Stephen Amell has found his partner for NBC’s ‘Suits: LA’ pilot as it’s announced The Walking Dead’s Josh McDermitt will take a major role opposite the former ‘Arrow’ and ‘Heels’ star.
‘Suits: LA’ is centred on Ted Black (Amell), a former federal prosecutor from New York, who has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career. Ted is a charismatic force of nature who puts his own needs above others.
McDermitt plays Stuart Lane, an old buddy of Black’s, who, fifteen years ago, joined forces with the former New York prosecutor to build an L.A. law firm that specializes in criminal and entertainment law. Lane is energetic, powerful, focused… and self-absorbed.
They’re surrounded by a stellar group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other while they can’t help but mix their personal and professional lives. All of this is going on while events from years ago slowly unravel leading Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.
The potential new series, would (as the title suggests) be set in Los Angeles, and is set in the world of the hit drama ‘Suits’. Whilst it is being labelled a “spin-off”, it is more in the style of the ‘NCIS’ or ‘CSI’ franchises, with a new cast of characters, but following a similar idea and structure to the original show.
At this point, none of the original cast are set to appear in the new pilot. However, should the pilot get a series pick-up, there is potential to bring in some of the old crew, even if it’s only for guest spots, given Amell’s character does have a connection back to NYC. Despite being set in LA, the pilot is due to begin production in Vancouver, Canada, in March 2024 (because it’s cheaper than shooting in LA, although it may land tax credits if it gets a full series, allowing them to shoot in LA instead.)
Aaron Korsh, the creator and writer of the original series, is behind the new show and will also exec produce. He’s joined by David Bartis, Doug Liman and Gene Klein, who also exec-produced on the original ‘Suits’.
We should stress, ‘Suits: LA’ is only a pilot order at the moment, so may not go to series. We’ll have to wait and see if NBC decide to pick it up, which will usually happen around May. On a side note, the “Up Fronts” week this year, where the network pitch all their new shows to advertisers, seems to be the week beginning Monday, 13th May 2024. So expect the annual “TV Bloodbath” (where US networks renew or cancel a lot of their shows) to begin the week beginning Monday, 6th May 2024.
If you want to catch up on the original ‘Suits’, you can find all 9 Seasons on Netflix UK and USA.
