“The fiercest battle a man will ever fight is the one within his own soul — where doubt is his enemy, regret his battlefield, and redemption his only victory.”
If the lofty-sounding quote above (which I invented for kicks just now for the purposes of this review) could be said to be true of anyone, it’s surely true of Ted Black, the protagonist of TV’s latest new legal drama, Suits LA, premiering this Sunday on NBC.
Ted Black is simply a man at war with himself.
He’s also a man at war with his past, his family, his friends, and his co-workers. In fact when we first meet him, Ted’s even at war, via flashback, with the mob.
But first, let’s backtrack a little. Suits LA is the buzzy new spinoff to USA Network’s long-running lawyer drama Suits, which ran from 2011 to 2019 (nine seasons, 134 episodes; not too shabby, Aaron Korsh. Not too shabby at all), and which was re-aired amid fervid interest in all things Meghan Markle in 2023 on both Netflix and Peacock. Such was Suits’ popularity that a spin-off, starring Stephen Amell (Arrow, Heels) was promptly ordered. And so, here we are.
But exactly how much like the original series is Suits LA? Well, the first thing you should know is the new show trades the corporate mergers, acquisitions, and hostile takeovers of New York for the fragile egos and mercurial moods of the Hollywood set in Los Angeles.
When we first meet him, Ted (Amell) is head of entertainment at Black and Lane, a law firm that caters to actors, producers and various other industry talent. While Ted handles the actors (someone needs to get out of her indy-film contract to pursue a role in a blockbuster; someone else’s career needs a shot in the arm; and someone really really wants a a pep talk from Tom Hanks), Ted’s old friend, and long time partner Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt) handles criminal defense (someone’s just been arrested for shooting his producing partner dead at a drug-fuelled after-party but swears he didn’t do it!)
While it may appear that Ted has the more frivolous job of the two partners, the show makes it clear, via several meatily-sized flashbacks, that Ted is, in fact, no slouch. Before moving to Los Angeles with Stuart, he worked as a Federal prosecutor where taking down the mob, thinking on his feet, and narrowly avoiding death were all part of the job description.
Although the show wants to slowly peel back the onion layers on exactly why and how Ted traded taking out New York’s trash for taking out Hollywood clauses, the pilot episode and beyond (we’ve screened 3 episodes in advance of this review), does a good job at showing us the man Ted used to be, and why he’s so angry with the world in the present day.
Without spoiling things further, we can briefly hint that Ted’s Dad, a criminal defense lawyer, was more than a bit of a douche, and unforgivably mean to Ted’s adorable disabled brother, Eddie. However there is much more to both of those plot nuggets than we’re permitted to reveal here. What you should know is that the show switches back and forth between New York and Los Angeles, and like ’em or loathe ’em, it looks like flashbacks to the past are going to be a regular thing on this show.
In the present day, we meet Ted at an auspicious moment. He and Stuart are about to merge with another firm, run by Ted’s ex, Samantha. That doesn’t stop two associates — the hard-working but principled Rick (Bryan Greenberg) and the ambitious and snarky Erica (Lex Scott Davis) — from vying for new positions in the firm.
However when the merger hits a snag (to put it lightly), Ted finds himself alone, in crisis mode, and picking up the pieces after a shocking betrayal. Not only that, but he is now forced into the very role he despises — criminal defense — just like his Dad before him.
Has Ted’s background as a prosecutor in New York trained him to rise to the occasion? Can he keep his Daddy issues, his temper, and his killer courtroom instinct in check? Or will his worst tendencies lose him the few friends he has left in the industry? This, in a nutshell is what Suits LA sets out to explore.
Fans still wondering if the new show is very much, or not at all, like the old show should know there are major similarities and some strong differences between both.
From the outside, Suits LA is familiarly and comfortably centered on a brash, sometimes arrogant, but ultimately principled lawyer, and his team of smart, capable associates who may jockey for position and advancement, but ultimately do the right thing. The show even carries the iconic Suits Greenback Boogie jingle in its opening credits to help make us feel right at home in the universe.
The temptation to compare Ted Black to Suits’ leading man, Harvey Spector (a protagonist with his own share of parental trauma) is also there. But in execution the characters are two very different men. If anything, Ted, with his mean streak and his anger issues, is harder to like than Harvey ever was.
And while Suits was a slick, tight-knit affair with rapid-fire witty banter and pacy plot developments, Suits LA seems to want to hold on to some of that lightning-in-bottle TV magic while at the same time striking out in different directions. However the results of those efforts can make the show feel like a mish-mash of genres at times — part cop-procedural, part family drama, part legal drama, part comedy.
The aforementioned flashback storyline, and whole other storylines devoted to Ted’s family and his previous relationships, both fraternal and romantic, feel at times like Suits – The After Work Hours. Later episodes also introduce cameos by TV actors playing themselves — which is great if you enjoy celebrity cameos. (Personally I hate them.) Is the show gilding the lily, or merely trying to set as many pieces on the game board as it can for the season ahead? Time (and future episodes) will tell.
There are a lot of characters to get used to, too. Ted’s core team, mentioned above, extends outwards to encompass a slew of new eager faces, all waiting in the wings for something meaty to say or do down the line. Right now though, the show is table-setting. Who is the adorable nerd? Who is the loyal stalwart? Who is a possible romantic interest? Who is only capable of self-interest?
To its credit the show also boasts a large female cast. And they mostly don’t spend their all their screen time discussing the male characters on the show! Gone too is the early Suits years habit of introducing women butt or legs first accompanied by a sexy soundtrack. (We’ve come a long way, baby.)
In the end, Suits LA is an audacious expansion of a beloved universe, and one that plunges us headfirst into the tumult of personal demons and professional betrayals. Ted’s relentless internal war is matched only by the chaotic energy of Hollywood, as the show juggles legal intrigue, raw family drama, and moments of unexpected humor in its push to tell a bigger story. The old adage “Give them the same, but different” certainly holds true here.
And while its ambitious blend of genres sometimes leaves the narrative feeling as scattered as its sprawling cast, the series’ heartfelt exploration of redemption and identity hints at a promising journey ahead for those willing to let go of their expectations a little bit.
If you’re ready to embrace a story as unpredictable and knotty as it is compelling, Suits LA offers a provocative new chapter in the Suits universe.
Suits LA premieres Sunday, Feb. 23 at 9 pm ET/PT on NBC.
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