Suits L.A. — Season 1 Finale “Freedom” Review

In the crowded landscape of legal dramas, Suits L.A., featuring Stephen Amell, as Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor turned entertainment lawyer, aimed to carve out its niche in the often-glamorous but sordid legal world of Hollywood. And, let’s be honest, we know the show also worked hard to create a distinction between itself and its cinematic predecessor of similar name. Unfortunately, the series, which has been cancelled after just one season, fell short of its ambitious goals. 

The irony of the final episode being the 13th in the series’ debut season served as both a culmination of Ted’s personal and professional journey and a sobering reminder of the show's shortcomings.

In this anticlimactic episode, once poised to usher viewers into what comes next for Black & Associates, NBC Universal’s announcement last week to not bring the show back for a rebuttal, shifted the narrative to serve as an impromptu wrap up of any lingering loose ends, though, in effect, creating others.

As expected, Sunday’s episode ran more like the season finale that it should have been, instead of the series ender that it was forced to become. In this swan song, Ted Black, portrayed with angst and complexity, navigating the murky waters of an industry rife with power dynamics, attempts to cast a spotlight on a truly despicable movie producer known for his emotionally abusive behavior towards employees. The premise itself has great potential, exploring themes of justice and redemption in an environment where money and clout often provide needed cover for unethical conduct. 

The finale embraced a sense of urgency and moral confrontation as Ted  collaborates with his former girlfriend, Samantha Railsback (Rachelle Goulding) who, let’s not forget, is also a partner at a rival law firm, to confront the producer.

While the show delivers the expected resolution we would want for the Good Guys, as a concluding episode, the dynamic that emerges between the two from this final case leaves plot threads dangling and emotional arcs unresolved.  

Another notable misstep was the series' initial approach to supporting characters, who often remained one-dimensional and underdeveloped until the back quarter of the season. While Ted received significant backstory from jump through repetitive flashbacks to his past that revealed aspects of his character and motivations, these disconnected memories frequently felt disjointed from the current narrative. Up until this point, the flashbacks were framed in such a way that, at times, it felt as if you were watching two separate shows in one. Only in this final episode do the actions of the past make sense in connecting the character’s life to the present day, when the deadly consequences of Ted’s former mob case in New York City help shape his approach to take down the movie producer with mob-like tendencies in real time. 

Again, the absence of meaningful arcs for supporting characters ultimately hindered the show's momentum and emotional weight, at times. For instance, Ted’s executive assistant, Roslyn, who we have seen only in spurts throughout the season, was thrust into the spotlight as a potential witness for the case against the movie producer. A promising avenue for character exploration but lacked the development necessary to engage viewers fully. Her initial reluctance and subsequent personal history reveal for her decision to testify, which should have been a dramatic high point, fell a little flat by the show's uneven pacing and lack of context surrounding her character, up to that point. Why wait until now to give us a reason to care?

However, one of the more significant disappointments as an invested viewer was the “will they, won’t they” relationship that began to gather steam in more recent episodes between attorneys Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis) and Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg). When the two find themselves on opposite sides of the negotiation table for a back-end deal for a high-profile actress to share revenue from an upcoming movie, the attorneys are forced to confront unresolved feelings.

Once close colleagues and even closer compadres outside of the office, the pairing, often only hinted at through onscreen tension and innuendo, remains the greatest casualty of the show’s abrupt end. No doubt, Davis and Greenberg’s onscreen chemistry could have brought all the feels with a fully fleshed out arc, sadly, how their story ends will now be left only to the imagination and, perhaps, future fan fiction.

As an entertainment law drama, Suits L.A. had its moments, particularly when delving into the intricacies of legal maneuvers and the moral dilemmas faced by those in the entertainment industry. However, these moments were often overshadowed by the overarching issue of Swiss cheese storytelling. The series needed to balance its lead character's development with rich, meaningful narratives for its ensemble cast, enabling the audience to invest in a broader array of stakes and outcomes.

Despite its promising premise and the undeniable potential of the stories that could have been told through the Hollywood lens, Suits L.A. was ultimately a victim of its own ambition, unable to harmonize character development and capitalize on its good name. 

As the credits rolled for the final time, I was left with a sense of what could have been, and an insatiable hope to see where the show was about to go. 

Nevertheless, in a season filled with potential, a considerable amount of buildup, with little payoff, at times, the series now served as a cautionary tale about the importance of depth and connection in ensemble storytelling, reminding us that even in the glitzy realm of entertainment, substance must prevail over style.

See if you agree! Check out all 13 episodes of Suits L.A., streaming now on Peacock, and then leave me your thoughts in the comments.

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