Photo Credit: NBC
In a universe where spin-offs and reboots are king on television, Suits LA arrives as the latest attempt to carry on the torch of a favorite series. As the original Suits has been revived on Netflix, creator Aaron Korsh attempts to replicate the magic by adding a West Coast twist on high-tension legal drama. Sadly, for as much familiarity as it presents, Suits LA can’t stand alone on its own, with uninteresting characters, a disconnected plot, and a premise that fails to be memorable.
Suits LA introduces us to Ted Black (Stephen Amell), a former federal prosecutor who is tormented by a dark past. Now a partner at Black Lane, a law firm he runs with Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt) in Los Angeles, Ted is reluctantly drawn into a murder defense case—something he promised to avoid. The firm is embroiled in a tumultuous merger, while its attorneys—Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis) and Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg)—battle for control of its entertainment division. In the midst of this, Ted’s past comes back to haunt him, disrupting his newly restored life.
Though this setup reminds one of Suits’ melodrama at high stakes, the show is marred by the absence of those compelling character dynamics that made the original series work. The quick-witted, high-octane dynamics between Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) were the heart of Suits. In this one, there is no such chemistry. Ted Black is a flat lead, and the rest of the cast fail to make an impression.
One of Suits LA’s greatest mistakes is its excessive reliance on flashbacks. Too much of the show is spent on Ted’s past in New York, with viewers forced to follow two timelines without really being invested in either. The start of the show doesn’t get off to a flying start, frequently interrupted by scenes that tell us backstory but lack emotional resonance. The pilot, Seven Days a Week and Twice on Sunday, is similarly unfocused, with awkward dialogue and an unnecessary twist that is gimmicky rather than suspenseful.
Whereas Suits LA tries to make its own niche by focusing on entertainment law, this hook does not bring much new to the table. The show ultimately is just a generic legal show with Suits branding instead of something new and innovative. Despite having guest stars in the form of well-known actors such as Patton Oswalt and the late John Amos, the series relies too heavily on nostalgia without bringing a great new story to the table.
Reboots and spin-offs work best when they homage their original material but then diverge on their own. Suits LA doesn’t do either. Instead, it’s a weak effort to catch the Suits revival wave without the smart writing, engaging characters, and efficient storytelling that made the first one such a hit. For die-hard Suits fans, this new iteration is more disappointment than triumphant return to the courtroom.
Suits LA premiered on February 23 on NBC, with the new episodes every week on Sundays.
