good people after all of the moral compromises they've made since the show began? That's the question at the heart of this fast-paced and thrilling season finale that finally acknowledges that Harvey, Jessica, and Mike have lost the moral high ground over the past three seasons. Thankfully, it ends with them all taking steps to fix that — albeit, temporarily.

06 of 13

"This Is Rome" (season 4, episode 10)

Suits - Season 4 — Rick Hoffman and Patrick J. Adams on 'Suits'. Shane Mahood/USA Network

Suits pushes Louis back into villain territory in the season 4 midseason finale, which finds our favorite mudding enthusiast out of the firm and looking to claw his way back into Rome. Unfortunately, that means making enemies of his old co-workers. At first, that means stealing his clients against Jessica's wishes, but once Louis discovers Mike's secret, he uses that to get what he's always wanted: his name on the goddamn door. The final three scenes of Louis separately confronting Donna, Jessica, and Mike are some of Rick Hoffman's best work on the show because his sense of betrayal and hurt is palpable.

07 of 13

"Fork in the Road" (season 4, episode 13)

Louis and Harvey's relationship is one of the most interesting ones on Suits. They (mostly) respect each other, but there's a lot of animosity there, too. Well, "Fork in the Road" finally reveals the incident that made their "friendship" so fraught. Meanwhile, in the present, Harvey endeavors to make sure Louis and Mike don't go down the same road by making them "work [their] s--- out" on a mini-road trip that's loads of fun and ends up being rather poignant. Again, Suits is always at its best when it focuses on the characters' relationships.

08 of 13

"Intent" (season 4, episode 15)

What makes "Intent" such a compelling episode is how it allows both Jessica and Donna to be emotionally vulnerable, which is something we rarely see from these two characters. As Jessica reels from a breakup that her own actions cause, Donna faces prison time after the D.A. receives a video of her illegally obtaining evidence. While the fact that Donna broke the law is rather foolish, her reasoning for it is very human: She is constantly watching Harvey and Mike bend the law to their wills and pull rabbits out of hats to save the day, and she wants to be the hero for once. If any of us worked for Harvey, we'd feel this insecurity, too. (However, let's be clear: None of us are Donna. We're all Louis and should own it.)

09 of 13

"P.S.L." (season 6, episode 10)

Suits - Season 6 — Gina Torres, Rick Hoffman, and Gabriel Macht on 'Suits'. Shane Mahood/USA Network

Sure, Jessica's departure hasn't stuck as much as we thought it would, but that doesn't matter because Gina Torres' final episode as a series regular stands out — it's one of the few times we see Jessica fight for something she cares about apart from her firm. Plus, we love any opportunity to learn more about Jessica's past!

10 of 13

"Character and Fitness" (season 6, episode 16)

Of course this episode made the list. Jessica returned to save the day, and Mike, our little fraud, was officially admitted to the bar. Was the latter the most believable storyline? No matter — it felt like the culmination of six seasons' worth of work.

11 of 13

“Good-Bye” (season 7, episode 16)

Best suits episodes season 7 — Gabriel Macht and Sarah Rafferty on 'Suits'.
Netflix

As the season 7 finale sets the stage for Suits' future, it bids a bittersweet farewell to its endgame couple, Mike and Rachel (Meghan Markle). Before they tie the knot and start a new life in Seattle, Mike tackles a major pro-bono case in New York, while Harvey heads to Chicago to support Jessica in saving a low-income housing area (a storyline that paves the way for her spinoff, Pearson). Although fans were disappointed to see Mike and Harvey apart for much of their final onscreen moments, their last scene together at Mike's wedding makes it all worthwhile.

12 of 13

“Harvey” (season 8, episode 16)

Best suits episodes season 8 — Gabriel Macht, Dulé Hill, Rick Hoffman, and Wendell Pierce on 'Suits'.
Netflix

The season 8 finale delivered what fans have been waiting for for more than 120 episodes: Darvey. After almost losing his job during an ethics hearing, Harvey finally comes to his senses that Donna is the one and rushes to her apartment to confess his love without saying a word. (Though the two shared a kiss in the season prior, creator Aaron Korsh told EW that this game-changing scene was a last-minute decision.) While fans rejoiced at this new chapter, they also had to close another, with Robert Zane (Wendell Pierce) being disbarred after taking the fall for Harvey's indiscretions.

13 of 13

“One Last Con” (season 9, episode 10)

Best suits episodes season 9 — Katherine Heigl on 'Suits'.
Netflix

Suits takes its final bow as Harvey and Mike pull off one last con to unseat the tyrannical Faye (Denise Crosby), orchestrating a staged fight and a document swap to reinstate the recently fired Samantha (Katherine Heigl). Once all of that goes down, the episode shifts focus to Louis and Sheila's wedding — which gets interrupted when Sheila goes into labor — while Harvey and Donna get engaged and married in a last-minute ceremony. The series wraps up neatly with Louis taking over the firm (now named Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett) and Harvey and Donna moving to Seattle to work with Mike and Rachel. As Korsh told EW, "Harvey comes to realize throughout the course of the season that he's willing to cross lines when it counts, but he wants to do it because of the influence Mike's had on him all these years. It felt more interesting to me for him to say [at the end], no, I want to keep crossing lines, but I want to fight for the right team for a change."

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