8 Ways Suits’ L.A. Spinoff Can Improve Upon The Original Show

Summary Make legal proceedings more accurate and less fictional to increase realism in Suits L.A.

Avoid discriminatory hiring practices like only hiring from Harvard.

Shift conflicts to different law firms, not within the same firm, for improved dynamics in Suits L.A.

Suits L.A. is set to be a new spin-off from the incredibly popular Suits show, but if it can make a few key changes from the original series, it could stand to be even better than the original. Suits first began airing back in 2011 on the USA Network. Over the course of the show's nine seasons, it managed to pull in healthy ratings for most of the series' run, but it wasn't until a few years after the series finished that it reached peak popularity.

In 2023, Suits was added to Netflix and Peacock, where it experienced a huge spike in popularity (via Variety). With all the newfound love for the outstanding legal drama series, the original creator, Aaron Korsh, was given the opportunity to create a new series set in the same universe as the original (via Variety). With Suits L.A. already making waves ahead of its release, the show could bring back everything that made the original great, while also fixing some of the issues from the original series.

8 More Realistic Lawyers

First and foremost, the representation of legal proceedings is wildly misconstrued in Suits. It's not simply that the courtroom drama chose to focus on other aspects of law in order to make the show more sexy and exciting, but that almost every part of the series that touches on actual legal workings is almost entirely fictional in how it operates. From the lawyers being experts in every field of law to the partners in law firms all being between 25 and 40, the show fails to do its due diligence in accurately representing the legal system.

While the new series looks to have Arrow star, Stephen Amell, play the head of a major law firm in LA at the tender age of 42, the show can correct many of the other aspects where actual legal workings are presented. From the types of cases that come to the firm, to the way cases get handled, it would be great to have an entertaining legal drama that can also be accurate and thorough. Medical dramas that find ways to present more realistic and true-to-life situations like those shown in House prove that these shows can be accurate and engaging.

Related All 6 Suits L.A. Characters Revealed So Far (& Who Plays Them) Suits: L.A. will be the second spin-off of Suits, with a brand new cast and location set to expand the world established in the original series.

7 Strict Hiring Policy (Harvard Only)

At Pearson Hardman, there was a strict rule around hiring new associates to the firm that made absolutely no sense. As a requirement, Pearson Hardman would only entertain hiring candidates who were graduates of Harvard Law School. Not only did this severely limit their talent pool, but it also meant that Pearson Hardman was practicing discriminatory practices in their hiring process that simply would not fly in the real world.

Considering the new series is taking place on the West Coast, it makes the idea that hiring from Harvard only highly implausible, considering the school is located on the opposite side of the country and may struggle to attract the same numbers as a prestigious firm in New York City. However, if Black Lane Law has similar hiring conditions, it would be a major error on their part. Suits L.A. should not introduce an arbitrary requirement like where the candidate studied. And if it does, it risks being far too similar and sensationalized like the original series.

6 Pearson Hardman Was Full Of Internal Disputes

In the early seasons of Suits, and indeed throughout most of the series, the legal drama all seemed to circle around the drain at the law firm that was the beating heart of the show. Conflict between name partners like Jessica Pearson and Daniel Hardman made for intense and entertaining drama early on. Rivalries between Harvey Specter and his colleague Louis Litt were also entertaining, and everything that followed in the power struggles thereafter. However, the show took these conflicts to a ridiculous extreme.

While the series opened with the Pearson Hardman practice being a leading name in NYC, the finale had the same building and practice, now retitled to Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett. There were over a dozen name changes in the series, with the firm having five separate name partners at one point. These power struggles and rivalries are pivotal for a show like Suits, but Suits L.A. should keep the conflict between different firms, rather than all in the same building.

Related The Perfect House Replacement Premiered 13 Years Ago (& It’s Not A Medical Drama) The best replacement for House premiered less than a year before the medical drama ended, and it had nothing to do with doctors or hospitals.

5 Hard Copy Research

Many episodes of Suits had the team and associates working hard as they dug through boxes and boxes of hard-copy files and documents. While this spectacle created something that seemed overwhelming and tangible, the reality is that most of these documents and the resulting research should be kept and stored on computers. Having boxes of loose paperwork creates risks of documents going missing, or being destroyed, as was shown in Suits on occasion. By having the documents all stored on a computer, it makes research easier, and copying files to have multiple backups for security.

