So Long, Suits LA: What Happened?
Okay, legal drama fans, let’s talk about the elephant in the courtroom: Suits LA, NBC’s attempt to extend the Suits empire, got the axe after just one season. Seriously? Who saw that coming?
The Suits LA Crash Landing
It premiered in February 2025 with a lot of hype—remember, Suits was having a huge Netflix revival. They figured, "Hey, let’s capitalize on that!" Stephen Amell was on board, and we even got some cameos from the original Suits gang—Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman, and David Costabile popped up. It seemed like a sure thing, right? Wrong.
Turns out, even a star-studded cast couldn’t save it. It kinda felt like watching a slow-motion trainwreck. The buzz just wasn’t there.
Low ratings: We're talking about numbers hovering around a million viewers—a tiny fraction of what the original Suits pulled in. The premiere episode did okay, but after that, it was a steady decline. People just weren't tuning in.
Brutal reviews: Critics were not kind. Suits LA scored a dismal 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. The general consensus? It looked the part, but lacked the sharp writing and captivating storytelling that made the original so addictive.
Weekly episodes in a binge-watching world: And here’s where things get interesting. In today’s streaming landscape, releasing episodes weekly is a risky move. Suits LA didn’t have those gripping cliffhangers to keep people coming back each week. It just wasn't built for that kind of release strategy.
NBC's Big Shake-Up
The cancellation of Suits LA wasn’t a solo act; NBC also cut several other shows—The Irrational, Found, Night Court, and Lopez vs. Lopez, to name a few. It was a major purge. Why? The network inked a massive, multi-billion dollar deal with the NBA. That deal requires a lot of primetime real estate for basketball broadcasts.
This means less room for scripted shows, even those with a decent start. It’s a harsh reality of the television business. NBC is prioritizing its sports programming and established franchises, like Law & Order and the One Chicago universe. New shows, unfortunately, are more vulnerable.
The Suits Legacy: A Mixed Bag
Suits LA’s failure isn’t the first Suits spin-off to stumble. Remember Pearson? Yeah, that one also lasted only a season. It seems incredibly difficult to capture the magic of a beloved show when you try to expand the universe. Suits itself had a second life on Netflix, but that success just didn’t translate to its LA counterpart.
The Bottom Line
The Suits LA cancellation is a tough lesson. A famous name and talented actors don’t guarantee a hit show. It's a complex recipe. Low ratings, negative reviews, and the weekly release model all contributed to its downfall. It also shows the huge effect big sports deals have on network TV. We're definitely seeing a shift in viewer habits in the streaming era. Will anyone try another Suits spin-off? Only time will tell.
