The popular legal drama is hitting the West Coast, and we’ve got the scoop.
Suit up!
This is not a reference to Barney Stinson’s iconic line from How I Met Your Mother but a call to action: Suits is trading in the hustle of Manhattan for the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles in the upcoming spinoff Suits L.A.
The hit legal drama series that starred Meghan Markle, Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, and more concluded in 2019 after nine successful seasons on USA Network. But after it debuted on Netflix in June 2023, Suits experienced a resurgence in popularity, breaking Nielsen streaming records and reentering the cultural zeitgeist.
“It’s an amazing thing,” Macht (the actor behind the debonair Harvey Specter) said to ET at the 2024 Golden Globes. “We had some great success when the show was on. All over the world, there were people downloading it, pirating, downloading it. At a certain point, Netflix came in and said, ‘Why don’t we put this out there.’ And it’s just gotten incredible eyes. And we’re very grateful for it.”
Now, the beloved series is getting a West Coast makeover with help from NBCUniversal and the original Suits creator, Aaron Korsh.
Here’s what we know about the Suits spinoff so far:
What will Suits L.A. be about?
Set in the same timeframe as the original series, Suits L.A. centers on equally well-dressed, high-powered, and fast-talking lawyers. However, this time, the premise won’t revolve around one character’s huge current secret but rather a different lawyer’s past.
Written by Korsh, the show follows Ted Black, a former New York federal prosecutor who has reinvented himself in Los Angeles by representing high-powered clients on the other side of the bench.
The press release announcing the pilot goes on: “His firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career. Ted is surrounded by a stellar group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other while they can’t help but mix their personal and professional lives. All of this is going on while events from years ago slowly unravel that led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.”
Who is in the Suits L.A. cast?
Stephen Amell (Arrow) will take on the role of Ted Black, who’s described as a charismatic force of nature who puts himself before others. He joined forces with his old buddy, Stuart Lane, 15 years ago to build an L.A. law firm that specializes in criminal and entertainment law.
“I’m really excited, and I’ve also really been enjoying the show. I hadn’t seen the original, and I’m familiarizing myself because I think certain shows, they’ll have a syntax to them,” Amell told Deadline in a recent interview.
The rest of the cast announced thus far includes Josh McDermitt (The Walking Dead) as Stuart Lane, Black’s old friend, and current colleague; Troy Winbush (The Wilds) as Kevin, Black’s old friend and ex-partner who’s a former FBI agent and now private detective; and Lex Scott Davis as Erica Rollins, “a savvy and strong-willed rising star” in the legal world.
According to Deadline, Winbush will reportedly be in the pilot as a guest star but is expected to become a series regular if the pilot is picked up. Other pilot guest stars include Victoria Justice (Victorious), John Amos (Roots, Good Times), Kevin Weisman (Alias) and Alice Lee (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) according to Deadline and TVLine.
Will anyone from the original cast be in the Suits spinoff?
There’s no guarantee that anyone from the original cast will be in the spinoff, but an appearance from Harvey Specter (Macht), Mike Ross (Adams), or someone else from the OG crew is not off the table.
“If I got the phone call, I’d be ready to suit up again,” Adams told ET at the 2024 Golden Globes Pre-Show, “I loved the show, I loved the character, and I loved working with all these people.”
And when asked if Markle would reprise her role, Adams entertained the thought: “Sure, Mike and Rachel in Seattle, they gotta come down to L.A. and fix some stuff.”
Now that the Duchess of Sussex is no longer a working royal, the 42-year-old former actress is free to return to her roots and rejoin the show.
When is the Suits L.A.’s release date?
The show does not have an official release date yet, but many anticipate movement in the 2024-2025 season. According to NBC, the show has been picked up to pilot and filming is now underway, with decisions yet to be made on series pickup. That means Suits L.A. could air during the 2024-25 season or it could roll over to the 2025-26 season.
Where can I watch Suits and Suits L.A.?
Suits is available to stream on Peacock and Netflix. All nine seasons are available to stream in full on Peacock, and it was just announced that the last season of the original series will be available on Netflix starting July 1, 2024.
NBC has not confirmed where it will host Suits L.A., but it’s likely that as an NBC show, it will be available to stream on Peacock.
Stay tuned for updates as the show continues to develop.
