Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle Made a ‘Terrible’ TV Pilot Before ‘Suits’

Before Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle were Mike Ross and Rachel Zane on Suits, the two apparently did a pilot together that did not turn out so well. While the two starred on the USA Network legal drama for the first seven seasons, they initially were set to star in a different series that never made it past the pilot stage. Via Deadline, Adams recalled to co-star Sarah Rafferty on their Sidebar that he and the now-Duchess of Sussex “had done a pilot before, a terrible, terrible pilot together” before landing Suits.

“There was a setting up of a romantic relationship in that particular pilot, too, and then we never saw each other again,” Adams shared. “The pilot failed, it was terrible and went away. So we had never seen each other or spoken to each other again.” That is, until Suits rolled around, and they saw each other at callbacks. Adams continued, “I was in there because I was the first to be cast for the show, so when I went in to do the chemistry reads with Rachel, she was right there. And she said, ‘Hi.’ And I went, ‘Oh my god! So good to see you.’”

“And so, I think our just knowing each other and just getting to calm down and not have those nerves of just getting to know one another, really helped that chemistry read,” Adams said. “And it was just clear that we had an easy-going thing when we went into that room. And it was pretty clear, if I remember correctly, that she was gonna get the part from the minute that we did the chemistry read. It was just so much easier than it was with anybody else.”

While the initial pilot Adams and Markle did together failed terribly, fate brought them back together for Suits, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Mike and Rachel. They both exited the series at the end of Season 7 after their characters got married and moved to Seattle since Markle was set for royal duties with her impending marriage to Prince Harry. Adams, however, did make a special appearance in the ninth and final season. It’s a good thing that terrible pilot ended up not going to series because who knows how different Suits would have been without Adams and Markle.