The legal drama, the final survivor from USA’s old “characters wanted” days, returns to the air Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, and spends its first night getting its new lineup in order.

With the departure of Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht, top) is taking over as managing partner of the law firm Pearson Specter Little, from whence all the show’s action emanates.

Oddly enough, the confident and sometimes overconfident Harvey feels some hesitation about stepping into her pumps.

This curious surge of doubt impacts his latest romantic relationship, though he’s still a lot better off than poor Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), who just got dumped by his fiancé Tara (Carly Pope).

Louis has never had much control over his emotions, so he takes out his frustration on the firm’s new legal associates in ways that would provoke extensive harassment lawsuits in real life.

Meanwhile, Donna (Sarah Rafferty, left) takes a deep breath and asks to become a partner in the firm. This isn’t what the other partners usually hear from a secretary, so she doesn’t get an immediate answer.

She does, however, point out that she has basically held the place together, not to mention holding Harvey and Louis together, for the past ten years.

And hey, one of the main premises of the whole series is that Harvey hired a guy who wasn’t a lawyer to practice law.

So what’s the problem with bringing someone who’s not a lawyer to the partner table of a law firm?

As for that guy who wasn’t a lawyer, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams, below), viewers will remember that Mike finally got busted and thrown in jail last year for that little oversight.

When he got out, he swore he was finished with corporate law and took a gig with a scrappy little clinic that helps people who have been victims of injustice and need lawyers but can’t afford them.  

Harvey has been pressing him to come back, however, and as this season opens, he’s hoping Mike has finally run out of noes.

The one relationship that seems to have remained stable is that Mike is still engaged to Rachel (Meghan Markle). Hooray for love.

If the first episode of the new season is an indication, Suits itself may have downsized in proportion to the downsizing of Pearson Specter Litt.

It has always been a show with a large number of characters who pop in and out. So it will be interesting to see if, once everyone’s new position is established, Suits focuses more on this smaller core of characters.

It remains an enjoyable, fast-paced tale of characters we like. It’s also true, though, that the characters are moving toward the places we’ve wanted them to go, and that often means a show sees the finish line ahead.

If so, the history of Suits suggests its last laps will be worth watching.