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When Suits LA was announced, everyone anticipated the spin-off with cautious optimism. Following the rebooted popularity of Suits on streaming services, there was hope the franchise could be revived with a spin-off set in a new city. The idea of focusing on entertainment law in Los Angeles was intriguing on paper. But when the show did finally air in February of 2025, fans quickly realized that something wasn’t quite working.
So, what did Suits LA do wrong in comparison to the OG show? The original Suits had a clear identity: wise-cracking humor, emotional depth, and character-driven drama set against the gritty backdrop of New York corporate law. Suits LA, with its high-profile title and known mastermind, Aaron Korsh, couldn't quite capture any of those key aspects.
Let's dissect what went down—and why the spinoff didn't quite pan out the way we hoped
1. Lack of character chemistry and depth
The relationships between characters were what made the original Suits stand out. It was the intense but intricate mentorship of Harvey and Mike, the tense emotion of Donna and Harvey, or the explosive evolution of Louis Litt. Audiences were glued because the characters were human and could be identified with.
Suits LA brought in a new set of characters but did not provide audiences with enough time or content to care about them. Critics and viewers alike pointed out that the characters were poorly defined and that their interactions tended to be superficial or abrupt.
2. Underuse of the LA setting
Los Angeles gave Suits LA the golden chance to fully explore the glamorous world of entertainment law and celebrity clientele. However, the city was little more than a backdrop. Unlike how Suits incorporated New York into its DNA—via culture, stakes, and tone—Suits LA didn't capitalize on any of the specific legal or cultural idiosyncrasies of LA.
This meant that the backdrop wasn't exploited, and the spinoff didn't get the opportunity to diverge a lot.
3. Weaker narrative stakes
The original series survived on tension, secrets, cases jeopardizing careers, and personal jeopardy. Particularly in its first few seasons, Suits hooked audiences with a high-stakes narrative having real-world consequences.
Suits LA did not. Cases wrapped up fairly quickly with minimal ambiguity or long-term consequences. Lack of moral dilemmas or emotionally engaging decisions made the narrative shallow and sometimes redundant.
4. Tone and style shift
Suits was famous for its seriousness, both emotional and professional. The New York backdrop, hard-hitting writing, and quick delivery lent the original show its unique identity. Suits LA chose a less intense, sunny atmosphere that critics panned as being devoid of urgency or a sharp edge.
This change wasn't drastic enough to count as a complete revamp, yet it wasn’t close enough to the original to satisfy returning viewers. The outcome was a tonal disconnection that left the show unable to be classified.
5. Absence of personality characters
Apart from a reported cameo by Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter later in the season, Suits LA deliberately diverged from its parent series, but that distance came with significant drawbacks. With no real character overlap or story crossover to the original series, viewers struggled to relate to the new narrative.
Bits here and there referencing popular characters like Mike, Donna, or Louis didn't count for much more. For the vast majority of viewers, the emotional continuity just wasn't there.
6. Timing and audience exhaustion
Suits LA premiered a few years after Suits concluded, when reboots and legal dramas are flooding television. Even though Suits had been renewed on Netflix, the spin-off did not capitalize on that trend. Since audiences were already primed for an amazing experience due to nostalgia, Suits LA needed to do something special. Instead, it was a disappointment.
The delay in broadcast and market saturation were contributing reasons for its negative reception and subsequent cancellation after one season.
Suits LA had all the right stuff on the surface—brand recognition, a new legal twist, and support from its originator. But it was missing the essential elements that made Suits such an excellent show: keen character dynamics, breakneck drama, and a sense of identity.
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Without those building blocks, even nice LA scenery and a fresh legal twist couldn't propel it. Suits LA is ultimately an examination of why legacy isn't sufficient in creating an interesting spinoff.
Also read: What time does Suits LA Episode 13 air tonight? Streaming details of the series finale, explored
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