Words: Jonathan Wells
Button up your waistcoats, law lovers! Because Suits is back – and this time, the legal drama has landed in Los Angeles. After the original New-York-set series (which ran from 2011 to 2019) hit Netflix last year and became the most-streamed show of 2023, the powers-that-be gave the green light for a spin-off.
Helmed by original-series creator Aaron Korsh – who already attempted a Suits spin-off in 2019 with the ill-fated Pearson – Suits: L.A. has seen the franchise’s three longstanding producers return, and has already been granted a full-series order, before the pilot even airs. Its episodes will be around 45 minutes in length and it will begin airing on 23 February on NBC. Here’s everything you need to know about Suits: L.A…
Where is Suits: L.A. set?
It doesn’t take Harvey Specter to work this one out. While the original show was set in New York (but filmed in Toronto), Suits: L.A. will take its legal proceedings to the West Coast and follow a law firm in California (this time, the show filmed some scenes in Vancouver).
Keen fans will remember that Specter (more below) and his wife/COO, Donna Paulsen, quit the firm of Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett at the end of the final season and relocated to Seattle to work at a legal-aid clinic with former mentee Mike Ross.
That means a chunk of the original team is now also on the West Coast, which could justify (remember, more below!) some much-anticipated guest appearances. Also, both Specter and Louis Litt showed up in Pearson, so – to use an appropriately legal term – there’s a precedent for crossovers.
Which actors will star in Suits: L.A.?
A new show means a new ensemble cast, and Arrow alum Stephen Amell is the man at the centre of Suits: L.A. Described as “a former federal prosecutor from New York,” his character is named Ted Black and has crossed the country to reinvent himself and represent some of the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. Think of him as Harvey Specter 2.0 (though sadly, it seems, without the waistcoats).
Rounding out the cast is Walking Dead actor Josh McDermitt playing Stuart Lane, a razor-sharp but self-absorbed attorney who heads up the central firm, which is called Black Lane Law. Newcomer Lex Scott Davis plays Erica Rollins, “a savvy and strong-willed rising star who works for Ted Black,” and One Tree Hill’s Bryan Greenberg will be Rick Dodsen, Black’s protégé (think of him as Mike Ross 2.0).
Patrick J. Adams, who played Mike Ross 1.0, recently told Entertainment Tonight: “If we got the phone call, if I got the phone call, I’m ready to suit up again”. And, in November, Gabriel Macht revealed on his Instagram that Harvey Specter will guest-star in a three-episode arc. The only other guest actor currently announced is Roots icon John Amos who, in similar fashion to his cameo in 2019’s Uncut Gems, will be playing a heightened version of himself.
What will Suits: L.A. be about?
Expect more of the same – double-crossing! Moral predicaments! Underhand deals! – but soaked in a little more sunshine. Suits: L.A. is set in the same universe as the original, but the new choice of city suggests there may be more storylines concerning the entertainment industry. Black himself is allegedly based on top Hollywood power-broker Ted Chervin. Here’s the official synopsis:
“Ted Black’s firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career. He 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.”
It’s a tantalising teaser, and one we hope leads us to a show as well-constructed – and well-dressed – as the original. Only one question remains: can its theme song top the ‘Greenback Boogie’?
Want more TV content? Here’s what to watch on Netflix in December…
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