"Suits LA" has been one of the shows I've most looked forward to streaming for a long time.
I've been a fan of Aaron Korsh's original legal drama since I stumbled across it on TV during its run on USA. "Suits" was a frothy, binge-worthy mix of legal chatter, relationship drama, and deeper secrets that played out across the glitzy offices of New York City that I've fondly revisited in the years since it came to an end.
It then reemerged in the pop culture sphere after being added to Netflix in 2023, where it suddenly became the show of the summer and easily the streaming service's most popular library title. With that kind of success, it was clear there was an appetite for more. Enter: "Suits LA".
Fast forward to now, and "Suits LA" is almost upon us. Ahead of the season premiere on NBC and Peacock, I had the chance to watch rough cuts of the first three episodes. Below, I've pulled together my thoughts on whether you should tune in for "Suits LA", or whether you should stream something else instead.
'What is 'Suits LA' about?
The drama in "Suits LA" revolves around Ted Black (Stephen Amell), a former federal prosecutor from New York who has since reinvented himself in Los Angeles and now represents some high-profile clients.
We meet him when his firm's in crisis, and he's forced to embrace a role he's held in contempt for his entire career to survive. And as if solving a crisis wasn't enough, across the series, we also learn about the fraught events that led Ted to abandon everything and everyone that he loved years ago.
Ted's surrounded by a talented group of characters, but in classic "Suits" fashion, they all test their loyalties to both Ted and one another as they can't help but mix their personal and professional lives.
Verdict: 'Suits LA' is more knockoff than knockout
Even with this small selection of episodes at hand, it's easy to connect at least some of the characters back to their "Suits" forebears, and "Suits LA" is clearly striving for the same sort of cocksure, brassy tone, just with the action playing out on the other side of the country.
Striving for the same flavor of drama sounds like a recipe for success, right? What made "Suits" so fun was that mix of personal and professional drama, after all. Well, I'm sorry to say that I came away from my viewing with the opinion that "Suits LA" felt like a cheap knock-off of a well-tailored original.
Mild spoilers for "Suits LA" episodes 1-3 below
The writing's not nearly as sharp or as fun and the dialogue at times ranges from hokey to downright cringe-inducing. Likewise, this pivot to a new branch of law might have helped define the show as more of its own beast, but it also hasn't served up stories worth caring about ... just yet.
The season-long arcs are somewhat intriguing, but the subplots have thus far felt like bland distractions, and the rivalries just lack the energy that was evident from the jump between, say, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman). It's too early to say if there's a romance worth rooting for like the one between Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle).
And, as much as I was ready to welcome another "Suits" lead into my viewing life, Stephen Amell just doesn't have the magnetic swagger that Macht had. That's not to say he's putting in a bad performance; indeed, most of the cast are generally doing decent work — most of the time — but they've just got muddled, lower-quality material to work with.
The worst problem, though, is simply how episodes are structured, or rather, how they seemingly lack structure. From the jump, you've got a LOT to keep up with — your new ensemble, their relationships, clients, personal histories — and it's all just thrown at you, with very little breathing room.
Before you can wrap your head around what's going on, cases and revelations begin piling up and you're also seeing flashbacks to Ted's past life. It's all a bit much for the opening episodes, even viewed back-to-back, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of viewers come away from the season premiere feeling at least confused, rather than enthused.
There is a bright side, though; the third episode was easily the strongest of the three available for review. It feels somewhat more assured. And even if weaknesses are very much still present, it at least feels more settled into a rhythm. A light-hearted diversion featuring Brian Baumgartner and Patton Oswalt also makes for an entertaining story of the week.
With that improvement in mind, I'm hopeful that "Suits LA" can grow into something stronger. Specter's return has been teased but hasn't happened yet; maybe when he's finally roped in, things will liven up even further.
Nevertheless, the episodes I have seen do suggest that the show's doing little more than trying to emulate the original show. It's a mash of the types of things "Suits" fans should like — fast-talking, glossy drama with personal stakes, and a cast full of cocky characters and the odd left-field shock — but it's not nearly as slick or well-executed as what's come before.
"Suits LA" premieres Feb. 23, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC (via Sling or Fubo), and will be available to stream on Peacock the following day.
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