Pilot (Suits)

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American legal comedy-drama Suits, which premiered on USA Network in the United States on June 23, 2011. The episode was written by series creator Aaron Korsh and was directed by Kevin Bray. The series revolves around two lawyers who, between the two of them, have only one law degree. Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) is promoted to senior partner of the Pearson Hardman law firm. To his annoyance, company policy requires he hire a Harvard Law School graduate as his associate attorney. Meanwhile, college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) delivers a suitcase of marijuana for a friend, only to find that the drop is a sting operation. While escaping the police, he mistakenly sits for an interview with Harvey and impresses the attorney with his eidetic memory, encyclopedic knowledge of law, and drive to become a good lawyer. Despite Mike's lack of a law degree, Harvey hires him. On Mike's first day, Harvey must personally handle a pro bono case to keep his promotion. Instead, he has Mike take care of the suit, in which a woman claims her boss sexually harassed her. The series was originally written as a spec script for a half-hour drama set on Wall Street. Korsh later decided to change the premise because, unlike working on Wall Street, working as a lawyer requires several qualifications. The episode was watched by an estimated 4.64 million viewers and saw a double-digit growth over the January premiere of the network's other legal drama Fairly Legal. However, critical reception was mixed. Some reviewers described the premise as absurd and preposterous and criticized the characters, most notably Harvey. Conversely, others lauded the characters' interactions and the snappy dialogue and praised the series' attempt to make the typical USA formula more grounded and edgy.