Summary

• Harvey dated a few women before marrying Donna, but his primary focus on Suits was his corporate battles with Mike.
• Suits delved into character dynamics by exploring personal lives, showing Harvey's struggle with emotional closeness.
• The show introduced romantic interests like Zoe, Esther, and Paula to showcase different facets of Harvey's character.

Before marrying Donna, Harvey had several girlfriends in Suits, and one was even supposed to be the person he would originally end up with. Suits' primary appeal was its office drama, so Harvey and Mike's relationship was the series' focal point in its early years. In an attempt to diversify its storytelling and develop character dynamics, Suits explored the personal lives of characters. This offered those who weren't fans of the corporate law aspect of the USA Network project something else to be invested in.

Part of ensuring that its characters are fully fleshed out was taking a peek at their personal lives. Because he was emotionally closed off, delving into Harvey's arc beyond his work was tricky in Suits' first few years. While Suits' focused on developing Mike and Rachel's romance, Harvey was more interested in ensuring he won every corporate battle. This doesn't mean he never had romances, but as a lawyer in New York City, it's surprising that he only dated a handful of women before he married Donna.

Where to Stream Suits

5 Zoe Lawford Dated Harvey Before The Show Started

Played By Jacinda Barrett

Played by Gabriel Macht's real-life wife, Jacinda Barrett, Zoe Lawford first made an appearance in Suits season 2, episode 7, "Sucker Punch." Zoe's ties to Pearson Hardman predated the events of the drama. Five years before Mike arrived at the firm, Zoe was working at the company as a senior associate, and during that time, she developed a flirtatious relationship with Harvey but they had a falling out when Harvey prioritized his work at the firm instead of grieving the death of his father.

When she re-emerged as one of the recruited jury consultants for the memo case fraud, the pair started to rekindle their romance and Harvey seemed genuinely happy about their paths crossing again. For a while, it did seem like Suits was going to stick to their story longer. However, Zoe's decision to relocate due to her dying brother effectively ended their relationship. Still secretly dealing with his abandonment issues, Harvey unfortunately just let her go.

4 Esther Litt Was Louis's Sister

Played By Amy Acker

Harvey and Louis' relationship in Suits was complicated. There was already a rivalry between them, a competition that resulted in betrayals throughout the show. It didn't help that Jessica preferred Harvey to Louis, and she had no issues making that known. When Louis' sister developed a romantic fling with Harvey, things became much more complex. Introduced in Suits season 5, Louis' sister called for help as she went through an ugly divorce. However, this led to her spending the night with Harvey.

Harvey and Esther didn't have any romantic relationship beyond sharing one night together. Despite Esther's attempt to pursue their attraction, Harvey sternly turned her down. He was already feeling guilty about betraying Louis by sleeping with his sister and he also didn't want to seem like he was taking advantage of a newly-divorced vulnerable woman. Brief as their dalliance may be, it was still a significant narrative in Suits because of how it impacted Harvey and Louis' relationship.

3 Paula Agard Was A Doctor Who Helped Harvey

Played By Christina Cole

In Suits season 7, Harvey started having panic attacks after Donna left him for Louis. It triggered his abandonment issues, and while he tried to deal with it quietly, it eventually became too much for him to handle alone. This forced him to seek help, paving the way for the introduction of Dr. Paula Agard. Initially, her relationship with Harvey was professional, but as they saw each other more regularly through his sessions, the pair started developing a mutual attraction towards each other.

Harvey and Paula's relationship was the most controversial pairing in Suits.

ittedly, Harvey and Paula's relationship was the most controversial pairing in Suits. Their romance was deemed inappropriate, considering how they first came together. Their connection inevitably ended when Paula finally confronted Harvey about his real feelings for Donna. Asking him to choose between him and his secretary marked the end of their affair.

2 Dana Scott Was At Harvard With Harvey

Played By Abigail Spencer

In season 1, Suits focused on its core cast, knowing they were the backbone of the legal drama. It still introduced a handful of recurring characters, including Dana Scott. Despite not being part of the Pearson, Hardman firm, Scott immediately became a standout thanks to her unique relationship with Harvey. Like Zoe, the pair's history predates the events of Suits as they were in the same Harvard Law School class. There was professional rivalry between them, but they were attracted to each other.

Scott was supposedly Harvey's endgame romantic partner in Suits, per show creator Aaron Korsh. It isn't difficult to imagine that this was the case, considering how much focus the show put on their dynamic in earlier seasons of the legal drama. It was also great to see Harvey competing with someone who can go toe-to-toe with him on a professional level. Unfortunately, after a series of work conflicts, made complicated by Harvey's internal issues, their romance just fell through.

1 Donna Paulsen Was Harvey's End Game

Played By Sarah Rafferty

Harvey and Donna's potential to be a couple was clear from the get-go. Despite being his long-time secretary, they were more partners than a boss and employee. Donna could speak freely, and most importantly, she could call him out when he was out of line. Her loyalty had been unparalleled, as she had proven many times. Despite Suits waiting until season 8 to bring Donna and Harvey together, their backstory established that they always had romantic feelings for each other, they just didn't entertain them.

The show's narrative essentially hindered them from bringing them together right away

This also allowed the legal drama to partner them up with other people, until they finally realize that they were meant to be together. ittedly, Suits could have easily partnered them up early on and had the show done it, there would have been more romantic scenes between the pair. However, the show's narrative essentially hindered them from bringing them together right away.