While the spectacle remains a fun visual, Suits L.A. should avoid the paperwork and stick to digital files, just as any modern law practice would. This would make it harder for the parties involved to sneakily dispose of evidence, and create a greater and more realistic challenge for the lawyers involved than simply pulling out a shredder. It also brings the series up to date, rather than making it feel as though the show is set in a time before digital files were common practice for every business in existence.

4 The Bechdel Test

The Bechdel test is an important benchmark for shows to ensure that the female characters aren't just accessories to be used by the men. While Suits is full of powerful and independent women, the Bechdel test suggests that these characters do not have the same level of importance and independence as what is given to men. There are three simple rules in the Bechdel test, and Suits almost passes. First, there must be two female characters. Check. Second, they must speak to one another. Check again. Third, about something other than men... Not so much.

While men in Suits have a variety of conversations about work, sports, aspirations, education, philosophy, and so on, it's rare for female characters to have an entire conversation without talking about men. This is simply not realistic, and it cheapens the female characters who could otherwise be just as independent, aspirational and possess a variety of interests as any male counterpart, and Suits L.A. should make a conscious effort to correct this.

Related Stephen Amell’s Suits L.A. Character Is Already Different From Harvey Specter In 1 Major Way While not much is known about Suits L.A.’s pilot, Stephen Amell’s character Ted Black is already different from Suits’ Harvey Specter in one key way.

3 A Larger Audience On NBC

While Suits originally aired on USA Network and managed to pull in great numbers for the channel, there is no denying that the network is less popular than some other channels. This immediately meant that the audience was capped in some ways with fewer people tuning in, or straying to a channel that was putting out fewer big hit shows. However, Suits L.A. already looks set to correct this.

Suits L.A. is set to premiere on NBC (via Deadline). NBC is a much larger network, which attracts a larger audience on a regular basis. With this simple fact, it means the series will have the opportunity to reach a higher number of viewers than its predecessor. Similar to how Suits going to a streaming giant like Netflix opened the door of opportunity for the series to be enjoyed by many more people, having the show air on a larger channel could prove to be instrumental in attracting a larger audience, and thus keeping the show on the air.

2 Entertainment Law Firm In LA

Custom Image by Ana Dumaraog

While Suits attracted some big-name clients, it was unrealistic hen famous cameos or well-known figures would drop into the firm to get legal help. New York may be home to many of the world's best and brightest celebrities, but Pearson Hardman typically appeared to be a corporate law firm. It wouldn't make sense for a random public figure to approach the firm looking for counsel, especially when that was not the area of law they practiced.

However, Suits L.A. is set in the City of Angels itself. Los Angeles is the home of Hollywood, and major studios, the rich, the famous, and the birthplace of the entertainment industry. With Black Lane Law also having its focus on entertainment law, it makes perfect sense to be located in L.A., and engaging with the stars on a regular basis. Featuring famous cameos will be totally in keeping with the series as the story lines up to explain why this is not only possible but highly likely.

Related Suits L.A.’s Setting Means The Spinoff Can Continue Suits’ Funniest Running Gag Suits L.A. will take place in an entertainment law firm from Los Angeles, meaning the spinoff can continue one of Suits’ funniest running jokes.

1 No Mike Ross

While Mike Ross is a great part of Suits, and pivotal in the first seven seasons of the show, Suits L.A. will benefit from having no Mike. Despite Mike never obtaining a law degree, and spending much of his college years goofing around, his eidetic memory meant that he never needed to spend time studying. Mike didn't work to earn a job at Pearson Hardman, and after getting the position, he never tried to make his position official and legitimate by pursuing an education.

He may have been incredibly smart and gifted, but it made things too easy, and too far-fetched for the series to be relatable. Suits L.A. should focus on characters that have normal capacities, who work hard, and who earn what they have. Of course, law can come easier to some, but by giving Mike a rare talent, like an eidetic memory, it made the series into a complete work of fiction, rather than a true-to-life legal drama with compelling character struggles. Suits worked well with a character like Mike, but featuring another character in the same role would not work.