The Real Reason Suits Killed Louis Litt's Secretary Norma

"Suits" is a Netflix record-breaking success story that remains popular among fans, despite ending back in 2019. In fact, the legal drama had such an impact that people still talk about Norma, Louis Litt's (Rick Hoffman) mysterious assistant who doesn't actually appear on-screen throughout the series. Unfortunately, she meets her unexpected demise in Season 4, passing away while taking care of her sister. However, series creator Aaron Korsh has explained that Norma's death was envisioned as a way to get another character to serve as Louis' assistant.

"It popped into one of our heads. We had wanted Donna to leave Harvey for Louis, and Norma dying, and it breaking Louis into pieces seemed like a good way to make that happen," Korsh explained to Yahoo in 2015. "It just all seemed to work together to further cement Donna and Louis' relationship in the wake of Donna being so upset about Harvey. And you see at that funeral, when Louis was like, 'He doesn't even know how lucky he is to have you,' and she turns, and Harvey's not even there, she realizes she's got to finish with this thing."

While Litt moved on, he kept his assistant's ashes in an urn in his office, so in a way, she remained with him during his work days. Ironically, this also gives the character more screen time on "Suits."

Norma's passing probably won't go down in history as one of the saddest TV deaths of all time. After all, fans didn't even get to see the character, let alone establish an emotional connection with her. However, her death is oddly funny, as her urn is visible on Louis Litt's death throughout the rest of the series, and that's the closest thing we get to a physical manifestation of his former assistant.

As of this writing, Aaron Korsh hasn't explained the "Suits" creators' decision not to cast an actor to play Norma, but it continues the age-old television trope of characters who don't appear on the screen, made famous by persons such as Maris on "Frasier" and the President on "Veep." Her omission also highlights just how insignificant she's viewed in the corporate world in general, even though Louis Litt was affected by her passing to some degree.

Not all deaths are treated as throwaway gags in the legal drama, however, as "Suits" Season 9 boasts a death that's very important. Still, the gag surrounding Norma's is relevant in its own way.