Suits L.A. nearly didn’t happen due to shocking real-life story behind main character

Suits found a whole new audience last summer, leading to Suits L.A. getting the greenlight – but things nearly turned out very differently.

The Suits spinoff series was ordered not long after the flagship series enjoyed a new life on Netflix, dominating the Nielsen ratings and breaking all kinds of streaming records.

As well as heading from the east to west coast, Suits L.A. will be focusing on a whole new set of characters. 

At the center is Ted Black (Stephen Amell), a former federal prosecutor from New York who has reinvented himself by representing the most powerful clients Los Angeles has to offer. 

A new report from Deadline has revealed a little-known fact: Ted Black is actually based on CAA talent agent and former ICM Partners managing director Ted Chervin. And he has one hell of a backstory.

Before stepping into the world of TV, Chervin worked as a federal prosecutor in New York after graduating from Harvard Law. 

He was involved in a number of high-profile cases, including those related to organized crime and drug trafficking – he even indicted the head of Colombia’s Cali drug cartel.

At the age of just 29, Chervin dropped this life and moved to LA, using his skills to curate a hugely successful career as a talent agent. 

Suits creator Aaron Korsh has been fascinated by Chervin’s story ever since he heard about it, so much so that he pitched Suits L.A. – formerly called Ted – after the flagship series ended in 2019. 

However, as stated by Deadline, the USA Network execs felt it was “too showbiz-focused and passed” – meaning the spinoff nearly didn’t happen. 

The script was passed around and underwent a name change to Hindsight, where it was reportedly urged to move away from the “dark, highly serialized nature and showbiz angle” and towards the “lighter, procedural style” of Suits. 

Ironically, when it went to NBCUniversal, exec Alex Sepiol, who previously oversaw the development of the original show for USA, said it felt too similar. 

Despite ongoing rewrites, the premise was once again turned down. However, after the massive success of Suits on Netflix in summer 2023, NBCUniversal picked up Hindsight and asked it to incorporate Suits into the title. 

Sources told the outlet that while the creator didn’t want to bring back the same characters, he was open to creating a Suits universe, in the same vein as Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone. 

And the rest, as they say, is history. NBCUniversal gave Suits L.A. the greenlight, meaning Chervin’s story will get the dramatization treatment. 

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said last year, “For the last several years, the guy that created Suits had a spinoff show that he was trying to sell everywhere in town.

“Everybody passed, including us, and including [NBCUniversal], and now they’re making it.”

For more on the legal drama series, here’s everything we know about if Suits Season 10 is going ahead, why it was canceled, shows to watch if you love Suits. You can also take a look at the new series arriving on streaming this month.