Suits: LA review – Cast, cameos, plot & honest verdict

Suits: LA arrived with a lot of buzz and a heavy crown. It carried the legacy of a show that gave us Harvey Specter’s swagger, Mike Ross’s brilliance, Donna’s iconic comebacks, and Louis Litt’s eccentric loyalty. As someone who has watched and rewatched all nine seasons of Suits, I was cautiously optimistic.

Could Suits: LA live up to the original? Could it bring something new while respecting what came before?

After watching the full first season, here’s the short answer: Suits: LA is worth trying, but you’ll need to manage your expectations. It’s not Suits 2.0. And if you go in hoping for Harvey, Mike, and Donna magic, you might be disappointed. But if you treat it like a standalone story that just shares the name and legal setting, there are moments worth sticking around for.

Now let’s break it all down.

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First impressions: A chaotic premiere of Suits: LA

The pilot episode of Suits: LA was, frankly, a mess.

Characters were introduced without clear context. We were expected to know who was who, how they were connected, and what their roles were—all in the first few minutes. There was no smooth introduction or organic buildup. Ted Black (Stephen Amell) was immediately at the center of chaos—his co-partner, Stuart, betrays him, taking half the firm’s clients and employees in a rushed merger-gone-wrong.

The stakes were high, but the storytelling didn’t quite land. The episode jumped between timelines and flashbacks without clear visual cues. I found myself pausing to take notes, just to understand what was happening. That’s not what you want from a legal drama. The original Suits had one of the best pilots in TV history—it knew how to hook you. This didn’t.

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The Ted Black problem

Let’s talk about Ted.

From the very first scene, it’s clear that the show wants us to see him as the new Harvey Specter. He’s styled like him, talks like him, and walks like him. But that’s the problem—Ted feels like a version of Harvey without the charm, warmth, or complexity.

Harvey Specter wasn’t pretending to be a charming jerk. He just was. He had flaws, but also a hidden depth that made you root for him. Ted, on the other hand, comes off as cold, angry, and hard to like. He broods a lot, has a tragic backstory (his brother was killed by the mob), and treats everyone with a harshness that doesn’t feel earned yet.

What Suits: LA needed was a fresh lead—someone with a new voice and a unique personality. Instead, we got an imitation. And as any fan knows, Harvey Specter can’t be copied.

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Characters: Too many, too fast

One of the biggest issues with Suits: LA is the overload of characters.

By episode one, we already had a dozen names thrown at us—Amanda, Stuart, Rick, Leah, Dylan (played by Victoria Justice), Kevin, and more. But none of them were properly introduced. We didn’t get to know them before being asked to care.

Rick is one of the few standouts. His scenes are limited, but there’s something about his presence that feels grounded. Amanda seems to be a Jessica/Samantha-type figure, but it’s not clear what drives her. And the romance angle between her and Ted? Felt rushed and unnecessary.

The show also hints at which characters are meant to be the “new Donna” and “new Mike,” but again, they don’t shine because they’re being compared to legends.

There’s no hook like Mike Ross’s photographic memory. No big secret. No deep emotional arc. And without that, the show doesn’t give viewers something to latch onto.

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Pacing and plot: One case, too long

One surprising decision that didn’t work was the choice to stretch a single legal case across 6–7 episodes.

One of the joys of the original Suits was how it balanced long-term arcs with sharp, quick wins in individual cases. We loved watching Harvey and Mike outsmart people in court every episode. Suits: LA takes the opposite approach—and it drags. The energy dips, the tension fades, and the show becomes hard to binge.

The Rosalind arc, in particular, felt forced. It took too long to unfold, and the emotional payoff didn’t hit as hard as it was meant to. Combine that with all the flashbacks—especially the mock trial scenes from Columbia—and the show starts to feel more like homework than entertainment.

Also, the tone was uneven. Was it a legal drama? A personal redemption story? A mystery? A Hollywood satire? It tried to be all of them, and the result was confusion.

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Harvey Specter’s cameo: A flashback fumble

Much was made of Gabriel Macht’s return as Harvey Specter in episode four (“Batman Returns”).

Fans were excited. The promos promised us something big. But what we got was... underwhelming. The entire Harvey appearance was limited to flashbacks. He and Ted are shown playing in a prosecutorial baseball league. There’s banter about who’s the real “Batman.” And a vague warning about someone in Ted’s firm leaking information to the mob.

There was no closure. No real tie-in to Suits canon. In fact, timeline-wise, it felt a little forced. (It’s 2010 in the flashbacks, before Harvey meets Mike.) It all felt more like a ratings move than meaningful storytelling.

If the idea was to pass the baton, it didn’t land. It just reminded viewers how much we miss the real thing.

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What actually works

Despite all the above, Suits: LA isn’t a total loss.

There are some genuinely funny moments—especially when real celebrities appear as themselves. One scene with Yvette Nicole Brown and Stuart was a highlight. That kind of Hollywood-meets-law dynamic is something the show could lean into more.

Also, later episodes are stronger than the pilot. The pacing improves a bit, and the characters begin to settle into their roles. For viewers who stick with it past episode three, it becomes easier to watch. The flashbacks become less intrusive, and some plot threads start to make sense.

If the writers double down on giving the new characters real stories—not Harvey 2.0 copycats—they might find their own voice.

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Final thoughts? Nostalgia can’t carry a show

Here’s the truth: Suits: LA tried to ride the nostalgia wave. After the 2023 “Summer of Suits” blew up the original show on streaming, a spinoff was a no-brainer. But nostalgia is a double-edged sword. It gets people to tune in—but it also raises expectations sky-high.

As a fan of the original, I wanted to love this. I was ready to love it. But Suits: LA didn’t respect what made Suits special. It forgot that fans don’t just want old characters—they want new ones they can grow to care about. Ted doesn’t need to out-Harvey Harvey. He just needs to be himself. And right now, we still don’t know who that is.

Would I recommend Suits: LA? If you’re curious and patient, yes. But don’t expect to fall in love right away. Give it time, and maybe skip the pilot.

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TL;DR – Quick summary

• Suits: LA had a messy start, with too many characters and unclear storytelling.
• Ted Black tries too hard to be Harvey Specter, which hurts more than it helps.
• The pacing suffers from one case stretched too long and too many flashbacks.
• Harvey’s cameo didn’t deliver emotionally or narratively.
• Real celeb cameos and a few funny moments add some charm.
• Later episodes improve, but the show still lacks a unique identity.

For now, it’s a “wait and watch” show. Suits: LA has potential—but it’s not Suits. And it’s time it stopped trying to be.