Yahoo Lifestyle Gabriel Macht on Why Returning as Harvey Specter in ‘Suits LA’ Was the ‘Right Thing’ to Do: ‘I Did Think About the Fans’
“Suits LA” arrives on Feb. 23, just six weeks after the devastating wildfires that destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Initially, the series was only going to be set in Los Angeles, with production taking place in Vancouver. That’s where the pilot was shot in August. Then, the series received a tax credit from the state of California, and production relocated to L.A.
At the Feb. 20 blue-carpet premiere, the cast and creatives behind the highly-anticipated “Suits” spinoff celebrated the show’s move to L.A.
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“We film at the northeast corner of the Universal lot,” star Stephen Amell told Variety. “There’s an entrance that’s right by where we film. And it’s the faster way for me to get to work. I don’t go that way. I enter off Lankershim at Gate 4, and I drive from one end of the lot all the way to the other, because I want to appreciate working here. I want to appreciate the history of this lot.”
“I remember coming to Universal Studios when I was 10 years old,” star Bryan Greenberg said. “And I wanted to be an actor. Now, I’m here every day. It’s like … the coolest.”
Creator Aaron Korsh said that after the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, paired with the wildfires that struck just as the series was getting the season’s production off the ground, working in Los Angeles has been “very emotional.” When writing each episode, he tries to work in real L.A. locations to flesh out the city as a character. The characters’ law offices are in Century City. In one episode, they go to Hollywood’s famed Musso and Frank.
“I always think of it as what place would serve the scene the best,” Korsh said. “If you think like that, you will get iconic places just naturally in the course of doing it. And then you’ll also get places that maybe aren’t as iconic, but show L.A. in a different light.”
Amell plays attorney Ted Black in “Suits LA.” His firm concentrates on criminal and entertainment law, and they often end up representing real-life celebrities. The late John Amos appears as himself in an episode, and Patton Oswalt portrays an exaggerated version of himself in another.
“[The show’s] celebrating how crazy this town is,” Oswalt said. “There’s a lot of weirdness in this town that you do fall in love with … They don’t shy away from that.”
Star Josh McDermitt, whose character Stuart Lane heads the firm with Black, said that the series also highlights the “salt of the Earth” people that inhabit Los Angeles.
“This show features a lot of people who are just really amazing people in their heart,” McDermitt said. “They’re very generous, community driven. They like to take action, even though L.A. has the reputation of being flighty. Look at the look at what’s happening with the wildfires. Everybody came together immediately. [The show] is a love letter to Los Angeles.”
“There’s a big initiative to get people working, which is great for the crew, Teamsters, craft services, for everybody,” said Kevin Weisman, who portrays a powerful film executive who is the catalyst for the show’s season arc.
“We need to celebrate that production is back. We need to get our city working,” said Azita Ghanizada, who plays Black’s no-nonsense secretary Roslyn. “We need to get our city back to its golden age … I hope it inspires every showrunner [and] studio executive to fight to get tax cast credits.”
Korsh promised that fans of the original series will not be disappointed.
“The rhythms and the style of the writing and the storytelling are going to be the same,” Korsh said. “It doesn’t mean it’s exactly the same. Obviously it’s different characters, different place, but the sensibility of the show has a lot of overlap with the original, and I think people will find that comforting.”
Kristen Hager, who recurs on the series as Valerie Thompson, said that the original “Suits” was one of her comfort shows.
“I really appreciated the escape, [and it] was still witty and entertaining, but it is a world that lacks true malice. It’s a world I needed at that moment and really enjoyed,” Hager said.
Lex Scott Davis, who joins the cast as lawyer Erica Rollins, said she hadn’t seen the series prior to landing her audition, but quickly became a fan.
“I binged the whole first season when I should have been learning my lines for my audition,” Scott Davis said. “I’m stepping into a massive universe … and I’m going to take it seriously.”
Characters from the original series will be making appearances on the spinoff, including original series star Gabriel Macht – set for a three-episode stint as Harvey Specter. Macht has not yet filmed his scenes, so will appear later in the season, and it took some convincing to bring him on board.
“It was a ‘let me think about it.’ Let me see if it makes sense for where I’m at creatively. What other creative things are going on and what is the story? What are the stories that we’re telling?” Match saiad. “I did think about the fans, and that was ultimately the reason I turned around and said, ‘You know what? I think it’s maybe the right thing. I wanted to support the launch of this show.’”
Macht was coy when previewing how Specter will figure into the split.
“I can tell you that there’s some flashbacks. There’s a relationship that Harvey and Ted had in the D.A. ‘s office. And I can tell you that they’re cut from the same [cloth], and they have a deep friendship. They look out for each other,” he said.
Korsh promised that at least one additional character would make a surprise appearance this season. Who that will be, however, remains a mystery.
“You can lay your money on Meghan [Markle] if you want to,” Korsh chuckled.
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