Suits LAnever managed to outshine the original, and it’s mainly Harvey Specter’s fault. Gabriel Macht was a pillar of the original series, but the West Coast spinoff boasted its Harvey replacement— Stephen Amell’s Ted Black— was billed as the best lawyer in the country. As evidenced by the California-based installment’s 13 episodes, the empty promise eventually contributed toSuits LA’s cancelation.
ConsideringSuits LAwasn’t meant to be in theSuitsuniverse, it’s no wonder that the failed spinoff paled in comparison to the original series. From the cases to the guest stars to the overarching narrative,Suitswas everythingSuits LAcouldn’t be. While many factors led to the early cancellation,Suits LA’s biggest issue was Harvey Specter’s lingering presence.
Harvey Specter Set An Impossible Standard For Suits LA’s Ted Black
Nobody Can Beat New York’s Best Closer
Gabriel Macht’s smug lawyer— known as the Best Closer in New York— was undeniably thebest character inSuits. Throughout the original series’ nine seasons, Harvey’s pithy character development allowed him to have both substance and style. Furthermore,Harvey leaned into his flaws but quietly revealed his soft side, maintaining a captivating balance between anti-hero, villain, and protagonist archetypes.
WhenSuitsbecame a streaming success on Netflix, Harvey’s iconic character returned to the zeitgeist, reminding audiences why the Blue Sky hit is one of thebest legal dramas of all time. Whether the overwhelmingly positive reactions were due to nostalgia or true feelings,Suits LAwas brave enough to beSuits’ successor. Unfortunately, Ted Black was no Harvey Specter.
Granted, it didn’t help thatHarvey returned inSuits LAand stole the spotlight. Despite seeming like a shell of his former self,Harvey had more charisma in one line than Ted had in the entire series. Gabriel Macht’s three-episode arc was meant to illustrate Ted and Harvey’s friendship, but there was a fundamental disconnect that made Ted feel inconsequential.
Harvey could have helped pass the torch toSuits LA’s leading man, but Ted Black never gave him a reason to. Even as a watered-down version of his starring role, Gabriel Macht felt like the true main character during his brief stint on the spinoff. ThoughTed could never match Harvey’s prestige,Suits LAhad a more concerning character issue.
Suits LA Desperately Needed A Hero
Beyond disappointing Harvey Specter fans who expected a carbon copy, Ted Black failed to resonate with the audience. From the opening moments of the series premiere, Ted flaunted his morally grey approach to law, threatening a character witness and coercing him to testify, only for the witness to be killed moments later by Ted’s arch-nemesis mob boss.
The seedy, heartless first impression gave way to a cruel and detached boss…
The flashback should have stood in stark contrast to who Ted became, but the seedy, heartless first impression gave way to a cruel and detached boss who manipulated prospective clients and played mind games on his employees. After meeting him,there was no reason to root for Ted— or even like him. Consequently,Suits LA’s shocking betrayalsfell flat.
The spinoff failed to make us care for Ted, even as it interrupted every episode with a melodramatic flashback sequence to explain his dark past. Despite whatSuits LAhoped we’d believe, Ted Black isn’t Batman; he’s no vigilante with complex motivations. Based on whatSuits LAactually showed of his character,Ted was just another shark in the water.
All episodes ofSuitsandSuits LAare streaming on Peacock.
Theearly reviews ofSuits LAclocked the impending disaster that was Ted’s character, but the spinoff never fully recovered. There were glimpses of humor and humanity, but they came too late to give him a fighting chance. With his haunted bad boy persona,Ted Black madeSuits LAdepressing to watch, the final nail in the spinoff’s coffin.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t Stephen Amell’s fault at all. The CW’sArrowis a perfect example of his ability to play cocky but endearing characters who are cut from the same cloth as Harvey. This is on the writing of Ted Black inSuits LA.
Almost Any Option Would Have Been Better Than Ted
What makesSuits LA’s cancelation such a shame is that there were many interesting characters that never got the attention they deserved. Lex Scott Davis’Erica Rollins felt likeSuits LA’s true leadwith her compelling moral dilemmas and mentor-like role to Leah Power (Alice Lee). From the start,Erica could have been the complicated heroSuits LAneeded.
Alternatively, her protégé could have been the new Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams).Suits LAwasted Leah’s character, whose naivety and bleeding heart set her apart from the calculated coolness of entertainment law. The antithesis of Ted Black, Leah was immediately endearing and would have garnered actual emotional investment inSuits LA.
Even flipping the script and focusing on the betrayer instead of the betrayed would have been a more interesting hook. Unlike Ted, Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt) didn’t believe he was the good guy in every situation. Stuart has other delusions and dangerous character flaws, but seeing him work through his insecurities was more believable than Ted’s struggle to convey vulnerability.
Suits LAbuilt Ted up as Harvey’s replacement, but it doomed itself and its protagonist by justifying his apathy rather than growing past it. Not evenSuitswas dead-centered on Harvey from the get-go, and it shows why he is remembered as one of the greats, while Ted Black andSuits LAwill sadly fade into obscurity.
