Those who watched Suits during its original USA Network run (and those who are also somehow not Netflix devotees) might wonder why NBCUniversal is resurrecting the franchise for a new spin off. After all, the Pearson spin off (starring Gina Torres) only lasted for a single season. Yet the original series did sustain interest for nine seasons, and last year was the Summer of Suits on Netflix, perhaps due in part to Meghan Markle fascination. Clearly, there’s also overall interest and a new audience for this world.
NBCUniversal must believe that the record-breaking streaming numbers bode well for Suits to be invigorated enough to sustain a new entry. As such, NBC filmed a pilot and recently greenlit a full season for Suits: LA in the fine tradition of prime time legal/procedural spin offs that have found great success moving the action to a new city. Let’s talk about what could come from this addition to the primetime roster:
Plot
Once upon a time, showrunner Aaron Korsch hoped that Suits would become “something in the tone of Entourage that took place on Wall Street.” Little did he know that, over a decade later, Suits would eclipse that show to a level that a spin off (Pearson, based in Chicago rather than New York) would be ordered after another had (unsuccessfully) came and went.
As mentioned above, that show missed the mark with the original audience, but perhaps a more dramatic change of venue can help keep this franchise going for a longer haul. Fortunately, Suits: LA will not only take the legal-soap-operatic action to the West Coast but will also branch into a location-appropriate area(s) of law. The spin off’s leading men will also take on very different roles than their former series that made them famous.
As shown above, Stephen Amell (Heels, Arrow) will portray Ted Black, a New York transplant in LA (let’s hope that he knows Harvey Specter, originally portrayed by Gabriel Macht). He will launch a sure-to-be-in-demand firm for entertainment and criminal law clientele with the help of Josh McDermitt’s (The Walking Dead) Stewart Lane. The synopsis reveals how they will enter the story in “crisis” mode:
Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York, has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career. Ted is surrounded by a stellar group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other while they can’t help but mix their personal and professional lives. All of this is going on while events from years ago slowly unravel that led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.
Of this new turn in his career, Ameell declared to People, “It’s something very new and different for me – talky-talky, not punchy-punchy.” He subsequently added, according to Deadline, that he had “a pilot script with more words per page than I have said in my entire career, by a factor of five.” He did clarify that this spin off is definitely “going to have that Suits feel.” Of course, Amell also admitted to never watching Suits until he secured the LA role, so hopefully, his sizing up of the spin off is on point, given that he now calls himself a “big fan and just glad I get to be a part of the world.”
Will there be any cameos from the original cast in at least minor roles? These secrets will likely remain under wraps until promotion time, but here’s to hoping that somebody familiar to this universe — Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres? — will make an appearance. For his part, Adams insisted that he is “ready to suit up again,” if that’s the way that Aaron Korsh wants to go. Surely, NBC won’t want to completely ignore that opportunity for extra ratings juice.
Cast
Amell remains in leading-man mode with his law partner, Stuart Lane, portrayed by Josh McDermitt. The supporting cast includes Victoria Justice, Lex Scott Davis, Rachelle Goulding, John Amos, Troy Winbush, Bryan Greenberg, Kevin Weistman, and Alice Lee.
Release Date
Although Suits: LA has shot a pilot and been confirmed for a series order, NBCUniversal hasn’t clarified whether this spin off will surface in 2024 or (more likely) 2025.
Trailer
No trailer yet. However, the original cast is now beginning to rival the Community cast with the number of times they have been asked about reviving their magic.
