Initial reviews for the long-awaitedSuits LAspin-off have arrived, but the early consensus spells trouble for the West Coast legal drama. Following the original series’ meteoric return to popularity vis-à-vis Netflix acquiringSuits, creator Aaron Korsh recognized the potential to build on the momentum with a new spin-off to revive the franchise. While the excitement behindSuits LApropelled it to be one of themost anticipated shows of 2025,the end product seems to have fallen flat for most critics.
Despite banking on the reliable mix of nostalgia from originalSuitsfans and the novelty of a distinct spin-off,Suits LAcurrently sits at a dismal 36% onRotten Tomatoes. Admittedly, nearly all critics agree that the three episodes sent for review got better as they went on, with the pilot episode undoubtedly being the worst of the bunch. Unfortunately forSuits LA, the third episode isn’t necessarily regarded as good; rather, it’s seen as the best of the bad. AlthoughSuits LAhas clear issues, the pilot season still has time to make amends for its biggest problems.
10Suits LA Has An Original Premise But Fails To Properly Execute It
A Hollywood Legal Drama Should Have Been Captivating
As the second spin-off ofSuits(the first being an oft-forgotten Gina Torres drama simply calledPearson),Suits LAhad an uphill battle before its premiere. BeforeSuits LAreleased its first episodes for review, there seemed to be two possible fates: the legal drama would either feel too much likeSuitsor not enough. According to critics,Suits LAmanages to achieve both by failing to fully commit to its unique idea of entertainment law and interjecting weak echoes of the original series.
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As Cristina Escobar ofRoger Ebertputs it,Suits LAignores“how its peers have advanced the genre in favor of good-looking nothingness.”What should have been a fresh take on the unrealistically seductive world ofSuitsset against the Hollywood sign instead felt like a collection of ideas, unbound by a clear identity. WithSuits LAcoming 6 years after the end of the originalseries, it’s odd how critics notethe spin-off seems to both impersonate and ignoreSuitsat once.
9Suits LA Lacks The Wit That Made Suits Great
So Many Characters, So Little Bite
Aside from what critics view as an unclear identity,Suits LAappears to have a more fundamental issue with its writing. Considering many writers from the originalSuitsfollowed Korsh to the spin-off, the lack of punchy, acerbic wit inSuits LAis a shocking and devastating disconnect. While leading man Ted Black (Stephen Amell) is still regarded as a divine figure in the spin-off’s law firm, critics mourn the lack of charm and banter that made Gabriel Macht’s Harvey Specter such a captivating character in the first place.
Angie Han argues the spinoff’s writing issues extend to its attempts at comedy, with“its single most laughable choice [being] a high-key bonkers, low-key offensive twist”(viaHollywood Reporter). Part of what madeSuitssuch a smash hit was the effortless way characters parlayed mundane conversations into smart, sexy battles of wit. To early critics,Suits LAcomes across like the perpetual younger sibling, trying and failing to master the same wiles of the original series.
8Ted Black Doesn’t Cut It As A Harvey Specter Successor
At Times, It Feels Like An Impersonation
Amell’s work asSuits LA’s central character has been harshly criticized as a lesser version of Harvey Specter, with many critics pointing out how everything from Ted Black’s wardrobe to his devoted assistant, Rosalyn (Azita Ghanizada), feels like a mere impersonation of Harvey (and, by extension, Sarah Rafferty’s Donna Paulsen).Amell’s performance itself was slammed by many critics, with his line delivery and vocal inflection bearing an uncomfortable, uncanny resemblance to Macht.
Even whenSuits LAtakes big swings to establish Black’s original backstory, they fall flat upon impact.
The actual characterization of Black is yet another ding toSuits LA, with Ted’s relationship with junior lawyers highlighting how the unwavering faith the ensemble cast has in Black feels utterly unearned.Suits LAends up casting Ted Black as both the replacement for Harvey and Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), diluting him as an amalgam of the hot-shot lawyer and unassuming genius that came before him. Even whenSuits LAtakes big swings to establish Black’s original backstory, they fall flat upon impact.
7Suits LA Tries (And Fails) To Imitate Suits’ Swagger
Starting With The Opening Credits
From the momentSuits LAconfirmed it would use Ima Robot’s iconic B-Side“Greenback Boogie”in its opening, the spinoff doomed itself to feel, at once, like an imitation and a sacrilege. As Lyvie Scott describes,Suits LAresorts to“dropping familiar Suits-isms like breadcrumbs to follow”(viaTV Guide) in its opening episodes, adding in moments that feel copied-and-pasted from the original. While that should in theory appease the original’s devotees,Suits LA’s tiny replications feel out of place and off-handed in their inclusion.
Even in the aspects that critics enjoyed most about the series, like Lex Scott Davis as Erica Rollins,Suits LAseemed to sabotage its success whenever possible. Erica’s character may be one ofSuits LA’s greatest strengths, but her scenes are undercut by unnecessary pivots that turn her into the ghost of Rachel Zane (Meghan, Duchess of Sussex). As many critics gripe,Suits LAfails to capture the personality of the original series, with"the banter wilt[ing] more than it zings”(viaThe Guardian).
6Suits LA Doesn’t Stand Out From Modern Dramas
Not Enough Memorable Choices Were Made
Unfortunately, trying to follow in the footsteps of“Blue Sky”classics in this day and age condemnsSuits LAto a baseline of mediocrity. WhileSuitsmanaged to balance its style with enough substance to retain attention,Suits LAends up“nice to look at but not striking in any way, nothing to remember, nothing that stands out”(viaRoger Ebert). As a spin-off,Suits LAhas to work twice as hard to draw attention and keep it — which, based on the early reviews, will be a Herculean task.
