Suits and Suits LA might have the same premise, but they are drastically different shows at their core. That being said, there are some similarities between the two.
The spinoff series — which premiered on Sunday, February 23 — introduced fans to Stephen Amell’s Ted Black, a hotshot lawyer who has his own firm in Los Angeles and, apparently, some secrets that have yet to be revealed.
Bryan Greenberg also stars as Rick Dodsen, who appears to be Amell’s right-hand man at first glance. However, a little deeper into the premiere, a (spoiler alert) betrayal reveals that Lex Scott Davis, playing the role of Erica Rollins, is No. 2 in the firm.
Sunday’s episode also revealed that, before relocating to L.A., Amell’s character had a law career in New York City. This, coincidentally, is where one major Suits connection comes in, by the name of Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht).
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“You’ll notice behind my desk that there’s a picture of a young Ted Black with what can only be a young Harvey Specter so there’s clearly a history between the characters,” Amell teased to Entertainment Weekly in December 2024. “We came up together in the D.A.’s office.”
While Macht isn’t reprising his role as Harvey just yet, there’s something to look forward to. In the meantime, keep scrolling for a breakdown of similarities between Suits and Suits LA:
Is There a Mike and Harvey Situation?
The original Suits had Patrick J. Adams and Macht starring as Mike and Harvey, respectively. They created a powerhouse legal team (even though one wasn’t really a lawyer, which isn’t quite relevant here.)
Initially, Suits LA seems like it’s gearing up to make Amell’s Ted and Greenberg’s Rick take over in the male dynamic duo department. However, after said aforementioned betrayal, the coworker relationship to watch out for is clearly between Ted and Davis’ Erica. She even alluded to it in the episode by saying that she’s picking Ted’s side “seven days a week and twice on Sunday.”
Donna Is There in Spirit
No character in TV history will ever, repeat: ever, replace Sarah Rafferty’s spitfire secretary character of Donna Paulsen from the original Suits. However, Azita Ghanizada does come in at a close second as Ted’s secretary, Roslyn.
While not many details about Roslyn were shared in the premiere, it seems she’s been around for a while, especially when she alludes to having knowledge of Ted’s family drama.
The Sports References
It’s no secret to Suits viewers that Harvey has basketballs signed by NBA players in his office. While it doesn’t seem like Ted has any sports memorabilia in his office, the character does appear to have an affinity for the New York Yankees.
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Not to mention, there’s also that Patrick Mahomes reference in the premiere. (“It’s the fourth quarter and you need a touchdown. You go with Kirk Cousins or Patrick Mahomes, who’s it gonna be?”)
A Past Love Interest — Who Seems to Keep Coming Back
It’s apparent early on in the premiere that Rachelle Goulding would be making multiple appearances as Ted’s past love interest Samantha. While it’s unclear what went down between them (something major, it seems) there should be more scenes of them together in the coming episodes.
When it comes to past love interests who keep coming back, the obvious comparison is Abigail Spencer, who made several appearances as Dana Scott in the original Suits.
So Many Family Issues
Ted’s dad is dying in the premiere, but he’s having none of it. He does go visit his ailing father (Matt Letscher), but there’s no warm and fuzzy reunion.
There are still a lot of questions to be answered, of course, but it seems a lot of their tension stems from the relationship Ted’s father had with his late son (Ted’s older brother), Eddie (Carson A. Egan). Not to mention, Ted drops that his dad was “convicted,” so it seems like he wasn’t around too much.
Similarly, in the original Suits, Harvey had some family issues that needed tons of unpacking as well. But Harvey and his brother Marcus (Billy Miller) were the ones at odds.
