Patrick J. Adams played Mike Ross in USA Network’s Suits for seven seasons. Unfortunately, the character left the show after the season 7 finale.

Summary

• Mike's departure from Suits was a creative decision made by actor Patrick J. Adams because he believed his character's narrative arc was complete.
• Meghan Markle's departure from the show also influenced Mike's exit, as her impending duties as a member of the British Royal Family played a role in her decision to leave.
• Adams returned for Suits' ninth and final season in a recurring role because he wanted to celebrate the show and reunite with his co-stars one last time.

Mike leaving Suits in season 7 shocked many viewers, since he was the central character of the show — but his exit was a creative decision by actor Patrick J. Adams. It's never easy to say goodbye to a character, especially if they leave a show before it ends, like Mike in Suits. Mike, played by Patrick J. Adams, served as a main character in the show for seven seasons. The audience couldn't help but root for Mike as he was a struggling young adult who was expelled from college and took one too many LSATs for a living to pay his grandmother's medical bills.

During the Suits pilot, Harvey Specter hired Mike when he accidentally stumbled upon interviews Harvey was holding for his associate attorney at the Pearson Hardman law firm in New York City, and the rest is history. Mike continued to be a fan-favorite character as he furthered his law career and developed both professionally and personally. Unfortunately, his story came to an end when Adams left Suits following the season 7 finale. However, while Mike leaving Suits shocked viewers, there are a few key reasons why he stepped back from the show.

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Patrick J. Adams Believed Mike's Story Was Complete In Suits Season 7

Mike Ross Left Suits Because His Narrative Arc Was Complete

During the Suits season 7 finale, Mike and Meghan Markle's Rachel Zane got married and decided to leave New York and move to Seattle. There, they started their own law firm and seemingly lived happily ever after. After seven seasons, Mike and Rachel deserved a happy ending, but it was still sad to see them leave Suits all the same.

The reason Mike left Suits along with Rachel was due to behind-the-scenes decisions by both Meghan Markle and Mike actor Patrick J. Adams. Markle exited because of her impending duties as a member of the British Royal Family, and Adams was confident that there was no more story to tell for his character. Adams told The Hollywood Reporter:

"After seven seasons — really, eight years of being away from home and away from my now-wife, and there was that pressure. I started thinking about leaving at the end of the first half of season six, after Mike was released from prison. From a story point of view, I was a little unsure of what was left for him to do. Mike had made the pledge during his trial that if he were allowed to continue to practice the law, he would dedicate his time and energy to underrepresented people and not big, corporate interests. I wasn’t sure how we were going to work that version of the character into the fabric of the show."

So, while Adams felt the pressure of being away from his family, the actor also believed that Mike's story was complete. Given that Rachel was also leaving the show made it even easier for Mike to depart the law firm. However, the Suits season 7 finale wasn't the last time Adams played Mike in the series.

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Why Patrick J. Adams Returned For Suits Season 9 In A Recurring Role

Mike Ross Returned To Suits Because Adams Missed His Co-Stars

Adams reprised his role as Mike during Suits' ninth and final season. Mike returned to New York City because of one of the cases he was working on. One of Mike's clients was entangled with one of Samantha Wheeler's, pitting him against his former law firm. When asked by Entertainment Tonight about why he decided to return to the USA Network series in a recurring capacity, Adams said:

"Ultimately, it was about coming back. It was about, 'We'd love to get the band back together,' basically. Do one last trip around the world. It was as simple as that. For me, it was just an excuse to come and see everybody and really be here for the final moment."

So, Adams wanted to celebrate Suits and its nine impressive seasons. The actor set out to give his character and the show one final sendoff before the network turned off the lights for good. Plus, given how Harvey and Donna Paulsen's story ended during the Suits series finale, with them moving to Seattle to work alongside Mike and Rachel at their law firm, it made sense for Mike to return.

Suits

Release Date

June 23, 2011

Cast

Patrick J. Adams , Sarah Rafferty , Gabriel Macht , Meghan Markle , Rick Hoffman , Gina Torres , Amanda Schull , Dule Hill , Katherine Heigl

Network

USA