Suitswas a quietlypopular legal dramathat aired on the USA Network from 2011 through 2019. Fans who watched back then fell in love with the story and characters. Most notably, that includes Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a genius college dropout with a photographic memory, and Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), his mentor at a prestigious New York law firm. There was just one small but crucial detail hanging over his head: despite working as a lawyer, Mike never actually graduated from law school.
In 2023, four years after the show ended its nine-season run,Suitswas added toNetflixand Peacock and its popularity surged. A whole new audience became enamored with the show. To capitalize on that, NBC Universal announced the development of a spin-off calledSuits: L.A. WhileSuits: L.A.will have an entirelydifferent cast led by Stephen Amell, best known for his role inArrow, there’s an interesting twist behind this take on the story: the lead character is reportedly based on a real person.
Ted Chervin Inspired Suits: L.A.’s Protagonist
Stephen Amell’s character is calledTed Black and is reportedly based on real-life CAA agent and former ICM Partners managing director Ted Chervin,according to Deadline. In fact,Deadlinereports that the show was initially just going to be calledTed. The tagline forSuits: L.A.describes the show as being centered around Black,a former New York federal prosecutor who has made the big move to Los Angeles while trying to escape the mob. Thanks to his reputation and charm, he takes on some of the most powerful clients in the city.
Similarly, Chervin started his career as a federal prosecutor in New York after graduating from Harvard Law (much like many of the characters in the original seriesSuits) where he did indeed work to take down monsters and organized crime kingpins. Like Black, he eventuallymoved to Los Angeleswith the hopes of becoming a Hollywood talent agent.
Ironically,Chervin claimed his career path was inspired by the character Ari Gold from another show, the HBO seriesEntourage. That character, played by Jeremy Piven, was also supposedly inspired by a real person: Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, a talent and media agencies holding company. “I basically traded my Justice Department badge to try to become a real-life Ari Gold,” Chervin once said during a TED Talk.
Bringing the story full circle,the original seriesSuitswasalsoinspired byEntourage. According to Deadline,SuitsandSuits: L.A.creator Aaron Korsh developedSuitsas anEntourage-like comedy set on Wall Street. The main character was inspired by Korsh’s boss at the time. When USA Network felt the world of law would be more interesting than the world of finance, he pivoted the script.
How Is Suits: L.A. Connected to Suits?
Knowing this background, it seemsSuits: L.A.might not really beSuits, but rather a show Korsh had already been working on that was re-branded to include theSuitsname. Since the focus is on Hollywood talent, the only real crossover is the fact that Black is a lawyer.
Can a newSuitsseries work? Knowing that the show has the same writer behind it, one can expect that the tone and feel will be similar toSuits. According to Deadline, Korsh told NBC Universal that he was lookingto create aSuitsuniverse that he likened toYellowstone, with every show having a new setting and new characters. The show will also have a more glamorous backdrop of Hollywood along with clients who are in the entertainment versus financial business. This will add a unique dynamic to the concept: sunglasses and glamor versus hot dog carts and briefcases.
All 9 Seasons of Suits, Ranked
As we go back and review every season of TV’s most stylish and twisted legal show, brace for mixed emotions and some nostalgia.
“[Black’s] firm is at a crisis point,” reads the show’s official logline, “and in order to survive, he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career.” Thus, Black sounds a lot like a mix of Mike Ross and Harvey Specter, a moral and just man who still knows how to get the job done and fight for his clients, no matter the situation. Nonetheless,Suits: L.A.will be missing the magic of the initial storyline that drew fans toSuitsin the first place — Mike Ross not having a license to practice. That dark cloud loomed over every case he touched. Every time someone came close to the truth, it created a sense of intensity that this new show will have to find a way to replicate.
Who Else Will Be In Suits: L.A.?
WhileSuits: L.A.won’t officially see any of the original cast members reprise their roles, Beatrice Springborn, President of Universal International Studios,told Variety thatthe show will “have the same energy and good-looking people that the original did.” In addition to Amell as Black,Josh McDermitt(The Walking Dead) will play his old friend and partner Stuart Lane. The hope is that the pair will have the same electric chemistry that Macht and Adams shared on screen as co-workers, friends, and even, at times, rivals.
Lex Scott Davis(Training Day, The L Word: Generation Q) will appear as Erica Rollins, a rising star at the firm whileTroy Winbush(The Wilds) will be Black’s old friend Kevin, a former FBI agent who now works as a private detective.Alice Lee(Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) will also guest-star as Leah, a young associate attorney. Others confirmed to appear includeBryan Greenberg(The Mindy Project),Rachelle Goulding(Firefly Lane),Kevin Weisman(Alias, Goliath, Marvel’s Runaways), andVictoria Justice(Victorious).
Why Suits Is Breaking Streaming Records
Despite being off the air for four years, Suits has been breaking streaming records on Netflix ever since its arrival on the platform.
It’s not entirely off the table to see members ofthe original cast, like Adams, Macht, Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, and Gina Torres, reprise their roles in cameos. It’s highly unlikely, however, to see Meghan Markle come back to her role as Rachel, given that she has given up acting to focus on her family life and as a member of the British royal family.Davis told Peoplethat “maybe there will be some rollover from the original cast. It’s not impossible.” There will also be celebrity cameos, similar toEntouragewhich also took place within the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. John Amos (Coming to America, Good Times), for example, has already been confirmed to appear and play himself.
It’s not yet known whenSuits: L.A.will officially premiere, but it’s likely to arrive sometime in summer or fall 2025.Suits: L.A.will be available to watch on NBC, and will likely also stream on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.For now, stream the originalSuitson Netflix and Peacock.
