It’s not often that a series wraps up its final season after a long run, and then becomes way more popular a whole four years after that finale, but that’s exactly what happened in the summer of 2023 when the USA drama Suits debuted for everyone with a Netflix subscription. Though the legal show (which starred Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, Meghan Markle, Patrick J. Adams, Gina Torres and more) definitely had fans and ran for nine seasons, it eventually became the streaming success of 2023.
Even better, those huge streaming numbers led to talk of a Suits spinoff in October 2023, and a new show set in the same world, Suits L.A., is now in the early stages of production. If you want to learn all there is to know about the spinoff, you’ve come to the right place, because we have the details for you!
What Is The Suits L.A. Premiere Date?
Suits L.A. is still in its infancy, my friends, so as of late February 2024, there is no premiere date yet, as only a pilot episode has been ordered by NBC. However, there is good news regarding when it could possibly hit the small screen, as The Hollywood Reporter noted just a few weeks ago that if things go well over the next few months (i.e., if it’s ordered to series), the plan is to have the series ready to premiere during the 2024-2025 television season. This one’s moving along quickly, folks. Yay!
The Spinoff Will Follow New Character Ted Black In Los Angeles
Even though what fans new and old would probably like is to catch up with Donna, Harvey, Mike, Rachel and the other legal aces they know and love, this spinoff will not focus on any previously established characters from O.G. Suits. Instead, the new drama is simply set in the same world, and will follow a brand new character named Ted Black in Los Angeles, and the assorted other “amazing looking people in great clothes” he's acquainted with.
February 2024 has been a major month for news on Suits L.A., as we now have an official synopsis from NBC that tells us some important details about Mr. Black, a former federal prosecutor who’s relocated from New York and now works for incredibly influential clients, and his West Coast story:
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.
We’ve already got everything we need here. A somewhat haunted/troubled lead dealing with a big current problem and trying to keep his past in the past, while being surrounded by colleagues who “mix their personal and professional lives.” Gimmie it!
Another Lead Character, Erica, May Have Been Revealed
Right now, Ted Black is the only confirmed character for the legal drama. But! Another character might have been revealed by Puck (via Screen Rant) in mid-January 2024, as that report noted that viewers will also see a Black woman in her 30s named Erica. She’s a graduate of Harvard Law School and a Southern California native who’s looking to be made Head of Entertainment at the firm. While Erica is “smarter than everyone,” and a legal ace who excels at her job, she “struggles elsewhere.”
This report raised some eyebrows, seeing as how fans felt like Erica would be a perfect fit for none other than the Duchess of Sussex herself, leading to rumors that Meghan Markle was in talks to join the cast, but no confirmation of that has come out. We do have one confirmed cast member at this time, though.
Stephen Amell Stars As Ted Black
February also saw Suits L.A. nab its first official cast member, in the form of former Arrow and Heels lead Stephen Amell, who’ll bring Ted Black to life. TV Line offered up additional details about the character when announcing the news, and said that Ted is known as a “charismatic force of nature who puts his own needs above others,” something that the Oliver Queen actor definitely knows how to play.
We also got confirmation that the series will be set at a firm that focuses on entertainment law, because it was 15 years prior to the start of our story that Ted and his friend, Stuart Lane, built their firm to specialize in both entertainment and criminal law. It hasn’t been confirmed that we’ll see Stuart in the potential series, but news on that front (and other castings) will likely come along sooner rather than later if NBC picks the show up.
The Suits L.A. Pilot Begins Filming In March 2024
Remember when I said that Suits L.A. was moving along quickly? Well, while most of this news came out in February 2024, the current plan is to actually film the pilot in March (!!!), per The Hollywood Reporter article above. This is actually perfect timing for what’s known as “pilot season,” where networks take a look at all the potential shows that are being worked on and order the first episode into production so that the bigwigs can see whether or not the idea works in practice.
If they like what they see, that will lead to a series order and information like an official premiere date, more casting news, the number of episodes we’re expected to get, and other updates.
Suits Creator Aaron Korsh Is Writing And Executive Producing The Pilot
When the potential spinoff went into development in October 2023, Deadline reported that Aaron Korsh, the man who created Suits, would be the one bringing us this new story. Not only is he executive producing (alongside fellow Suits EPs Doug Liman, Dave Bartis and Gene Klein), but the THR report about when this spinoff would premiere if it goes to series confirmed that he’s also writing the pilot. So, fans should be comforted to know that even though they’ll be treated to new characters and a different setting, the story will still feel like the one they already love.
There Aren’t Confirmed Plans For Original Cast Members To Appear, But Many Of Them Are Open To It
If you’re hoping to see some of the original characters and cast members pop up on Suits L.A., know that there aren’t any confirmed plans for that just yet. But, several of the actors from the parent show have said that they’d be down to bring their characters back for some more action, if asked.
People caught up with Gina Torres (Jessica Pearson), Rick Hoffman (Louis Litt), and Sarah Rafferty as they filmed a 2024 Super Bowl commercial, and Rafferty said of the pilot filming:
I mean, if they need Donna and I'm assuming if they need — I'm just gonna speak for my friends here — Jessica or Louis, we'll all put on our high heels and we'll march on up to Vancouver!
Additional stars Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht have done things recently like present at the Golden Globe Awards and also filmed a funny spot for a different Super Bowl commercial and joked about advice they’d give the new cast, so it seems likely that, if asked, they’d be willing to bring Mike and Harvey (respectively) to Los Angeles.
To top it off, Wendell Pierce, who portrayed Rachel’s dad, Robert Zane, recently said he’d “love to come back,” so if the spinoff becomes a series and does well on NBC, it sounds like there’s hope for future appearances from the original gang of legal eagles!
There’s still a lot more to learn about Suits L.A., so be sure to bookmark this article to get updates as they become available!
