‘Suits’ season 4, episode 4: Why is there no new episode tonight?

Once “Suits” starts a chunk of new episodes, it is pretty fair to assume that they are going to finish them out for at least the eight-week run or so. After all, isn’t this just what they do the vast majority of the time?

So with that in mind, we understand the combination of sadness / frustration you may be feeling now thanks to the reveal that there is in fact no new episode airing on USA tonight. Sad? We understand, since we feel the exact same way. We would’ve loved to see a little more of Mike and Harvey on the screen tonight.

So what is the reason for the lack of a new episode? There are really two different ways that you can answer that, but we’ll start with the most obvious: Blame the 4th of July holiday. This is a time when people go on vacations (or just out to barbecues), and watching TV no longer is at the forefront of their mind. We understand that, and in that sense, it’s better for shows to take this week off if they are concerned about losing viewers. (Granted, USA should not be as worried, given that they do have viewers with DVR machines and the repeat episodes.)

The other reason probably matters almost as much to this network in particular: They want to stretch the episodes out for most of the summer. In trimming a week off that would produce a slightly lower rating, they can keep the meat of the show that so many love around a little while longer.

So while you wait, we suggest heading over here and watching the promo for this upcoming episode next week. Also, sign up to get some more TV scoop via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: USA