Warning: SPOILERS for Suits LA episode 4.Gabriel Macht made his highly-anticipated arrival toSuits LA, but episode 4 failed to convince me that Harvey Specter is Ted Black’s old friend. Stephen Amell leadsSuits LA’s cast of charactersas Black, a former New York federal prosecutor who moved to the West Coast following a catastrophic disaster thatSuits LAis incrementally revealing via flashback sequences. ThoughSuits LAis a distinct series rather than a continuation of Suits, creator Aaron Korsh established that the spinoff exists in the same universe, as evidenced by the inclusion of Harvey Specter, arguably the most recognizable character from the original.
Following in the footsteps of such a well-renowned legal drama madeSuits LAone of themost anticipated new shows of 2025, but the spinoff has gotten off to a rocky start. While the core four characters of Ted Black, Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt), Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis) and Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg) are each coming into their own as protagonists (and antiheroes), the actualstory ofSuits LAhas been confused and, at times, needlessly complicated. While Gabriel Macht’s return seemed like it would solveSuits LA’s biggest problems, Harvey Specter’s debut only provided more unanswered questions.
Suits LA Episode 4’s Harvey Specter Debut Explained
Batman And Robin Walk Into A Bar
Rather than bring the East Coast’s former best closer to LA like most were expecting,Harvey Specter’s appearance inSuits LAepisode 4takes place during a flashback sequence in 2010 New York.Suits LAhas been split between present-day California and past New York since the pilot, as the flashbacks are meant to elaborate on Ted Black’s backstory and explain his move to LA. Each episode ofSuits LAseason 1 has slowly built on Ted’s final case in New York, where he haphazardly did everything in his power to put a mob boss away, with significant collateral damage.
Suits LA Missed The Perfect Chance To Reference To Stephen Amell’s Best Role, But There’s Still Time
Suits LA episode 4 was titled “Batman Returns,” and it gave the show the perfect opportunity to reference Stephen Amell’s DC superhero role.
Harvey entersSuits LAafter Ted’s brother, Eddie (Carson A. Egan), begins to worry about his safety. Given thatEddie’s ghost haunts Ted inSuits LA, it’s safe to assume that his fear wasn’t unfounded. When Ted begins to let his concern for his brother and girlfriend, Samantha (Rachelle Goulding), impair his pitching at a baseball game,Harvey intercepts Ted on the field and forces him to confront his fears regarding the case. After Harvey gives him a pep talk, he and Ted go to a bar at the end of Suits LA episode 4, calling themselves Batman and Robin.
Harvey & Ted’s Flashback Scene Doesn’t Actually Show How Their Friendship Started
Suits LA Offers No Explanation For Their Connection
WhenSuits LAintroduces Harvey, he and Ted have an established relationship that the scene plays off of, but it’s hard to believe how close they are withoutSuits LAexplaining the origin of their friendship. Harvey never so much as mentioned the name Ted Black throughoutSuits’ 9 seasons, making the spinoff’s pitch that they were close friends a difficult sell from the get-go. Given thatSuitsbegins a single year after Ted Black flees New York, it makes no sense that Harvey would pretend his dear friend and baseball teammate never existed.
Suitsseason 1 begins in the summer of 2011, a little over a year after Ted moved to LA and Eddie died.
Following the pilot episode, the flashback sequences significantly contributed toSuits LA’s initial poor reviews, and they certainly hindered Harvey’s big introduction inSuits LAepisode 4. The bar scene with Ted, Harvey, and Eddie is portrayed as a common outing, but the intimate feeling suggests that Ted and Harvey’s bond went far beyond professional acquaintances. Simply tossing Harvey into Ted’s backstory doesn’t make their relationship believable. In fact,the vague implication that Harvey and Ted have an unexplained yet tight-knit history makes their friendship feel unearned inSuits LA, which will only hurt Harvey’s future appearances unless remedied.
How Suits LA Could Have Properly Sold Ted & Harvey’s Friendship
Sometimes It’s Best To Start At The Beginning
AlthoughHarvey Specter is meant to be Ted Black’s friend inSuits LA, his episode 4 introduction makes him seem more like a fairy godmother or guru, a voice of reason without any real tether to the plot. Rather than reveal Harvey and Ted’s relationship far after it began,Suits LAcould have started from their meeting or, at the very least, had one of the characters allude to how they first connected.Suits LAmay have wanted to fit Harvey into the overarching plot without diverting attention, but establishing the timeline would have been a necessary pivot.
Alice Lee
Leah Power
The spinoff made the same mistake whenStuart betrayed Ted inSuits LAepisode 1, failing to establish the characters’ connection to the point where the dramatic, emotional twist fell flat. Rather than stay laser-focused on the mob boss case and only include tangential characters in the context of 2010 New York,Suits LAshould recognize the power of exposition. By simply asserting that two people are friends, there’s no room for the audience to form attachments to the characters and their relationships. Showing how the protagonist met his oldest friend is infinitely more valuable to the entire series.
Suits LA Can Still Fix Its Harvey & Ted Issue Thanks To Gabriel Macht & Stephen Amell
The Chemistry Is There If Suits LA Wants To Utilize It
Suits LAepisode 4 may have failed at explaining why Harvey and Ted are friends, but Gabriel Macht and Stephen Amell have the necessary talent to make up for the lackluster backstory. Harvey is considered thebest character inSuitsdue in no small part to the chemistry he had with his coworkers, lovers, and even enemies throughout the original series. Ted Black hasn’t been received nearly as well yet, but that isn’t necessarily Amell’s fault. The narrative constrictions ofSuits LAcast Ted as a somewhat unlikable hero, butTed’s connection to Harvey could be his road to redemption.
New episodes ofSuits LAcan be streamed on Peacock the day after they air on NBC. All episodes ofSuitsare streaming on Peacock as well.
While there have only been two scenes inSuits LAthat show Harvey and Ted interacting, the actors can clearly play off each other well, even for something as inconsequential as debating which of them is the real Batman type. The rapport between the characters will help in future interactions, even if their connection still feels unfounded due toSuits LA’s unclear timeline. Luckily, the easiest solution is also the most logical:Suits LAcan focus on Ted and Harvey’s relationship in the present.
Stephen Amell and Gabriel Macht [could] lean into their characters’ shared history— vague as it may be— to portray a more nuanced friendship…
Given that Harvey’s fate following theending ofSuitswas left fairly open to interpretation,Suits LAcan give the character a proper sendoff by revealing what his life has been like since the original series ended. Harvey traveling to LA to help his old friend would also allow Stephen Amell and Gabriel Macht to lean into their characters’ shared history— vague as it may be— to portray a more nuanced friendship, similar to Ted and Kevin (Troy Winbush). Even ifSuits LAnever fully reveals how they know each other, Harvey and Ted’s friendship can be a fruitful storyline.
