Suits: Stephen Amell's L.A. Character: A Retroactive Reiteration of Arrow's Best
The first glimpse of Stephen Amell's character in Suits: L.a. reveals reminds one of the most intriguing features of his stay on Arrow. Suits: L.A. marks Amell's comeback to a television franchise following the end of the Arrowverse, even if he has worked on other projects since Arrow including Heels and Code 8. Over eight seasons of Arrow, Amell played Oliver Queen, and made many guest appearances in other CW shows including The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl.
L.A. Spinoff: A New Beginning Using Familiar Themes
Though a premiere date is yet unknown, L.A. spinoff has at last gotten a full series order from NBC. Though not the first spinoff for Suits, it sets itself apart from Pearson with a whole fresh cast of characters. The show takes place in Los Angeles' entertainment law firm, with Amell's character Ted Black among the founding partners alongside Stuart Lane by Josh McDermitt. Certain specifics about the pilot's characters have come to light, including Ted Black's former New York prosecutor job before moving to Los Angeles.
Ted Black's Reiteration of Authority: Oliver Queen Vibe, Mayor
Though the official picture for Suits: L.a. doesn't show much, it most definitely reminds one of the most intriguing arcs in The CW - Mayor Oliver Queen. Though there might not be many clear parallels between a well-known attorney and a masked vigilante, Arrow season 4 gave Oliver Queen a different narrative that explored another side of his nature. After a string of crises and the deaths of politicians and other officials, nobody ventured to run for mayor in Star City until Oliver stepped forward to meet the challenge.
Arrow ended on January 20, 2020; three years later, Amell briefly returned as Oliver Queen in The Flash season 9 "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To." Amell had the chance to present a side of Oliver Queen that the show had never previously looked at both as a candidate and then mayor. Often compromising, the politician version of Green Arrow had to negotiate difficult circumstances by forming alliances with other politicians and authorities. This stage tried Oliver's fortitude in ways never seen in any fight against supervillains. Having liked Amell's performance of Mayor Oliver Queen, it would be interesting to see what he offers to the character of Ted Black in a universe where everything depends on negotiations and concessions.
Ted Black: A Force to Be Remembered With Stephen Amell
Ted Black is said to be a force of nature guiding his company across a crisis. The official summary for Suits: L.A.'s pilot also notes Black's past secrets that might haunt him later on. Ted Black left his career as a prosecutor in New York and founded a private law firm in Los Angeles; the events leading to this remain unknown, and this could have bearing on his secrets. Being Black Lane Law's founding partner, Amell's character will have "name on the door" right from start.
Ted Black will probably concentrate on running the company at a macro level instead of handling specific issues like Harvey and Mike addressed. This is a big difference between the main characters of Ted Black and Suits, Harvey and Mike. While Mike Ross spent most of the show under Harvey's direction, Harvey Specter only got his name on the door in season 3. Amell's character is either the managing partner or at least a co-manager with Stuart Lane, thus Ted Black will probably focus on strategic management of the company instead of handling individual cases like Harvey and Mike would do.
Ted Black v. Harvey Specter: An Analysis of Legal Titans
For many years, especially once Mike, Jessica, and Rachel started to show up, Harvey Specter was Suits' face. Thus, it is inevitable to compare Gabriel Macht's character with Amell's Ted Black. Harvey also worked for the DA's office in New York, albeit it's unclear if they were there during the same period. This is one important link between them. Apart from their common background as prosecutors, Ted and "season 1 Harvey" have no other obvious parallels. Harvey starts the show having just attained senior partner status, yet he finally becomes the managing partner.
The last episode of Suits showed how much Mike Ross changed Harvey Specter's life and brought the show full circle in a moving farewell. Harvey was Pearson Hardman's "top dog," the attorney Jessica would allocate to the most important cases with the highest billings. Whereas Ted Black has been one of Black Lane Law's leaders from its founding, Harvey Specter was rather negligent and unprepared to run the company during the early seasons. Although L.A. will be fun and Suits and Suits will be similar, the spinoff should hopefully avoid copying narratives and character arcs from the original show. Amell could now take front stage in the Suits universe after guiding the Arrowverse for almost ten years.
Suits: L.A., a fresh chapter in the legal drama.
L.A. is a legal drama series spun off from the original franchise and will feature Aaron Korsh returning as the producer. Stephen Amell will play Ted Black, a lawyer who has to lead his legal practice through a phase of impending collapse.
