‘Suits’ Spinoff Confirmed: Updates About ‘Suits: L.A.’ – Hollywood Life

‘Suits’ Spinoff: Stephen Amell Joins the Cast & Everything Else We Know About ‘Suits: LA’

'Suits: LA' is officially happening, and NBC has announced some major casting news. 'Arrow' star Stephen Amell will be leading the highly-anticipated series.

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It’s all about Suits these days. Since the show’s first 8 seasons dropped on Netflix in June 2023, fans have consumed the legal drama and made it Netflix’s biggest hit of the summer, fall, and winter. With so much buzz around Suits, which is also available on Peacock, could there be more Suits content in the future?

The answer is… YES! A new Suits series is currently in development, and creator Aaron Korsh is involved. The spinoff is on the fast track, too. Stephen Amell is now the first star to join the cast. He’ll play Ted Black, a “charismatic force of nature who puts his own needs above others,” according to Variety. From what the new series is about to what has been said in the past about the Suits universe, here’s all the latest Suits: LA news.

Stephen Amell
Stephen Amell will play Ted Black in the series. (George Pimentel/Getty Images)

Are There Any Spinoffs From ‘Suits?’

Yes, the first Suits spinoff was Pearson, which premiered on USA Network in 2019. The series revolved around fan-favorite Suits character Jessica Pearson, played by Gina Torres. Despite Suits being a hit, Pearson didn’t catch on. The show was canceled after just one season. While Suits is available to stream on Peacock and Netflix, Pearson is not. Pearson is only available to purchase on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, and Vudu.

Will There Be More ‘Suits’ Spinoffs?

Since the show’s resurgence in popularity with its Netflix debut, there’s been serious chatter for months about a possible spinoff. Now all the talk has come to fruition. Suits creator Aaron Korsh is working on a new Suits show for NBCUniversal, according to Deadline. While everything is still in negotiations, the series is “expected to be fast-tracked with a serious commitment.”

Suits
The original cast of ‘Suits.’ (Frank Ockenfels/Dutch Oven/Kobal/Shutterstock)

However, this new series wouldn’t be considered a revival, reboot, or a spinoff, technically. The show would feature new characters in a new location, similar to the CSI and NCIS franchises.

On February 1, Netflix confirmed new details about the Suits spinoff. The series has been titled Suits: LA. The official logline reads: “Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York, has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. 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.”

Aaron will serve as the writer and executive producer of the new show. Executive producers also include David Bartis, Doug Liman, and Victoria Mahoney. Victoria will direct the pilot as well. Production is scheduled to start in late March in Vancouver.

Aaron previously revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he’s on the fence about a Suits season 10 because he was “satisfied” by how the original series ended. Suits ran for 9 seasons from 2011 to 2019. Aaron admitted that if he could get “another show on the air, it wouldn’t be a continuation of Suits.” However, he did say he would love to do a very specific Suits spinoff.

Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce played Robert Zane in ‘Suits.’ (Marion Curtis/Starpix/Shutterstock)

“Now, I know I’ve mentioned the [Robert] Zane prequel idea [centered on Rachel’s dad, played by Wendell Pierce], I would do that in the second. I was really excited about that,” he revealed.

Aaron has been open about wanting to pursue a Suits prequel, which would focus on a young Robert Zane. When asked about exploring the character more, Aaron responded on X, “I had an idea for a #Suits spin off that was a prequel exploring young Robert Zane, fresh out of law school in the early 90’s. The network wasn’t interested at the time. I would still do that.”

The Wire actor played the role of Robert Zane, father to Meghan Markle’s Rachel, starting in season 2. He became a key supporting player in the USA Network drama series. Learning more about his backstory would be a treat for Suits superfans.

There were other Suits spinoff ideas that floated around prior to the show becoming available on Netflix. “There were numerous ideas for spinoffs that we mostly just sort of fantasized about. Like, Aaron and I would sit around and go, ‘What about this? What about that?’” executive producer Gene Klein told TVLine. Gene noted that the spinoff scenarios involved “taking one or two of the characters and doing their own thing with them, but they just never went anywhere.”

Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane. (Usa Network/Netflix/Kobal/Shutterstock)

One notable spinoff idea revolved around Rick Hoffman’s Louis Litt. “Obviously, there was a Louis Litt-themed one,” Gene pointed out. He later added, “There were lesser characters who [Aaron] had spinoff ideas for, ideas that would be prequels where it’d be a younger version of, like, an ancillary character. Really interesting, fun ideas that we never took anywhere.” Well, they certainly might take off now!

Why Did ‘Pearson’ Get Canceled?

Suits was a hit long before the first 8 seasons were acquired by Netflix. Back in 2019, a Suits spinoff would have seemed like a definite success. The Chicago-set spinoff Pearson just never found an audience, which is why the show was canceled after just one season. Despite being connected to Suits, Pearson was one of “USA’s lowest-rated originals,” according to Variety.