The most loved legal drama and the Queen Bee of the show leaving the show – sounds shady, doesn’t it? Jessica Pearson leaving the show was huge and now we know the reason behind it.
The American legal aired for 9 seasons and build a fan base that’s hard to ignore. With quirky comments, amazing romance, a twisted plot, and a beautiful bond among the characters, the show had everything it needed to be a blockbuster. The story revolved around a bunch of lawyers working in a firm called Pearson Hardman and how they fight tooth and nail to solve every case.
The main characters involved Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adam), Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty), Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle), and last but certainly not the least ‘Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres). As might be clear from the last name, Jessica left the show midway. But the bigger question is why did that happen?
Jessica Pearson: The Chessmaster
Jessica was the Managing Partner of the firm at the beginning of the show. She was a very powerful character and a very smart player. She was the planner behind everything and the person everyone runs to when they were in trouble. With a clear mind and will, she always knew what she wanted and was two steps ahead in the game (at all times). Harvey being his confidant, trusted him but every time Harvey was out of control, she was the one to put him on leash. Be it handling Louis or firing Donna, she always played ‘front and center’ in the game.
But she left the show and it created a lot of buzzes. In season 6, Jessica Pearson fights a case with Rachel Zane of a death row prisoner and then doing everything in their power to change the ruling. After winning the case, she left the show.
Why Gina Torres Left The Suits?
Gina Torres revealed what actually happened “My contract was up, so this wasn’t a power play that went terribly wrong”. She travelled for years between Toronto and Los Angeles because while ‘Suits’ set was based in Toronto, her home was in Los Angeles. She adds “My personal life needed to be tended too”.
The public certainly doesn’t have a lot of idea of how difficult it is to have a work-life balance. She says “At one point I approached Aaron Korsh (the maker of the show) and said “It’s not that I don’t love this show and the character of Jessica, who is my alter ego. But my life is my life and I need to take care of it”. The characters and makers were equally supportive.
Gina continued making guest appearances but she never fully returned to the show again. The makers initially thought of killing her said Aaron but then we changed it a bit and moved her away from the firm. The fans obviously missed her in the later season because it was hard to fill in for her and so the makers increased the number of characters by merging the firm ‘Pearson Specter Litt’ with Zane’s firm. The actress was also seen in a spinoff of suits dedicated purely to her character of ‘Jessica Pearson’.
