Everyone’s favorite legal drama franchise, Suits, is back with a brand-new spinoff series, Suits: LA, and fans couldn’t be more elated. Albeit the absence of the fan-favorite duo of dapper hunks Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Mike Ross (Patrick J.Adams) — who carried the weight of the show on their perfectly broad shoulders — the fresh faces and exciting new storylines showcase immense potential to leave you just as hooked as the original. Suits also released another spinoff, Pearson, based on Gina Torres’s character, which was canceled after ten episodes. Although Suits: LA will be set in the same universe, it will be far from a carbon copy of Suits, with a plethora of different angles giving it a unique character of its own.
News of the upcoming spinoff Suits: LA came shortly after the existing show gained immense traction on Netflix in June 2023 — nearly four years after its finale. The original Suits centers around the story of college dropout Mike Ross, who used his street-smart abilities to gain the opportunity to work as a law associate for acclaimed attorney Harvey Specter at a renowned corporate law firm in New York, Pearson Hardman. We see the duo winning lawsuits and closing cases while simultaneously keeping Mike’s secret under wraps across nine seasons of the show. The question arises: will Suits: LA follow a similar trajectory? Let’s find out!
It Will Follow Brand New Characters, But Will There Be Newer Character Dynamics
Fans of the original Suits can agree that the characters were arguably the best thing about the series, making it more than just a forgettable legal drama and more of a wholesome Sunday binge. Archs like Harvey and Donna’s (Sarah Rafferty) budding chemistry over the years and Mike and Rachel’s (Meghan Markle) rocky relationship brought a certain lightness to the show — which could have otherwise been pinned as a more serious watch. With nine seasons under its belt, Suits has had a wildly successful formula for maintaining this balance, and it works.
So naturally, we’d expect the spinoff to follow the original too and touch upon the character dynamics and personal lives of the fresh cast to uphold the equilibrium that made Suits the addictive series it is. Essentially Suits: LA must provide audiences with enthralling character arcs and nuanced takes on their personal lives while preventing overlaps with pre-existing plots from the original series. Expectations are soaring for Ted Black (Stephen Amell) to be a headstrong protagonist with a personality unlike anyone else in the Suits Universe, mainly to prevent his character from being cast as a Harvey replica.
Stephen Amell’s Ted Black Was Once Also a Prosecutor in New York Like Harvey Specter
Stephen Amell is all set to play the titular role of Ted Black in Suits LA — with viewers already drawing comparisons between him and Gabriel Macht’s Harvey Specter. The spinoff show will explore brand-new themes and storylines while keeping the franchise’s essence intact, so audiences can expect Ted Black to hold his own and not attempt to rise from Harvey’s shadow. The two characters are already vastly different, with Amell’s character being a co-founder rather than a senior partner like Harvey. However, the two do share a common history of being prosecutors in New York.
With the prevalent difference in the hierarchy, aspects such as tensions between Harvey and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) and the managing partner battles will not be expected to take center stage in the upcoming spinoff. Rather, Ted Black’s character can draw parallels with Jessica Pearson, thereby presenting viewers with an all-new character dynamic and perspective in the impending spinoff. As co-founder, Ted Black will be closely associated with cases pertaining to all the characters on the show, which was not the case with Harvey, who served as Senior Partner with ambitions of his own. It will also be engrossing to watch the work chemistry between Ted Black and his partner Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt) — different from the one between Harvey and Mike.
Fans Would Want It to Be Much More Than Just Managing Partner Battles Part 2
Suits and Suits: LA are both legal dramas within the same franchise, but that’s where we can draw the line for similarities between the two. Even though viewers fight the urge to draw comparisons between the characters in the original and the spinoff, the premise of both shows could not be more different. Suits: LA is set to revolve around entertainment law in Los Angeles rather than the world of corporate law in The Big Apple like its predecessor, Suits.
Suits: LA will follow its protagonist, Ted Black, a former prosecutor from New York who now represents the most influential clients in LA after reinventing himself when he moved to the West Coast 15 years ago to start his own company. The show will revolve around his firm, Black Lane Law, and a talented group of associates who will be tested on their loyalties to Ted and each other, all while details of his haunting past gradually come to light. While it’s clear that the character dynamics will be different — we’d ideally want the plot to take shelter under more nuances than just founder/managing partner battles whenever (and if) things go south! Also, check out this one factor that made the original Suits so popular.
Follow Us
