The show’s eighth season begins with the merger of Zane and Harvey’s firms two big changes stand-out: Katherine Heigl and Amanda Schull. Starting with the latter, Schull’s role which is being played in larger ways. Ways that will give the show a new take on the bull-headed young gun trying desperately to find her place once seen in Rachel. As of the first two episodes, it can be said Schull pulls the promotion off masterfully.

As for the addition of Heigl, the big thing to note is she is no one’s replacement, much like Katrina. Rather, her character serves as a mission statement. When we meet her, we will come to learn she is Zane’s right hand meant to serve as a foil for Harvey, Louis and anyone else at the firm that might get in her or Zane’s way. With her character’s introduction, we cement the goal of Suits’ new direction.

With the pressing matter of Mike’s fraudulent hiring gone, Suits needs to move into the genre of law show more than character drama. But, by having what basically amounts to seven years of backstory, it gets to enter the genre with a huge leg up on the competition.

If Suits were your typical law procedural, we would have started where we are now, with fighting name partners and their ambitious right-hand men/women. Over the course of the series, we would hear about the firm’s drama of years past. How it once hired a fraud and needs to come back from that. But, on Suits, we get to see all the things we normally only get told. Harvey, Louis, Donna, Robert, Alex, Katrina, Samantha, these are the people that matter now and Suits wastes no time in getting the ball rolling on that reality.

If you have been following, then we say stream.