14 years after “Suits” premiered on television, the highly anticipated spinoff, “Suits L.A,” released on Peacock. In a bold attempt to revitalize the original, Suits LA falls short of the wit, suspense and storytelling that categorized “Suits” as one of the greatest television shows of all time.
Set in modern-day Los Angeles, the spin-off follows former federal prosecutor Ted Black (Stephen Amell) whose firm navigates growing tensions following the betrayal of his long-time work associate and friend Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt). Though there are remnants of an emotionally complex storyline with Ted’s past, that is as deep as the plotline goes.
For most of the dialogue, it was apparent that Ted Black’s character was a regurgitation of Suit’s Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), for Ted’s way of speaking completely mimics Harvey’s but lacks the genuine and witty aspect that made Harvey Specter a fan favorite.
His dialogue consists of constant one-liners that feel forced and unoriginal. Even during the emotional scenes, where the actors raise their voice to convey feelings of emotion to the viewer, the dialogue was shallow and did not dig deep enough to verbally echo the character’s emotions.
In terms of the plotline, the story begins in the middle of an underdeveloped storyline that left the audience confused as to what exactly is going on.
It is clear their intention was to utilize the “in media res” formula – in which the beginning of a story drops the readers in the midst of action to create a sense of suspense – but the story lacks the flashbacks and interesting storyline that make this method of storytelling successful. Instead of pulling the viewer in, it instills a sense of confusion in the audience, forcing them to wonder if they accidentally clicked on the fifth episode.
Arguably, the most notable characteristic of the original series was the striking sense of tension in Mike Ross’ character. There was constant suspense that Mike’s true identity would reveal itself at any moment. The spin-off lacks such a “hook” in that it does not force the viewers to pay close attention.
More specifically, they do not give viewers a reason to care when it comes to the character’s themselves. Their unoriginal personalities make the characters indistinguishable from the rest of the cast. Even in the protagonist’s name, “Ted Black,” there is reason for criticism.
The last time a TV show was successful in naming their main character “Ted” was in “How I Met Your Mother”, only because the name embodied Ted’s menial, unoriginal personality.
In this case, Ted Black is a cocky lawyer who supposedly stops at nothing to win; his name should, therefore, be representative of such a character.
Since its release in February, “Suits LA” has garnered nothing but negative reviews from critics and viewers alike. It premiered with a deservingly low 39% rotten tomatoes and a 5.4/10 on IMDb. In comparison, the original averaged a 91% on rotten tomatoes during its time on air.
Though Harvey Specter is set to make an appearance in the coming episodes, the spinoff can not rely solely on his presence to be successful. Even then, it’s unlikely that Harvey’s character can lift “Suits LA” from the massive hole it has dug for itself.
