‘Suits’ star Abigail Spencer talks about the show’s revival and cast lines

To take star Abigail Spencer was as surprised as anyone when the show took place in the US saw a resurgence in popularity over the summer. Chatting with ET’s Kevin Frazier from the set of her upcoming comedy sitcom, Extended familySpencer talks about the legal drama’s return to the spotlight and how she’s also looking forward to her latest project becoming a household name.

In July, Nielsen reported that the legal drama, which aired on USA Network between 2011 and 2019, set a streaming record from June 26 to July 2. To takewhich started streaming on Netflix on June 17 had 3.14 billion minutes of viewing time, setting the record for an acquired series. The record was previously held in the name of Manifestowhich had 2.49 billion viewing minutes between June 14 and June 20, 2021, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition to topping the number of viewers on the list of acquired shows for the given week, To take also topped the overall list. The witcher came in second with 1.31 billion viewing minutes, and The bear rounded out the top three with 1.01 billion minutes.

Spencer tells ET she had no idea the show had reached the streaming milestone until the cast group chat alerted her.

“I was actually in Europe at the time, walking around, and suddenly everyone knew my first and last name,” she recalls. “And I was like, what, what’s going on? And so I was in a text message chain with the cast, and they were like, ‘We’re the number one show in the world.’ And it was also during the strike, so we couldn’t talk about it. We couldn’t promote the show. And it was really interesting how this new wave of streaming and shows could come back. It was crazy.”

To take premiered in June 2011 on USA Network and aired 134 episodes over nine seasons. The last episode aired in September 2019. The series starred Gabriel Macht (Harvey Spectre), Patrick J Adams (Mike Ross), Meghan Markle (Rachel Zane), Sarah Rafferty (Donna Paulsen), Rick Hoffman (Louis Litt) and Torres (Jessica Pearson), and it centers on Mike – quite literally – who stumbles into one of the most powerful law firms in Manhattan thanks to his photographic memory.

Spencer appeared in several episodes, mainly throughout season 3. She played Dana J. Scott, JD, a former senior partner at Pearson Specter and Harvey Specter’s ex-girlfriend.

“The role was actually made for me, and I hadn’t seen the show yet; it was already being shot. And so the casting director sent me the pilot and said, ‘Check it out,’ because I wasn’t sure if I could do it do it or don’t do it. And when I saw it, I was like, I literally called my agent. I said, ‘I think this Crazy men for lawyers, I think there’s something very special going on here,” Spencer says. “So, you know, great that they found it now.”

While the actress looks back on the beloved American series fondly, she is even more excited about her fans diving into her upcoming NBC series. Extended family.

The sitcom created by Mike O’Malley follows Jim (Jon Cryer) and Julia (Spencer) after an amicable divorce, where they decide to raise their children in the family home while they take turns deciding who gets to stay with them. Navigating the waters of divorce and child sharing becomes more complicated for Jim when Trey (Donald Faison), the owner of his favorite sports team, enters the picture and wins Julia’s heart.

The cast also includes Sofia Capanna and Finn Sweeney, with O’Malley serving as showrunner and executive producer. Cryer, Tom Werner, Wyc Grousbeck, Emilia Fazzalari, George Geyer, Victor Levin, Victoria Morrow and James Widdoes also serve as executive producers.

ET’s chat with Spencer was joined by co-stars Cryer and Faison, who reveal that the show has been in the works for longer than people might expect.

“We’ve been together for two years now,” Faison says, while Cryer adds that the cast “shot the pilot of this show almost two years ago.

“It’s taken a crazy winding path. And you know, we all love it so much, and we all care about it so much,” Cryer adds. “And we finally got to shoot some of them, we were like, ‘Yes!’ And then strike [happened.] So we couldn’t be more excited that America is finally getting the chance to see it.”

Although Cryer and Faison are veterans of comedies and sitcoms, that’s true Spencer’s first real entry into the genre. The Timeless alum says she’s more than ready to show fans what she’s made of and delve into a new perspective on families.

“What I like about the show, what we like about the show, is that we show that there can be another way to divorce. You know, there can be a way for exes to be best friends, and if you meet someone new and you have an extended family and a blended family, how could you do that really well,” she tells ET. “And [it’s] full of shit and emotion and authentic feelings towards each other and the ability to express yourself and talk about it, and I’ve never seen anything like it on TV.”

When describing the series, Spencer says the show’s middle family is “in it together.” We all make sure it works. There is a system and you see its weaknesses and also its triumphs. I think what’s really nice about our characters is the very successful in their lives and very, you know, really able to put the kids first, but I would say our most childlike qualities come out when the children are not there when we have to deal with each other, which is always very bad. nice for comedy.”

If someone who has mainly worked on dramas, Spencer talks about the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience, which she tells ET brings a different energy to the show. “I’ve never done that before, so this is the first time I’ve done that and the energy comes in and people come and feel that, and it’s really a joy. It’s really a joy.”

Fans can join in the fun when Extended family premieres Saturday, December 23 on NBC, with new weekly episodes on Tuesday, January 2. All episodes will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.