Rare is the reboot that recaptures the organic magic and enthusiasm cult classics generate, but that certainly hasn’t stopped Hollywood from trying. In the second spinoff to the fan-favorite legal drama “Suits,” creator Aaron Korsh showcases a new crop of lawyers on an entirely different coast. “Suits LA” has the same nuts and bolts that made the original show such a sensation, first on USA Network and then on Netflix, but it lacks the foundation, characters or storylines to sustain renewed interest.
“Suits LA” opens in New York City in 2010, with federal prosecutor Ted Black (a miscast Stephen Amell) trying to convince a witness to testify against the mob in an upcoming trial. Following an angry confrontation, Ted leaves the man’s home just as it explodes. Startled awake in present-day Los Angeles, Ted begins his morning at the offices of Black Lane, a law firm he and his friend, criminal defense attorney Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt), launched more than a decade ago. Things are in flux at Black Lane amid a forthcoming merger, which has put the entire team on edge.
Black Lane’s employees also include Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis) and Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg), who use wildly different tactics to close deals. The pair are battling for a coveted head of entertainment promotion. Roslyn (Azita Ghanizada) is Ted’s competent, no-nonsense assistant, whereas Leah (Alice Lee), an associate working under Erica, seems equally frightened and amazed by her boss. When the merger doesn’t quite go as planned, Ted, who has a deep disdain for criminal defense, finds himself representing a longtime client accused of murder. This case, his nightmares and the reemergence of his former partner, Kevin (Troy Winbush), unearth aspects of Ted’s past that he desperately tried to sequester in New York.
One of the central issues with “Suits LA,” besides that it generally looks slapped together, is with the main characters. None of them is distinct or memorable. Even when the procedural aspect of “Suits” felt monotonous, the show leaned on the dynamic between Gabriel Macht’s cocky but charismatic Harvey Specter and the ambition and drive of his boy-genius associate, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). Here, chemistry is sorely lacking.
Beyond that, much of the narrative momentum depends on incidents from Ted’s life 15 years prior. Because these recollections make up nearly half the series (at least in the three episodes screened for review), viewers scramble to get oriented in L.A. while piecing together how and why Ted abruptly left the Big Apple to restart his life and career 3,000 miles away.
After a lumpy and confounding pilot filled with grating dialogue, jarring camera angles and a bizarre twist, the show attempts to stabilize in Episode 2, “Old Man Hanrahan.” Still, because it relies so heavily on the New York storyline and a barrage of gimmicky cameos from the late John Amos, Patton Oswalt and others, audiences can never truly settle in and take this new “Suits” world seriously.
Over its nine-season run, “Suits” did get redundant, and the dialogue often felt cheesy or wordy. Yet, the standout characters and their relationships kept the ship afloat long after it should have docked. In contrast, “Suits LA” does not know where it wants to go or who these people are. Moreover, the entertainment law aspect isn’t unique enough to distinguish the show from other legal dramas. What is clear, however, is that some things are better off left in New York.
“Suits LA” premieres Feb. 23 on NBC, with new episodes dropping weekly on Sundays.
