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NBC Insider Suits: L.A.

A Favorite Suits Antagonist is Hoping to Return to Suits: L.A.

After a dramatic exit from Suits, Wendell Pierce teases a return to the spinoff series, “I better be asked to make a cameo.”

By Grace Jidoun

A large part of Suits’ incredible success can be credited to the characters we know we should hate — but end up liking a whole lot. That was the case for attorney Robert Zane and the character's departure from the show left a bit of a hole in fan's hearts that actor Wendell Pierce hopes can be filled in Suits: L.A.

How to Watch

Watch the series premiere of Suits: L.A. on Sunday, February 23 at 9/8c on NBC.

Pierce, who played Zane, recently revealed he would jump at the chance to reprise his role for the upcoming spin-off Suits: L.A. In an interview on SiriusXM’s The Spotlight with Jessica Shaw, the 60-year-old actor floated the idea of a cameo appearance and described how he was on a Suits group chat when he was shocked to learned about the show’s record-breaking resurgence on streaming sites like Peacock from Gabriel Macht (Harvey Specter).

“We got a text, a chain text, from Gabriel Macht, who's the lead, and he just sent this text to everyone saying, ‘WTF.’”

After its successful eight-year run on USA Network, the hit series came back with a vengeance during the Hollywood strikes, becoming the most streamed show in 2023. Now, we’re in the midst of a full-fledged renaissance, with filming underway for Suits: L.A.

“I mean, there's a new Suits being produced right now, so I'm sure that we will be making cameos on it,” he said before joking, “I better be asked to make a cameo on the show 'cause we went on strike because we're not getting anything from that resurgence.”

On a more serious note, he added, “But I would love to make a cameo on the show.”

Who was Robert Zane on the original Suits?

Jessica Pearson and Robert Zane stand in an office in Suits Episode 504.

The show had a deep bench of veteran actors with recurring roles. Out of all of them, Robert Zane had one of the most dramatic exits, which would make his return all the more enticing. Pierce played a high-powered attorney who was the father of Meghan Markle’s character, Rachael Zane. He was also a mentor to Samantha Wheeler (Katherine Heigl), and his sudden departure shocked fans.

Season 8 ended with Zane sacrificing himself to save the firm. Harvey Specter was in danger of being disbarred for breaking attorney-client privilege, but Zane took responsibility instead and was subsequently disbarred. Why would he take the fall? Samantha was mugged in a previous episode, and he felt guilty for fabricating evidence to convict her attacker, who was later killed in jail.

He was “seeking redemption,” show creator Aaron Korsch told “Deadline” at the time, but there was also a real-life reason: scheduling conflicts.

“This is the only con to working with such a talented actor, that he is in demand,” said Korsch, adding, “I would like to see more of Robert Zane.”

So would we!

Catch all of Suits on Peacock now.