As Korsh told it, he wrote the script just to try and get a job. “I never wanted to create my own show; I just wanted to land on someone else’s show.”
The showrunner was clear on the serendipitous connection between “Suits” and the writers’ strike. Korsh talked to The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year to explain how “Suits” benefitted from the results of the 2007-2008 strike when it came to residuals. That show generated residuals from cable, but also from international broadcast and even streaming (since “Suits” was licensed to streaming platforms rather than made by them). A show made for streaming today would generate nowhere near the amount of residual money “Suits” made years ago, which was a big reason why the WGA went on strike earlier this year.
Thankfully, the WGA did get a new deal, one that addressed most of their concerns and got writers residuals for streaming titles. A show like “Suits” would never get as popular if it had gotten made for streaming today as it was when made for cable, because shows simply don’t get 134 episodes nowadays. At least it would compensate writers fairly if it did get made for streaming, however. And that’s all thanks to unions.
