What SUITS Reveals About Entertainment’s Real-World Impact
By Movieguide® Contributor
SUITS garnered over 57 billion minutes watched last year, and its popularity shows how entertainment can impact real life.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, SUITS star Patrick J. Adams (Mike Ross) joked, “THE OFFICE saved people’s lives during COVID, so in a way, we’re probably saving more lives I think if you do the numbers.”
He continued, “There’s like just a whole new generation of people who are into the show. That’s been my experience, like going out into the world and now like 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds, 18-year-olds are liking the show.”
Gabriel Macht (Harvey Specter) added, “And we’re putting a lot more people in law school.”
Although there is no definitive data to back Macht’s statement, he doesn’t seem to be wrong.
The actor has had many fans tell him they’ve decided to attend law school solely because of the series, proving that the media we consume will influence our lives.
Movieguide® previously reported:
“[TV and movies are] how people can learn new things about themselves,” Hickey said in an interview with Yahoo. “[It’s] a way to develop a sense of empathy [and] perhaps most importantly, a force that shapes the world.”
Some examples he provided included the popularity of archery among women following THE HUNGER GAMES and the sales boost Vans received after characters on SQUID GAME wore the company’s white slip-on shoes.
The New York Times noted, “A handful of American studies along these lines have focused on the political consequences that news media coverage can have, showing that exposure to Fox News could increase Republican Party vote shares significantly, and that exposure to MSNBC increased Democratic Party voting share (but with a much weaker effect).”
Because of the media and entertainment’s real-life ramifications, Movieguide® stresses becoming “media-wise.”
“Decades of research and evidence clearly shows that the mass media of entertainment creates the culture that shapes the hearts and minds of the average person, especially children and teenagers,” writes Movieguide® publisher Dr. Ted Baehr. “That culture also elects the politicians who write the legislation, appoint the judges and hire the teachers that affect families and children everywhere.”
Media discernment begins with developing a strong Christian worldview.
Dr. Baehr adds, “Viewers are responsible for [how] they use the mass media of entertainment. Regulated by biblical moral principles the entertainment media can be beneficial. Parents must augment media literacy by presenting and modeling the biblical values orientation and moral character that demonstrates discernment.”
SUITS spinoff, SUITS L.A., will also likely draw a large audience. As viewers dive into the new show, they should consider how its worldview and storylines affect their lives.
Movieguide® reported on the spinoff:
SUITS: LA, a spinoff of the hit series SUITS, is set to begin production this March.
The legal drama by Aaron Korsh will film in Vancouver and is a production of NBC Universal.
The series follows former New York federal prosecutor Ted Black, who now works for clients in Los Angeles.
“His firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career,” Variety reported. “Ted is surrounded by a stellar group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other while they can’t help but mix their personal and professional lives. All of this is going on while events from years ago slowly unravel that led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.”
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