TV Suits season 7 finale will be a backdoor pilot for Gina Torres spin-off By Chancellor Agard Chancellor Agard Chancellor Agard is a former staff writer at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Published on August 16, 2017 12:32PM EDT The Suits world is moving closer to expanding to the Windy City! The long-running legal drama’s seventh season finale will function as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off focused on Gina Torres’ lawyer Jessica Pearson. The finale is expected to air in the first quarter of 2018. The episode will reunite Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike (Patrick J. Adams), Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty), and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) with the former Pearson Specter Litt managing partner, who relocated to Chicago midway through the sixth season. “When she is forced to enter the dirty world of Chicago politics, Pearson must rely on her legal wits and valiant relationships from Pearson Specter Litt to navigate this unknown territory,” a press release reveals. Although Jessica was ostensibly written off the show in season 6, that hasn’t stopped Torres from occasionally guest-starring. She made a triumphant return in the season 6 finale and has appeared twice in the seventh season, which is currently airing. Shane Mahood/USA Network “The powerhouse character of Jessica Pearson, expertly brought to life by the incomparable Gina Torres, has won the hearts of television fans everywhere,” said NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment president Chris McCumber in a statement. “USA Network is beyond thrilled to work with Gina, Aaron Korsh, the entire Suits producing team and our partners at UCP to explore the exciting next phase of Jessica.” “Gina Torres is a terrific actress and a valued member of our family,” said Jeff Wachtel, chief content officer at NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and president at Universal Cable Productions. “Gina and Aaron have created a truly memorable character in Jessica Pearson, and we felt we owed it to the audience – and ourselves! – to follow her journey beyond the original show.” The pilot will be executive-produced by Suits creator Aaron Korsh along with Daniel Arkin, Doug Liman, David Bartis, and Gene Klein of Hypnotic. Anton Cropper, who recently directed season 7’s “Divide and Conquer,” will helm the episode. Suits airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on USA Network.