NBC has pulled the plug on Suits: L.A., officially canceling the legal drama after just one season, What’s Trending has confirmed. The decision marks a swift end to the much-anticipated spinoff of the popular Suits franchise, which originally aired on USA Network and found renewed popularity on Netflix in recent years.
The cancellation comes just months after the series premiered in February, backed by considerable anticipation and franchise name recognition. Despite strong brand momentum and the involvement of well-known cast and creators, the new series failed to attract a strong audience or favorable critical reception.
Suits: L.A. starred Stephen Amell, known for his lead role in Arrow, as Ted Black, a former New York federal prosecutor who relocates to Los Angeles to represent high-profile clients in a private firm. The ensemble also featured Lex Scott Davis, Josh McDermitt, and Bryan Greenberg. Fans of the original series were excited to see returning faces, with Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman, and David Costabile making appearances throughout the first season.
NBC had high hopes for the drama, which extended the Suits universe beyond its East Coast roots. However, early reviews were largely negative, and viewership remained underwhelming, leading network executives to discontinue the project ahead of the 2025–26 television season.
A Familiar Formula That Didn’t Land
The official synopsis described Suits: L.A. as centering on Ted Black (Amell), who has left his past life and moral compass behind in New York to lead a powerful Los Angeles law firm. Faced with internal turmoil, Black is forced to embrace the very legal tactics he once despised. The story aimed to weave together legal intrigue and personal drama, a formula that brought success to the original Suits, which ran for nine seasons.
“Ted is surrounded by a stellar group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other while they can’t help but mix their personal and professional lives,” the series description read. “All of this is going on while we slowly unravel the events that years ago led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.”
Despite the promising setup and a franchise with a strong streaming resurgence, Suits: L.A. failed to capture the same lightning in a bottle. The premiere generated mild social media engagement, but reviews were quick to point out issues with tone, pacing, and character development.
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Creative Team and Production
Suits creator Aaron Korsh returned as creator and executive producer for the spinoff. The executive production team also included David Bartis, Doug Liman, Gene Klein, Anton Cropper, Genevieve Sparling, Rick Muirragui, and Jon Cowan. The series was produced by Universal Content Productions (UCP).
NBC invested in the spinoff as part of a broader strategy to revive well-known properties for new audiences, a tactic networks have leaned on heavily in the streaming era. However, as with many revivals or extensions, name recognition alone wasn’t enough to guarantee success.
Part of a Larger Trend at NBC
The cancellation comes as NBC reshapes its programming slate ahead of its annual upfront presentation in New York, scheduled for May 12. Suits: L.A. joins a growing list of series not returning next season. Other recent cancellations include the drama The Irrational and comedies Lopez vs. Lopez and the reboot of Night Court.
Industry analysts note that the traditional broadcast networks, including NBC, are under increasing pressure to cut underperforming content as they compete not only with each other but also with a robust lineup of streaming platforms. The push for cost-effective, high-performing programming has led to a greater number of cancellations across all genres.
The original Suits, which starred Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, and Meghan Markle, gained renewed popularity after becoming available on Netflix in 2023. It broke streaming records and introduced a new generation of viewers to the fast-paced world of high-stakes legal drama. That unexpected second life likely helped greenlight Suits: L.A. — but also may have set an unreasonably high bar for success.
While Suits: L.A. won’t return, the franchise may still have life in other forms. Industry insiders have speculated that NBCUniversal may continue exploring different expansions of the Suits universe, particularly given the strong performance of the original series on streaming platforms.
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For now, fans of Suits can revisit the original show on Netflix and Peacock, while Stephen Amell and other cast members are expected to pursue new projects following the show’s cancellation.
NBC has not commented on whether the episodes of Suits: L.A. will remain available for streaming, but given the company’s interest in boosting its digital content library, it’s likely they will continue to be accessible on Peacock.
As the television landscape continues to shift, one thing is clear: even familiar titles are no longer safe from early cancellation if they fail to deliver.
