Pilot For Suits Spin-Off Suits: L.A. Ordered By NBC
Okay, maybe the summer of "Suits" wasn't a fluke after all. Less than a year after the long-running USA Network legal drama took Netflix by storm, raking in some of the streamers' biggest viewership numbers in recent memory, NBC has ordered a pilot for a "Suits" spinoff set in Los Angeles (per Entertainment Weekly).
EW is reporting that the new "Suits" series — which, in the style of many a procedural spinoff before it, is titled "Suits: LA" — will feature a brand new character named Ted Black, and production on the pilot is set to begin in Vancouver next month. Original series creator Aaron Korsh is returning to write and executive produce the show, while EW also previously reported that cast members from the previous series could return at some point in the future.
In its original run, "Suits" starred Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht as a pair of lawyers working at a New York law firm. Adams' character, Mike, initially talked his way into a spot at the firm thanks to a photographic memory, despite never having attended law school. The show's ensemble cast also included "Firefly" alum Gina Torres, "My Life With the Walter Boys" actor Sarah Rafferty, "The Bernie Mac Show" star Rick Hoffman, and a breakout performance by a pre-Royal family Meghan Markle. Markle left the show when she got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017, but her role in the first 7 seasons no doubt helped lead to the show's resurgence in popularity when it was added to Netflix last year.
A new home for the Suits universe
According to EW, new series protagonist Ted is an ex federal prosecutor who's now "at a critical juncture at his private Los Angeles firm." The character previously worked as a prosecutor in New York and apparently has old, unsettled conflicts to deal with — a plot choice that obviously leaves the door open for appearances from original castmates if writers choose to go that route.
It seems likely that the cast would be into a reunion if given the chance. They all showed up for Markle's wedding in 2018, and more recently appeared on this year's Golden Globes to hand out the trophy for Best Drama Series. At that time, Adams confirmed he'd be down to return to the "Suits" universe. "If I got the phone call, I'd be ready to suit up again," he told USA Insider. "I loved the show, I loved the character and I loved working with all these people."
"Suits: LA" does not yet have a premiere date, but if this iteration of the show ends up going to series, it appears to be set to air on NBC.