"Suits" has officially been renewed for an eighth season, but it's going to continue without its two biggest stars.

USA announced on Tuesday that the legal drama would be back for another round, and also made the news official that Patrick J. Adams would be departing. Rumors first surfaced back in November that the actor and costar Meghan Markle would be leaving the show after the end of the current seventh season; USA had previously confirmed Markle's departure, since she'll be busy being royalty, but Adams's exit wasn't a sure thing until now.

Though it wasn't entirely unexpected that "Suits" would get renewed, it's still a little surprising, considering the upcoming nuptials between Adams and Markle's characters, Mike and Rachel, would be a fitting series finale. (Not to mention losing both Adams and Markle would certainly leave a gaping hole in the cast.) But the series is forging on, with Dule Hill promoted to series regular for season eight.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Adams also left the door open for a potential return to the show sometime in the future. But for now, the actor said he would be enjoying an extended break before seeing where his career takes him next.

"I've loved and cherished my time on this show and the past seven years have been some of the most challenging and transformational years of my entire life," Adams told THR. "I owe a huge debt to the whole cast, crew, everybody at USA Network and at [producers] Hypnotic and Universal Cable Productions. If it felt like it was the appropriate thing to bring Mike back for a big goodbye then that's something I could be open to. But hopefully I'll be too busy at that point to be able to do it, and then I'll have to figure it out."

Season seven of "Suits" returns for its final eight episodes on March 28 on USA. The two-hour season finale, featuring the final appearance of Adams and Markle, is set for April 25.

[via: The Hollywood Reporter]