Here's the deal ... Patrick Adams, Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty and Gina Torres all came together onstage Sunday during the broadcast while presenting an award for a TV show -- and at first, it was just PA and GM up there joking about the series getting their due.

Of course, "Suits" has had a huge resurgence lately now that it's streaming .. so the joke went over well and got a big laugh. Eventually, the ladies came out as surprise guests.

It made for a cool moment for fans of the show -- but, frankly, Meg's absence was absolutely felt and many were bummed she skipped out -- y'know, seeing how she was a huge character before meeting/marrying Prince Harry, and stepping away from Hollywood.

You could argue Meg might've been busy and that her no-show wasn't necessarily reflective of her current relationship with her former cast members -- however, another revealing nugget about the current state of things for "Suits" surfaced even before the show started.

Gina was doing an interview with Variety beforehand, and she got asked if she and her "Suits" costars talk very much. As it turns out, they have a group chat ... but MM ain't on it.

As GT says here ... they simply don't have her number anymore -- and didn't elaborate.

Again, this in and of itself isn't a smoking gun of a fractured relationship, per se, but it is interesting for sure. By all accounts, it sounds like Meg is kinda in her own world now.

Thing is ... since she and Harry are trying to build their own fortune/pave their own path post-Royal split, ya gotta wonder if she's seriously considering a comeback in showbiz as a way to make ends meet. If she is, this would've been a great opportunity to dip her toe back in.

Unfortunately, she didn't take it ... so it remains to be seen if Meg's gonna really act again.

We'll say this ... she's got a big fan base from "Suits," and they'd love to see her back in the lawyers' office if she was inclined. There's been talk of a possible reboot -- and that door hasn't been more wide open than it is right now.