He’s back! Stephen Amell returns to the small screen in Suits L.A. - NBCUniversal’s highly-anticipated law drama set against the glitz and glamour of the City of Angels. However, if after five minutes it feels like you seen this show before, you probably have — this newest legal drama is now one of no less than 10 shows of this ilk currently airing on either broadcast television or a streaming platform.
While right out of the gate, the new series, which premiered February 23, seemingly brings nothing substantially new to the legal genre, you still find yourself locked-in over here on the left coast to see if it will, at the very least, live up to the hype of its well-heeled east coast mentor.
With only one episode in, that still remains to be seen. But, hey, I am certainly willing to give it time.
Set up as a companion series to its predecessor, Suits — the gorgeously styled, brilliantly written show starring Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht, airing for nine seasons following its 2011 debut on the USA Network — this new iteration is once again the brainchild of producer Aaron Korsh. The west coast offering takes us into the world of Ted Black (Amell) as the self-assured, bordering on arrogant, former New York prosecutor-turned-managing partner at a prestigious Los Angeles law firm, newly crowned as Black and Associates.
As the series opens, we find Ted and his long-time partner, Stuart Lane, played by Josh McDermitt of The Walking Dead fame, knee-deep in final negotiations of a merger set to propel their firm into one of the largest entertainment law operations in the city, all while balancing the needs and cases of their high-profile clients, and managing, or dare I say, encouraging, in-fighting of junior associates clamoring to catch their bosses’ attention to snag that proverbial promotion. And, of course, what would be the point of explosive success of corporate big-wigs, without the growing-pains lessons to humble them in the face of it.
While the show is reminiscent of the former Suits, at times, it actually feels more like a call-back for OG L.A. Law fans of the mid-80s must-see TV. Those who know will definitely know.
Though, most of the action in Suits L.A.’s season debut takes place outside of the courtroom, there are a fair amount of similarities to the original series. The writing still works to strike a delicate balance between wit and drama. And, visually, it also maintains the polished aesthetic that reflects its upscale setting — to include the high-rise glass offices packed with silver-tongued, razor sharp, beautiful people, quick with the legalese quips and jabs, forever walking with a purpose from office to office, making no apologies for their ambitions.
At first blush the series’ opener appears to have it all, exploring gray areas of the law, questioning what true justice is and how personal morals can conflict with legal obligations, and even dipping a toe into controversial issues, such as men and women competing for the same job — and the politics vs. qualifications that go into making those final decisions. Tack on the contract negotiations, corporate betrayal, high-stakes drama involving both the mob and murder, and even finding purpose in your work, and it is apparent we are meant to feel as if this is just another jam-packed day at the law office. However, I fear, it is merely a day we have already repeatedly lived in this space. Still nothing new to see here.
So, where does the appeal for this newest law series lie if it all feels very been-there, done-that, you ask? I believe it can be found in the hope that it will find a lane similar to its cross-country counterpart and pick up the pace on its character-driven storytelling, legal intrigue, while capitalizing on the onscreen dynamic of the strong supporting cast, lead by Amell.
Amell has found a nice rhythm and chemistry with his current co-stars. His onscreen interactions with fellow cast members, such McDermitt, as well as Lex Scott Davis (Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart) and Bryan Greenberg (One Tree Hill), as entertainment attorneys Erica Rollins and Rick Dodson, respectively, have a natural, somewhat familiar ease to them. It will be nice to see where the dynamics of these relationships can lead while exploring the backstories of how each character arrived at the present moment.
No stranger to carrying the weight of an episodic series on his shoulders, Amell is best known for his role as Oliver Queen (aka “the Green Arrow”) in his previous hit series, Arrow, which ran for eight seasons on the CW. And though, Amell has ditched the makeshift mask and crossbow for tailored Armani suits and French cuffs, we still find him firmly entrenched in his stoic, yet reluctant hero era.
This early narrative reinforces the Ted Black character’s duality as both a savior and a man grappling with the circumstances of his past. And, though set in present day, we spend a considerable amount of time throughout the debut episode revisiting that fact in the back-and-forth trips down memory lane that come in and out of frame as flashback sequences.
Out of those memories, a theme that feels as if we will continue revisit as the season progresses is Black’s relationship with his estranged father, who may have skirted the law a time or two himself, and a brother who may hold the key to the vulnerability buried deep beneath the chiseled facade of a man who seemingly has all the answers to life’s questions, or, at least, HE would like to think he does.
Through it all, Amell continues to fall back on his less-is-more acting style that has been the hallmark of his past performances. With his subtle movements and gestures, deep and pensive stares off into the abyss to reflect the emotional restraint of his character, we, as the audience continue to feel the limits of his range and lack of nuance required for those more delicate scenes.
It still feels as if he is portraying the same intense demeanor as before, which can make it difficult for viewers to connect with his more vulnerable moments on screen. That is not to say there are not surprising moments where Amell comes dangerously close to hitting emotional beats that are more genuine and authentic that have not been as apparent in his other roles.
The show does provide the actor an opening or two to balance the character’s decidedly challenging moments with a certain charm to make an attempt at creating a more well-rounded leading man, making Ted Black, the character, somewhat more relatable and human in the process.
One of the standout scenes for Amell to showcase that effort comes in a cameo appearance of veteran actor John Amos (Good Times and Roots), playing himself as one of the firm’s celebrity clients. Unexpectedly serving as Black’s character of conscience, Amos reminds the lawyer to do the right thing in terms of his relationship with his father. It was a quiet, but well-played scene for one of TV’s iconic fathers bestowing his best father-knows-best sage advice.
No doubt, Suits L.A. may still have a ways to go in matching the critically-acclaimed success of Suits, there is still considerable room for this new series to grow and find it its own footing in the theatrical world of the law drama. And, if anything, at the very least, as fans of this universe, we still have the promise of a return of Harvey Specter with Gabriel Macht slated for a limited three-episode arc later in the season. I think I can hang in there until then.
Scheduled for a 10-episode season, new episodes of Suits L.A. will drop each week on Sundays on NBC. Episodes will be available to stream on Peacock shortly after airing on broadcast.
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