Suitswas a legal drama with a difference, as its ensemble cast of corporate lawyers provided us with as many laughs as high-stakes courtroom showdowns. Yet, in the show’s world of Wall Street wheeling and dealing, there was still plenty of room for genuinely menacing antagonists.
Outright villains may have been few and far between in this comedy-drama series, but even thebest characters inSuitscame pretty close to fitting that description at one time or another. In fact, a leading lawyer of Pearson Hardman Specter, the law firm where the show was set, briefly became its central villain during one season 4 storyline.
Rick Hoffman’s character Louis Litt always stood out amongSuits’ castof morally suspect legal professionals, but he never worked better than as the ultimate antagonist to Jessica Pearson, Mike Ross, and Harvey Specter. In just six episodes,Louis demonstrated his potential to be the best villainSuitsever had, only for the show to cut this character arc short.
His Sudden Move Against Jessica, Harvey & Miss Was A Brilliant Plot Twist
Things took an unexpected turn forLouis Litt in season 4 ofSuitswhen he was implicated in tax evasion and fired from Pearson Specter. It looked as though his legal career was over — until he happened upon the truth about fellow lawyer Mike Ross’ lack of professional qualifications.
Louis confronted Jessica Pearson and Harvey Specter with his discovery that they’d illegally hired an unqualified employee as a lawyer, enraged that he’d been thrown under the bus for his own legal indiscretion while Mike remained in the company.His sudden transformation into a bitter and vengeful antagonist was a brilliantly executed plot twist, which suited Louis’ overall character development.
From a position of professional ruin, he was now leveraging his knowledge of Jessica and Harvey’s legal impropriety to blackmail them into giving him a position in their firm’s partnership.This storyline represented one of the darkest chapters in any season ofSuits, as a firm insider imposed a Machiavellian scheme on his own superiors.
It laid the basis for Louis Litt to become the show’s best villain, a core character with ambitions above his station who was threatening his own colleagues with betrayal to get what he wanted. His move to extort partner status out of Jessicaset the scene for an all-out conflict within Pearson Specter Litt, as the firm was renamed.
Louis' Villain Moments In Suits Were Genuinely Scary
His Confrontation With Jessica Was Particularly Terrifying
Louis Litt’s unexpected switch from fawning subordinate and despairing ex-employee to scheming villain brought out the qualities in him that we’d always known were there. The things that madeLouis one ofSuits’ best characters alongside Jessica Pearsonwere his self-serving approach to professional relationships and propensity to pick on those in a weaker position than his own.
Louis Litt’s act of blackmail against Jessica Pearson was arguably the scariest moment in anySuitsepisode.
These negative character traits rose to the surface in spectacular fashion duringthe terrifying scene in which Louis confronted Jessicaabout Mike’s lack of qualifications. The way he flew off the handle in admonishing Jessica for what she’s done to him was truly shocking, and she did well to keep her cool despite his intimidating demeanor.
What’s more,the burning envy with which Louis declared his intention to become a partnernamed in the firm’s title via this act of blackmail was arguably the scariest moment in anySuitsepisode. He cemented his status as a villain in the coming episodes, lording his new position over Harvey and Mike and acting as if he were untouchable.
Why Suits Never Committed To Louis Being A Villain
It Would Have Changed The Tone & Direction Of The Whole Show
Even though being a villain suited Louis Litt wholeheartedly,the writing team behindSuitsnever intended for him to remain a figure of outright evilin the series. Just three episodes after Louis made his threat to Jessica, he made his peace with Mike, thanks to Harvey’s mediation between them.
He was swiftly rehabilitated, and the severity of his actions was brushed under the rug. Louis’ characterization became more and more sympathetic with each passing season, and he was the biggestwinner in theSuitsseries finaleat the end of season 9.
Apparently, the storyline that saw Louis move against Jessica, Harvey and Mike in a vicious power grab wasjust too dark forSuitsto continue beyond the 13th episode of season 4. It threatened to bring down the tone of the entire show, which was supposed to be a comedy, after all.
While curtailing Louis Litt’s time asSuits’ best villain may have wasted the character’s potential and upset fans who loved to hate him, it had to be done for the sake of the show. If Louis had remained an enemy within the Pearson Specter Litt partnership,Suitswould have lost its comedic edge and become just another dark legal thriller.
