‘Pearson’ Premiere Countdown – Murtz Jaffer Interviews Isabel Arraiza On The Set Of ‘Pearson’

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With one chapter closing, another is ready for its first page to be turned.

Suits is undoubtedly one of the best dramas on TV. I was first introduced to the show in 2011 when I was part of an online team of journalists invited to visit the set in Toronto. While legal dramas are commonplace on network television, the chemistry between leads Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams was what elevated the show into being one of the most smartly written programs on TV.

Now as one of USA’s staples is ready to take its final bow with the final season of the show kicking off on Wednesday, the network known for its original programming is ready to welcome its next act with Pearson, the highly-anticipated Suits spin-off.

Pearson follows disbarred New York City lawyer Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) as she navigates her new life in Chicago. Hoping for a fresh start, it doesn’t take the former Pearson-Spectre figurehead long to get adjusted to the down and dirty politics of her new city as she lands a new gig as the fixer for Chicago Mayor Bobby Novak (Morgan Spector). Known for her win-at-all-costs attitude, Jessica must manage her innate desire to win with her compulsion to always do the right thing.

The new series features a relatively young new cast including Simon Kassianides (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Eli Goree (Riverdale), and Isabel Arraiza (The Oath).

In December, I had the chance to visit the set of Pearson, nine years after I first visited the set of its predecessor. I was excited to see if history would repeat itself. if Aaron Korsh, Daniel Arkin and Dough Liman would be able to capture the same magic and if this show would be just as well-written and produced as Suits is.

In December, I had the chance to visit the set of Pearson. It is the highly-anticipated ‘Suits’ spin-off series. While there, I caught up with Isabel Arraiza. She opened up about how excited she was to land her first series regular role as Yoli Castillo (Jessica Pearson’s assistant). Isabel opened up about her on-set relationship with Gina Torres and how this plays out in front of the camera as well. The actress also told me the story about why it was important to both her and Gina that the role of Yoli go to a Latin actress. We also talked about how current Pearson in the way in which it tackles the hot-button issues of the day including a dreamer storyline about immigration.

Check out the video above!

‘Pearson’ premieres Wednesday July 17 at 10/9c on USA Network.

Murtz Jaffer is the world's foremost reality television expert and was the host of Reality Obsessed which aired on the TVTropolis and Global Reality Channels in Canada. He has professional writing experience at the Toronto Sun, National Post, TV Guide Canada, TOROMagazine.com and was a former producer at Entertainment Tonight Canada. He was also the editor at Weekendtrips.com.