Too iconic to replicate: Suits LA’s cancellation reinforces the spin-off curse that started with Pearson

NBC had decided to cancel Suits LA after one season. The show had big shoes to fill as it marked the return of the Suits franchise six years after the original series’ conclusion, but it failed to live up to the expectations. Interestingly, this isn’t the first Suits spin-off that has been canceled after just one season.

Pearson, which marked the second series in the franchise, aired back in 2019 and faced a similar fate. The two spin-offs, and their failure, have set up a trend that people did not see coming: The original Suits characters became too iconic to replicate that anything the creators did without Harvey Specter or Mike Ross started feeling lackluster.

When Suits debuted in 2011, it quickly became more than just another legal drama. With its razor-sharp dialogue, magnetic characters, and the chemistry between Harvey and Mike, the show saw massive success. But that has turned out to be a curse for its spin-offs, which are constantly compared with their predecessor and end up disappointing the audience.

How Suits LA and Pearson being canceled after one season proves a Suits spin-off curse

Suits, which ran from 2011 to 2019, became a part of pop culture, credit for which partly goes to its unforgettable characters: Harvey Specter, the cool, confident attorney played by Gabriel Macht, and Mike Ross, the brilliant college dropout with a photographic memory, played by Patrick J. Adams.

Their camaraderie, the fast-paced legal cases, and the stylish vibe made Suits one of the most beloved shows of its time. It even saw a massive resurgence in popularity in 2023 when it hit Netflix, breaking streaming records.

But that same success is what made a spin-off so difficult. When Pearson launched in 2019, it focused on Jessica Pearson, another fan-favorite character. Though it had solid acting and decent reviews, the show struggled to attract viewers. Its story shifted away from the law firm drama fans loved and leaned more into politics, which did not resonate the same way.

It felt too far removed from the original tone of Suits. Despite appearances from Harvey and Louis Litt, Pearson never took off and was canceled after one season. Fast forward to 2025, and NBC tried again with Suits LA, led by Stephen Amell. On paper, it had potential as Aaron Korsh, the original creator, returned to create the spin-off.

Additionally, original cast members made guest appearances, including Gabriel Macht and Rick Hoffman. NBC even gave the show extra exposure by running a marathon of reruns. But its ratings never really grew. The viewership barely reached one million on broadcast television, and the streaming performance was also not up to the mark.

So, what went wrong? A lot of it comes down to expectations. Fans did not just want another legal drama—they wanted Suits. They wanted the clever schemes, office politics, and witty banter. But Suits LA could not recreate that.

Ted Black, Amell’s character, was a former prosecutor trying to make it big in Los Angeles. But compared to Harvey or Mike, he lacked charm and uniqueness. The show tried to echo the original, but it came off as a weaker copy.

The truth is, Suits was a perfect mix of cast, timing, and writing. It was lightning in a bottle, and lightning rarely strikes twice. Even though NBC tried too hard to promote Suits LA, fans were not convinced by its narrative. Just like Pearson, Suits LA could not live up to the legacy.

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Both Suits LA and Pearson proved that being part of a successful brand is not enough. A spin-off needs to have the same heart, the same edge, and the same brilliance as the original, otherwise, it can not stand on its own. And for now, Suits remains too iconic to replicate.

Suits LA can be watched on Peacock.

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