Suits LA, sadly, doesn’t seem prepared to compete with its contemporaries. Rob Owens of thePittsburgh Tribuneexplains that the spinoff is“nowhere near the entertaining, complex psychological machinations on display in The White Lotus,”which further displays howSuits LAfails to compete with its predecessor, but it more importantly fails to distinguish itself from titles that dominate network television and streaming services alike.
5The Conflicts In Suits LA Feel Too Convoluted
The Spin-Off Throws Too Much At The Audience Too Early
The early storylines inSuits LAonly underline its issues with keeping its audience engaged.Screen Rant’s officialSuits LAreviewsummarizes its big plot issue succinctly:“Suits LA tries to do so much in so little time,”consequently making it more difficult for the drama to achieve any of its lofty goals. From Ted Black’s dark past to the clashing tone ofSuits LA’s cases, it seems as though the spinoff aimed for the stars but failed to launch.
Angie Han describes the early concepts introduced inSuits LAas“perplexing [and] overstuffed”(viaHollywood Reporter), further snowballing the spin-off’s overarching identity issue. The discombobulating, confusing mix of past tensions and present crises ends up leaving no room for the characters themselves to garner sympathy.Suits LAthreatens its characters, but it does so preemptively, before the spin-off has given you the opportunity to care.
4Suits LA Relies On Flashbacks As A Cheap Exposition Tactic
The Show Took “Show, Don’t Tell” Too Literally
Another clear example ofSuits LAfailing to frame its story in a captivating way is its exhausting reliance on flashbacks as vehicles for exposition. While the spin-off could have had Ted Black’s secrets inSuits LAcome to light subtly, utilizing implication and suggestion to build a foundation for later reveals,Suits LAinstead uses jarring flashbacks to tease his troubled past. The flashbacks also allude to the broader issue of howSuits LAprovides context for its complicated conflicts.
Ironically,Suits LAseems to show when it should tell and tell when it should show. As Lyvie Scott elaborates,Suits LAleaves its characters to“talk us through what could have been truly compelling moments”while “so much of the action occurs off screen”(viaTV Guide). The critical response toSuits LA’s storytelling is arguably one of the most concerning critiques, as it impliesSuits LAcould end up squandering its potential.Suits LAcould have the most original concept on air, but its ideas will be wasted if they aren’t conveyed effectively.
3Suits LA Will Have A Difficult Time Escaping The Shadow Of Suits
The Plight Of Any Modern Spin-off
Like the hordes of spinoffs and reboots that have been released in recent years,Suits LAhas to set itself apart from the original series without losing its connection to the franchise at large. Granted, it’s a difficult line to toe for any series, butSuits LAfloundered in the eyes of many critics. According to Adrian Horton ofThe Guardian,Suits LAlingers somewhere in between, as it “neither embodies enough of [Suits’] ethos to satisfy nor sufficiently differentiates itself to stand alone.”
Bryan Greenberg
Rick Dodsen
This sentiment hints at the most recurring critique ofSuits LA:it isn’t similar enough to the original to feel like a continuation, but it isn’t original enough to feel new. The double-edged sword is thatSuits LAhas multiple courses of action it could take to solve its dilemma: eitherSuits LAleans into being aSuitsreplacement or it embraces modernity without looking back. Having options may seem like a positive, but each decision would come with its own drawbacks. Early critics have issued a clear warning:Suits LAcan’t have its cake and eat it, too.
2Suits LA’s Cases Are More Fun (But There Isn’t Much Of It)
Entertainment Law Should’ve Been The Show’s Niche
Part of what madeSuits LA’s first showing so disappointing to critics is the promise it showed during development. Its Hollywood setting coupled with Black’s focus on entertainment law seemed like a clear winner, butSuits LArefuses to lean into its camp factor. WhileSuitsdelved into the fantastically seedy world of white collar conflict,Suits LAcould do away with the mergers and settlements to lean into an enthralling niche: the glamorously scandalous world of Hollywood.
Forget Harvey Specter, This Is The Suits Character Who Should Appear In Suits LA
Instead of Harvey Specter, Suits: LA should have this other iconic Suits character appear in the show, and it would make way more sense.
Suits LAcould potentially be a gold mine for satire, using its case-a-week structure to hold a mirror up to contemporary societal ills, but the spin-off seems more interested in creating high-octane drama solely for its main character. The issue with relying on Black, as discussed at length by many critics, is that there’s no reason for viewers to root for him at the beginning of the series. WhileSuitsmade Mike and Harvey instantly likable in sympathetic circumstances,Suits LAoffers one core issue for Black that fails to establish any emotional connection.
1Suits LA Is Immediately Dark & Heavy
While Ambitious, It Just Comes Across As Jarring
WhereSuitstook a serious concept and leaned into levity,Suits LAwastes its fun potential by adopting an unnecessarily brooding tone. PerScreen Rant’s review, the beginning ofSuits LAfeels“reminiscent of the latter seasons of Suits, when it felt like Pearson Hardman was always on the brink of collapse.”Instead of setting the glitzy Hollywood tone to subvert it in a more intriguing way,Suits LAdives into its dark side immediately, without anything to anchor it.
The disconnect between the spin-off and the original [Suits] is confounding, especially with Korsh at the helm.
The biggest issue withSuits LA, which runs as an undercurrent for most critics, is that it seems to lack the fundamental understanding of what madeSuitssuch a home-run in the first place.The disconnect between the spin-off and the original is confounding, especially with Korsh at the helm. What can be gleaned from the distinct problems described by critics is thatSuits LAisn’t beyond repair, but without a clear destination to aim for, the best solutions will remain just out of reach.
