“Suits” is one of my all-time favourite comfort shows.
I rewatch it when I need to escape and I was delighted when it was announced that the renowned legal drama would be getting a sequel, “Suits LA”, almost six years after the original show ended.
As the spin-off is set to premiere on M-Net next week, I recently got the opportunity to watch the first few episodes, courtesy of NBC and Showmax.
Like its predecessor, this brand-new offering from the original series creator, Aaron Korsh introduces viewers to the brilliant and ruthless lawyers who represent an elite clientele in the world of entertainment, sport and real estate.
And as a fan of “Suits” and Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), the series leading man, I wondered how the new show would live up to the original.
The show, which ran for nine seasons from 2011 to 2019, provides a captivating look into the legal world and features brilliant performances from actors such as Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman, and Gina Torres.
“Suits LA” is set in the same world but this time in a new city, with a fresh cast and even more courtroom drama.
It centres on Ted Black (Stephen Amell), a former federal prosecutor from New York.
The show opens with a scene of a harrowing ordeal which drove him from the Big Apple to Los Angeles.
After more than a decade, Ted is now a big-shot attorney who represents some of the most powerful entertainment clients, including Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Like Harvey, who is expected to make an appearance in the show, he is an arrogantly confident, suave bachelor who uses his work to avoid dealing with his personal struggles.
He has that swagger about him and sporadically throws around epic one-liners such as “I am a lion and you are a flea,” and “You are a badass in the movies and I am the badass in real life.”
Ted will do anything it takes to win and he is ruthless in his pursuit of victory.
And while it is a challenge to step into Harvey’s designer shoes, Ted takes strides in his own pair as he leads “Suits LA” with the intelligent humour that fans of the original show have grown to love.
He is often driven by his morality and he is determined to be a better man and lawyer than his father, an attorney who frequently finds himself defending the guilty.
Despite his good intentions, he is often sidetracked by his troubled past and his strained personal relationships.
Soon into “Suits LA”, Ted finds himself embroiled in office drama which forces his colleagues Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis) and Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg) to pick sides between him and fellow legal heavyweight (Stuart Lane) Josh McDermitt.
They all deliver impressive performances and are wonderful additions to the show, particularly Greenberg, who has landed this leading role after featuring in productions in “One Tree Hill” and “Bride Wars.”
Davis also shines as one of the show’s leading ladies, an entertainment lawyer who more than holds her own in a space dominated by males and her character is unapologetic about her professional ambitions and the routes in which she takes to win her cases.
“Suits LA” does a commendable job as a spin-off series to such a beloved show and I am thrilled that it also features the original theme song which makes the show so recognisable.
It also shares that sharp-witted banter, fast-paced scenes, stunning aerial views, corner offices with killer views and stylist attorneys as was portrayed on “Suits”.
It reflects the nature of the legal profession as it dazzles viewers with its enthralling legal drama, office politics and steamy relations.
While there is still a lot of “Suit LA” for me to watch, I am excited to see more from Ted, Stuart, Erica and Rick.
* Rating: 3.5 stars
∎ Watch “Suits LA”, Express from the US on M-Net (DStv channel 101) from Monday, February 25, at 8am and again on February 27 at 7pm.
If you are a fan of “Suits”, here are some other legal dramas to watch:
- “Law & Order”
- “Reasonable Doubt”
- “The Lincoln Lawyer”
- “Goliath”
- “Presumed Innocent”