‘Suits: L.A.’ Review: NBC Spinoff Is a Bad Fit for Fans and Newcomers

Despite the above photograph, Ted Black is not a happy man. The lead of “Suits L.A.,” played by former “Arrow” and “Heels” star Stephen Amell, isn’t where he wants to be in his career. He isn’t where he wants to be on this planet, either, and he’s lost just about every person he loves. One of the few remaining positives in his life is upended before the pilot comes to a close, pushing poor Ted that much further into misery.

To be clear, Ted is not poor. He’s very well-off, if not outright wealthy, considering he’s a formidable attorney operating out of L.A.’s ‘luxe Culver City neighborhood. At the very least, he’s got enough money to feel comfortable, and that comfort should be indulged from time to time. Tell a few jokes. Go out for a couple of beers. Catch a Lakers game. Perhaps Ted isn’t enjoying what he can out of life because, when we’re first introduced, he’s thrust into crisis management mode. But even after the overcooked pilot finishes burning bridges, Ted can’t be bothered to build them back up.

This angry lone wolf routine stands in stark contrast to the original “Suits,” a product of USA Network’s “blue sky” era, where shows like “White Collar” and “Burn Notice” kept the mood light and the good times rolling. Problems would arise, sure, but they tended to be nuisances more often than nightmares, and the melodrama, while rooted in characters and their relationships, was also exactly that: mellow.

“Suits” fit the mold. Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) and Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) are paired up in the pilot, via a platonic meet-cute where the former accidentally lands a job at the latter’s elite law firm, despite lacking a law degree. The two strangers become tied at the hip by their shared secret — Mike needs a job to support his grandmother’s medical bills, and Harvey needs Mike because he’s impressed with his moxie or something. It doesn’t really matter, because “Suits” isn’t meant to be realistic or serious or even all that dramatic; it’s meant to be fun.

“Suits L.A.” is not fun. It’s not realistic either, but that doesn’t stop it from being superfluously dramatic and super-duper serious. For reasons I’m prohibited from disclosing at this time, its central dynamic — and the only one with clear potential moving forward — turns “Suits L.A.” into a bizarro version of “Suits,” which is kind of intriguing from the outside looking in. (Why would NBC commission this spinoff of “Suits”?) But in practice, “Suits L.A.” proves as alienating as the original series was inviting.

Mainly, I blame Ted. Yes, the dialogue is stilted and almost exclusively exposition. Sure, the supporting cast is as bland as a Dodger Dog and the stages as prosaic as Dodger Stadium. But a solid central character can get you to look past all that, and Ted is too one-note, too unpleasant, and too damn angry to encourage our investment.

Bryan Greenberg and Lex Scott Davis in ‘Suits: L.A.’Courtesy of David Astorga / NBC

“Suits L.A.” tries to balance Ted’s anger by occasionally casting him as a sad boi — evoking our pity by adding to his adversities. After getting blindsided and nearly losing all his clients, Ted is forced to become what must feel unthinkable to a former federal prosecutor: a defense attorney. Tack that onto a painful break-up and more spoiler-y misfortunes, and it makes sense why Ted might not be the sunniest guy in the city.

(The clearest sign of just how messed up Ted is arrives by accident. Midway through the second episode, it’s revealed the born-and-bred New York Knicks fan has convinced himself to root for the Lakers. And no, he’s not doing it for business reasons. He’s not sitting courtside to woo clients. He claims Kobe Bryant converted him and, with all due respect to Black Mamba, that’s the stupidest reason I’ve ever heard. Tell me: Do New Yorkers tend to switch sides when their team is routinely bested by an archrival’s elite talent? They do? Oh, great. In that case, I can’t wait to see Madison Square Garden filled with Jayson Tatum jerseys.)

Clearly, this man is unwell, but he’s not unwell in a way that sparks curiosity. Ted is unwell in a way that can’t be fixed by a steady stream of flashbacks. His past isn’t all that interesting, even if it portrays the life he prefers, and even if that life eventually becomes the one he bothers to build in his new city. That would be a different show, with a different Ted, on a different network, at a different time. It might be the one you want, and it might even be the one you felt like you were promised in the title, but despite L.A.’s perpetually sunny skies, “Suits L.A.” can’t escape Ted’s pitch-black clouds.

Grade: D+

“Suits: L.A.” premieres Sunday, February 23 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Episodes will be available the next day on Peacock.