American television and movie actress Gina Torres took to Instagram Wednesday to tease the upcoming Suits spinoff, Pearson , which airs tonight at 10 p.m. EST on USA Network. The show follows Jessica Pearson, who starred in the first seven seasons of Suits , as she leaves her New York City law firm following disbarment and begins a new path as Chicago mayor Bobby Novak’s fixer.
During a recent interview with Elle , Torres spoke about the show and what she hoped to explore and achieve with the spinoff.
“We never really got past her fabulousness,” Torres said of her character. “We never got past the fact that she was absolutely the smartest person in the room.”
According to Torres, Pearson’s combination of intelligence and sharp instinct still play a significant role in the new show as she joins the mayor’s office. But in this case, the story is more personal and shines a light on the toll that Jessica’s job takes on her life — and the relationships within it.
Torres says the spinoff was her idea and was born out of her interest in exploring what happens to Jessica when she heads home ?— if she even goes home.
“I would talk to Aaron [Korsh, Suits creator and writer] about it, and say, ‘At what point are we going to see Jessica slip into that back room, that door that goes to nowhere in her office, and go into the pod and plug herself in?’”
Pearso n takes place in Chicago, and Torres claims that this informs the way the show portrays race, gender, and economic status, although she assures that it doesn’t get preachy.
“The disparity between the school system[s] as a result of that, plus immigration, gang violence—it’s baked right into Jessica’s life, and she must deal with it, because she’s in the mayor’s office,” she said.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Suits is coming to an end after its ninth season, which is currently airing on USA Network. The first trailer for Pearson was released back in January and introduced fans to Jessica’s new life in Chicago.
USA’s newest show ‘Pearson’ will become the first network series to center and be created around an Afro-Latina woman. https://t.co/s0gZUNUY32
— ESSENCE (@Essence) July 10, 2019
Torres, who is serving as producer of the new show, initially teased it as a more in-depth look into Jessica’s world. She also revealed in the Elle interview that Jessica ends up working with shady, corrupt people, and said that the show will also place a heavy focus on the relationship between Jessica, her aunt Lillian, and cousin Angela. Of course, Torres says fans will also get to see more of Jessica’s love life.
