Suits Season 1 is Based on a Real Story (And There's a Real Harvey In It)

Although USA Network's legal drama Suits was already popular during its initial run in the previous decade, it didn't become a true hit until recently, when Netflix acquired the rights to the project and kicked off a new binge obsession for millions of people around the world. Suits' addictive procedural formula proved to be a great match for streaming, and the show has been trending ever since it was added to the streaming giant's library.

But while most fans enjoy the story of college dropout Mike Ross, who manages to join a high-octane law firm using only his photographic memory, almost all of them are sure that the show's main premise is a huge stretch at best and totally hilarious at worst. But what if we told you that it was actually based on a true story?

Life Imitates Art

While it's obvious that no one in the world could have reached Ross' height with photographic memory alone, it looks like series creator and showrunner Aaron Korsh actually based Ross on himself and used his experience to pitch the show to USA Network.

The only thing is, Korsh never envisioned Suits as a legal drama but developed it as a financial drama, having worked on Wall Street himself before deciding to write for a living. With his experience in the field and a great memory, Korsh turned himself into Mike Ross, swapped out finance for law, and scored a huge hit.

'I worked on Wall Street as an investment banker, which is the basis, by the way, of Suits. It was originally written that they were investment bankers on Wall Street. I worked for a guy named Harvey. I had a good memory, and I had a dalliance with marijuana. A lot of the basis for the show is from that,' Korsh shared.

Yes, it looks like the showrunner not only used his own experience to create a character, but he actually used the name of his former boss to name Ross' boss - Harvey Specter. Turns out Suits is a lot closer to reality than we thought, right?

Source: Collider.