USA Network has opted not to renew
Pearson for a second season. The decision comes a month and a half after the
Suits spinoff starring Gina Torres ended its Season 1 run.
Toplined by mothership series alumna Torres,
Pearson centered on her character, powerhouse lawyer Jessica Pearson, as she enters the dirty world of Chicago politics.
Pearson originated on
Suits, whose Season 7 finale served as
a backdoor pilot for the spinoff. The offshoot, which hailed from Universal Cable Productions, was executive produced by
Suits creator and EP Aaron Korsh;
Suits EP Daniel Arkin, who served as showrunner; Torres; and
Suits executive producers Doug Liman, David Bartis and Gene Klein of Hypnotic.
News of the show’s cancellation is not surprising. Despite the main character’s strong following among
Suits fans,
Pearson, which is darker than the long-running legal drama, was not able to attract wide audiences, ranking as USA’s lowest-rated original scripted series. The writing was pretty much on the wall when I
spoke with Korsh about the Suits series finale in September. Here is what he had to say about
Pearson:
“I am tremendously proud of the first season of
Pearson. I think [EPs] Dan Arkin, Kevin Bray, Gina Torres, Gene Klein and Dave Bartis did an amazing job — the writers, the cast, everybody. It’s an amazing show.”