NBC is moving ahead with its planned pilot for a version of the “Suits” universe — this time set in LA.
The network announced that it’s hired Victoria Mahoney to direct “Suits: LA,” an offshoot of the former USA Network series that’s found a second (and third) life on Netflix after ending in 2019 after a nine-season run.
In 2023, reruns of “Suits” snared nearly 60 billion viewing minutes and spent three months at the top of the Nielsen streaming charts after premiering on the streamer in June.
The new pilot is not a spinoff or a reboot, per se, since it will include all-new characters and is set in LA, unlike “Suits,” which unfolded in New York (the series was shot in Toronto).
The pilot revolves around “Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York” who “has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles,” according to a description provided by NBC.
“His firm is a a crisis point, and in order to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt for his entire career.”
Filming is scheduled to begin later next month in Toronto.
NBC has not released a list of cast members as of this writing.
“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,” reads the pilot’s plot description.
“All of this is going on while events from years ago slowly unravel that led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.”
“Suits” creator Aaron Korsh will executive-produce the “Suits: LA” pilot along with David Bartis, Doug Liman and Gene Klein, all of whom worked on “Suits.”
None of the original series stars are featured in the pilot script, but there’s always the chance they could appear down the road if “Suits: LA” is picked up as a series.
Patrick J. Adams recently said he would be interested in returning to the franchise.
Director Mahoney made history as the first female and first black director in the “Star Wars” franchise when she served as the second unit director on “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” She also recently directd “the Old Guard 2” for Netflix, according to Deadline.
The original series revolved around the ins and outs of a prestigious law firm in Manhattan and starred Gabriel Macht as Harvey Spector; Gina Torres and Jessica Pearson; Adams as Mike Ross; Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane; Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt; and Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen.
Word of the pilot broke last fall.
There has been speculation that, should the pilot be picked up as a series, Markle, who married Prince Harry in 2018, “would be smart” to return, if asked, since she’s reportedly looking to get back into the entertainment world in front of the camera.
Markle was invited to join Macht, Adams, Rafferty and Torres to present the Best TV Drama award at the Golden Globes Jan. 7 — but the Duchess of Sussex had a “previous commitment,” according to Page Six.
A “Suits” spinoff, “Pearson,” starring Torres, aired for one season on USA in 2019.