Well, that was fast and totally predictable: NBC has canceled Suits LA after a brief first season, ahead of its upcoming season finale.
Created by Aaron Korsh and starring Stephen Amell as prosecutor-turned-entertainment-lawyer Ted Black working at a Los Angeles law firm, Suits LA hoped to tread new ground for the network, namely to become a Suits spinoff that would actually be successful. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The previous Suits spinoff, Pearson, also received a swift cancellation after airing one season and that show had an infinitely more likable cast led by Gina Torres reprising her role as Jessica Pearson.
NBC president of programming strategy Jeff Bader revealed that Suits LA didn't resonate the way they had expected, per The Hollywood Reporter.
"There can be many, many reasons — people are speculating why it hasn’t resonated, but it’s just not really showing the potential to grow for us in the future, unfortunately.”
Bader mentioned comparing the different types of performances from linear airings to digital and whether or not those areas have potential for growth. Apparently they weren't impressed by its overall ratings enough to warrant a sophomore season. Suits LA wasn't the only show canceled by NBC this month, the network also announced the end for The Irrational, Found, Night Court, and Lopez vs. Lopez.
Why didn't it work?
So, why do television execs keep trying to make Suits spinoffs happen? Well, to be fair to them, it wasn't the craziest idea. When the original nine-season legal drama started streaming on Netflix, it blew up on the streaming charts and became "the most-streamed show over the course of a year" per the 2023 Nielsen's rankings (via THR).
Despite being off the air for over four years by the the time it came to Netflix, Suits proved it had staying power, maintaining the ability to attract newcomers even after significant time had passed. A new show set in the same universe didn't seem crazy, but it lacked what made the original series special, namely the excellent cast with the charismatic characters we came to love such as Harvey, Donna, Mike, Rachel, and Louis.
Suits LA did bring back alums like Gabriel Macht as Harvey and David Costabile as Daniel Hardman, and even Rick Hoffamn as Louis Litt, but the new characters—Amell's Ted, Tory Winbush as Kevin, and Alice Lee as Leah—failed to resonate with audiences.
The one good thing is that the fans who did like Suits LA will get to see one more episode, as the season 1 finale (which will now function as the series finale) is still set to air on Sunday, May 18. Hopefully, it will provide viewers who have stuck it out until the end with some closure.