Suits: Season Two

This offbeat legal drama created for the USA Network is arguably their most interesting show, with a premise that puts an edge on viewers' allegiances right from the start: Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), the superstar closer in a powerful New York law firm and one of the most charmingly arrogant characters on TV, hires Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a scruffy young genius with a photographic memory, as his assistant, despite the fact that Mike never graduated from law school or passed the bar—at least not under his own name. This alone puts the practice in a compromising position, but Harvey is also the type of guy who takes on legal challenges like a poker player in a high-stakes game (in one episode, quite literally). The second season plunges the principals into a power play when a former partner returns with ambitions to take over. Harvey is also put on the spot when the firm is sued, and both he and Mike hit a downward spiral. Suits isn't a courtroom show—most matters here are settled in boardroom negotiations and showdowns—and the stories are as much about corporate politics and personality clashes as legalistic ploys. What makes it consistently work are the creative approach to compromised characters and conflicted loyalties, the offbeat humor underlying the drama, and the regular shake-ups to the usual genre conventions. Compiling all 16 episodes from 2012–13, extras include audio commentaries, webisodes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)