In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, Korsh revealed that his early concept was a show about “Hollywood dealmakers anchored by a former prosecutor-turned-agent,” which was partly inspired by someone he knew. Remnants of this are visible in the celebrity clientele and (often ridiculous) cases of Suits LA, particularly in the third episode that involves guest stars Patton Oswalt and Brian Baumgartner. But Korsh pivoted from his original plan and instead made this a drama about lawyers because of a note from the network, per the Times story. (Even the title was suggested by execs.)
Rinse and repeat is a frustratingly common trick in showbiz, yet some level of creative vision and coherence is required for it to work. Suits LA has none. The premiere is hard to get through as it haphazardly jumps between timelines to introduce its cocky protagonist, Ted Black (Stephen Amell). After a scandal 15 years ago in New York City, he’s escaped to the sunny West Coast and set up shop as an entertainment lawyer. There’s no real explanation as to why Ted goes from being a prosecutor taking down the mafia to representing the likes of John Amos and Denzel Washington. If we’re supposed to buy he’s just that cool, Amell’s stoic expressions and painful dialogue deliveries don’t do any of that selling. Ted works with his criminal-lawyer pal Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt), but their decades-long friendship is shattered when Stuart betrays Ted during a merger in the pilot.
Suits’ biggest draw was the endearing banter between Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and his protege, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), which the series premiere developed fairly quickly, along with and their respective legal skills. It was believable that Harvey trusted and hired him after a single conversation, putting his career on the line to hide Mike’s lack of a law degree. Suits LA, meanwhile, doesn’t gives us any reason whatsoever to care about Ted and Stuart’s bond. The pilot focuses on exposition dumps, random transitions, and loud acting from the miscast leads. Bryan Greenberg and Lex Scott Davis are marginally better as ambitious attorneys, but their subplots are equally ridiculous.
Suits LA can’t justify its existence, let alone feel like it’s part of a seemingly well-established TV show. So far, there’s only a mere mention of Harvey: Ted worked with him years ago at the DA’s office. (Macht’s character is confirmed to return for multiple episodes.) And it’s not like such a universe of legal dramas hasn’t been expanded before. CBS’s The Good Wife launched The Good Fight and Elsbeth, which both have direct and tenable connections to their flagship series. ABC’s The Practice similarly spawned Boston Legal. Of course, Dick Wolf has milked the Law & Order franchise on NBC itself to no end. Those shows, for the most part, had either assured tones or worthy ensembles. Suits LA doesn’t. Plus, Suits already has a failed spin-off. Remember Pearson?
In 2019, Korsh created that one-season-and-done drama with Gina Torres reprising her role as the audacious Jessica Pearson, who moved to Chicago to start a political career. Ratings for the show, which got mixed reviews, floundered and led to cancellation. If viewers didn’t stick around for one of Suits’ most intriguing figures, then monotonal characters like Ted, Stuart, Rick (Greenberg), and Erica (Davis) don’t have a fighting chance. It’s just proof that not everything that finds brief success after its over needs to be rebooted. Besides, the rewatch podcast by Adams and Sarah Rafferty already tapped into viewers’ nostalgia. In today’s TV landscape, this Suits is just a bad fit.
