While many had high hopes for the premiere ofSuits LA, lacking a Mike Ross equivalent proved to be a costly mistake for the spinoff. Patrick J. Adams portrayed one of themost important characters inSuits, with the very premise of the original series relying on Mike’s big secret. Alongside Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike was thrown into the legal world head-first, and the fake lawyer became a key member of the firm throughout the original run. The West Coast spinoff seemed poised to capture the magic ofSuitswith a unique twist: focusing on entertainment law in Los Angeles.
Sadly,Suits LAquickly earned a less-than-favorable reputation following its first episode, and the legal drama never recovered. Theending ofSuits LAset up many storylines to be expanded in a hypothetical season 2, but NBC chose not to renew the spinoff following the low ratings and negative critical response. Yet, the downfall ofSuits LAfelt inevitable, meaning it wasn’t themost heartbreaking cancelation of 2025. In fact, part of whySuits LAunderwhelmed was a problem identified before the pilot episode even aired:Suits LAdidn’t introduce a new Mike Ross.
Without A Mike-Adjacent Character, Ted Black Fell Flat
From the early character descriptions alone, it was clear thatSuits LA’s protagonist— Stephen Amell’s Ted Black— was molded in the image of Harvey Specter. The first trailer forSuits LAonly further confirmed their similarities, with Ted’s cocksure attitude even directly compared to Harvey (who appeared via a shoddily-edited picture of a baseball team). While it makes sense that the spinoff wanted to feel familiar to the original,Suits LAepisode 1 proved that attempting to replicate such a beloved character ends up hurting more than it helps. Immediately,Ted Black was slammed as a poor imitation of Harvey Specter.
Ted’s contrived connection to New York’s best closer came to a head whenHarvey appeared inSuits LA, first in a flashback sequence and later in the present timeline. With the two characters interacting directly, it felt painfully obvious that Ted would never come close to Harvey’s charm. Yet, without the Harvey impression, nothing substantial remained. Ted had a traumatic past, love problems, and a bevy of betrayals left, right, and center, but it was hard to root for him. He wasn’t a hero nor an underdog, and— unlike Harvey— Ted didn’t have an ingénue like Mike Ross to mentor.
It was the interplay between Mike and Harvey that made [Suits] so compelling.
Harvey may have been one of the most memorable characters inSuits, but he was only yin to Mike’s yang. In the early seasons ofSuits, it was the interplay between Mike and Harvey that made the show so compelling. Without the reluctant genius,Harvey was just a shark in the water with nobody to sympathize with him. Similarly, without the talented top dog, Mike was just a burnout wasting his potential with no way to capitalize on his true talents. The juxtaposition between the characters madeSuitsa hit, and ignoring it was partiallywhySuits LAfailed.
Suits LA’s Failure Shows How Important Mike Was To Suits' Success
Mike’s Secret Is What Made The Flagship Series Unique
WhileMike and Harvey’s friendship inSuitsis what many remember most, the reason the original series is still regarded as one of the best legal dramas of all time is because it stood out from the crowd. The legal drama genre is painfully predictable most of the time, with a case every episode leaning heavily into repetition and formulaic storyline.Suitswasn’t exempt from this, but there were key differences and idiosyncrasies that made it feel fresh. While some praise can be attributed to the upbeat tone of the USA network’s “Blue Sky” era, Mike is truly to thank.
SuitsandSuits LAare streaming on Peacock.
Without question, the most unique aspect ofSuitswas Mike’s battle to try to conceal his identity. Set against the standard backdrop of powerful lawyers and high-octane trials, it’s the inherent feeling of Mike being out of place that madeSuitsso interesting to watch. As a viewer, you were privy to the truth that Mike didn’t have a law degree, adding a layer of risk that ran as an undercurrent during every interaction with Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) or Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres).Without Mike,Suitswould have quickly faded into obscurityas yet another legal procedural.
Mike Ross leftSuitsin season 7, but Patrick J. Adams returned to briefly guest star in season 9.
In fact, it’s widely accepted thatthe worst seasons ofSuitswere the ones after Patrick J. Adams (and, by extension, Mike Ross) left the series. Many loyal fans still tuned in all the way to the 2019 series finale, but it was a universally-known sentiment thatSuitsfelt different without Mike Ross, and it was certainly for the worse. If Harvey Specter was the real protagonist of Suits, the spinoff would have found instant success, due to Ted Black being a near carbon copy. Instead,Suits LA’s cancelation is further proof that Mike was invaluableto the original series.
How Suits LA Could Have Introduced Its Own Version Of Mike Without Suits' Gimmick
The Spinoff Didn’t Need To Resort To Clichés
Mike’s secret inSuitswas what hooked many, butSuits LAcould have introduced a replacement character without copying the exact premise of the original series. Mike Ross was important beyond him lacking a law degree, as evidenced by the fact that most main characters knew (or at least suspected) Mike’s secret by the end of season 2. While his secret was an intriguing foundation,Mike’s personality gaveSuitsstaying power, allowing the legal drama to move forward after its big reveal without losing momentum. Sadly,Suits LA failed to diversify its ensemble beyond a few outliers.
Furthermore, Mike being a new employee allowedSuitsto include copious exposition to explain the setting and characters, somethingSuits LAcouldn’t get away with.
TheSuits LAcast of characterswas filled with talented actors, like Lex Scott Davis (Erica Rollins) and Bryan Greenberg (Rick Dodsen). The critical error the spinoff made, however, was giving every main character a similar authority as successful lawyers. WhatSuits LAfailed to understand is thatHarvey was a shark, but he was nothing without the minnows.Suits LAcould have kept Erica and Rick’s rivalry but made them less accomplished, or introduced a new character entirely to fill the scrappy void of Mike Ross.
Frustratingly,Suits LAhad potentialreplacements that it failed to develop. Leah Power (Alice Lee) had the perfect framework to beSuits LA’s new Mike— she was young, underutilized, and had complex motivations that prevented her from fully committing.Suits LAcould have explored the mentorship between Erica and Leah more, turning them into the new Harvey-Mike duo. Still, Leah’s optimistic disposition made her feel too naive.Suits LAinvested so much energy in making Ted its tragic hero that the rest of the characters suffered for it, leaving Batman without a Robin and nosediving as a result.
