Shocker! ‘Suits LA’ Might Actually Be Better Than The Original

Suits adjusted its tie, walked into our lives, and turned into a binge-worthy series.

The original show received nine seasons and ended on a conclusive note, so no one could have been too sad to say goodbye after such a lengthy run. However, that’s not good enough in Hollywood where every franchise needs to be milked until the last drop dries out on the pavement. On paper, Suits LA sounded like such a typical showbiz idea, where the executives sit around the table and debate for weeks on end, with one finally saying, “Okay. How about Suits, but we set it in Los Angeles this time?” Everyone clapped, patted themselves on the back for coming up with it, and the series was ordered to pilot.

Here’s the funny part: While Suits LA comes across like the most cliche spin-off suggestion ever, it works. Dare I say, the first three episodes promise a show that’s even better than the original. Mild spoilers for Suits LA follow.

You think you know this story, but you don’t

Stephen Amell’s Ted Black leads Suits LA. Tough-talking and no-nonsense, Ted used to operate as a federal prosecutor in New York City, but a major life event – which has yet to be fully revealed in the first three episodes – resulted in him leaving the Big Apple and heading to Los Angeles where he now runs a powerful firm representing mega clients, such as Tom Hanks and John Amos. Ted’s pseudo-protege, Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg of One Tree Hill fame), and the ever-ambitious Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis from The First Purge) battle it out to become the head of entertainment, showcasing how this is a shark-infested tank where only the strong survive. At the same time, Ted needs to decide if he’ll sign a merger deal with his best friend and crime defense attorney extraordinaire, Stuart Lane (The Walking Dead‘s Josh McDermitt). In between all of this, flashbacks of Ted’s past play in between the scenes.

Sounds a lot like the original Suits, right? At one point, I even exclaimed, “C’mon! Couldn’t they have at least tried to not steal every beat from the original show?” Well, that’s the intent of the first half of the pilot: It disarms the audience before it turns everything on its head. You think you know how this show is about to go? Nope, think again. It almost feels like a defiant middle finger from showrunner Aaron Korsh, who must have been sick of all the jokes that everyone made about Suits LA being nothing more than a carbon copy of Suits. Instead, Korsh pulls the rug out from everyone and delivers a unique show that has the legs to last on its own merit.

Stephen Amell and the cast receive three-dimensional characterizations

Even though the story doesn’t play out the way that’s expected, there’s still a familiarity in the setup. The show remains fast-paced and knows how to weave in the lighthearted moments in between the twists and turns of the never-ending drama. In fact, one of the standouts of Suits LA is the quirky Leah, played by Alice Lee, who feels like a breath of fresh air in a franchise that never had overly nerdy characters. Leah and Erica develop an unexpected bond within the early episodes, and their interaction about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air might be one of the most hilarious scenes in recent television history.

What’s particularly impressive about Suits LA is the depth of the writing for the characters. There were times in the original Suits series where there was a clear distinction made between the good and bad guys (remember the Daniel Hardman story arc for instance?). Suits LA chooses a more nuanced approach in how it greys the areas and leaves it in the eye of the beholder. Look, this is an Aaron Korsh-written show – not Aaron Sorkin – but it tries to show a balanced view to why certain characters feel and react the way they do. 

In addition, the show isn’t afraid to let the guards fall faster than what they did in Suits. There’s a vulnerability to these characters that endear them to the audience faster. For example: Look at Ted Black, who is essentially the Harvey Specter archetype of this story. In three episodes, the viewers find out more about who Ted really is and what eats at him than they did with Harvey until a few seasons in. Similarly, someone like Erica Rollins transforms in a singular episode in a way that flips the viewer’s perception about her.

Yes, it’s still early days, and it’s possible that the latter episodes could be trainwrecks, but Suits LA shows outstanding promise to turn into something special. No one gave this series a chance in hell of being as important or good as the original. Yet, here we are… In comparison, Suits LA‘s first three episodes are much better than what Suits put out in 2011. No one had this on their bingo card for 2025!

The first episode of Suits LA premiers on NBC on February 23, 2025.