[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Suits L.A.]

Summary

The NBC series ‘Suits LA’ follows Ted Black and Stuart Lane, as they navigate high-stakes legal battles in LA.

When it came time to merge their law firm, Stuart cut Ted out, causing a fracture in their friendship.

Actor Josh McDermitt discusses character development, potential guest stars, and upcoming challenges for Stuart.

The NBC series Suits LA, from Aaron Korsh who also created the original series, follows Ted Black (Stephen Amell) as he represents the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. While he and partner Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt) built one of the largest firms in the city, they agreed to merge with the firm owned by Ted’s ex (Rachelle Goulding), only for Stuart to ultimately decide to cut Ted out, in a move that would also fracture their longtime friendship. Now, Stuart is trying to find his footing without his best friend while navigating clients that are challenging to say the least.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, McDermitt talked about what led him to watch the original Suits, which of those characters he was most drawn to, what he connected with when it came to the Suits LA pilot script, why Stuart thinks he’s a great lawyer, how the beard came about, whether there are qualities in Ted that Stuart wishes he had, which original character he thinks would get the better of Stuart, building up cast chemistry only to tear it apart, who he thinks might be a fun guest star, and what’s still to come for Stuart.
Josh McDermitt Watched the Original ‘Suits’ When It Was on Netflix

“I just remember thinking, ‘This would have been a really fun show to do.'”

Collider: When this came about, had you been familiar with the original series? This is obviously a different show, but it has the same vibe and rhythm to it.
JOSH McDERMITT: I didn’t watch the show when it was on USA, but I watched it on Netflix a couple summers ago, when the actors and writers were on strike. I just remember thinking, “This would have been a really fun show to do.” You can just tell that they’re having fun. I liked it. I was like, “I wish I could have done it,” not knowing that Suits L.A. was even a thing. And so, when this came about, it just felt very seamless. It felt like I was just reading another episode of Suits because it was from the mind of Aaron Korsh. I enjoyed how seamless it was. It just made it very easy to slip into this world.
Did you have a favorite character from the original series that you connected with most?
McDERMITT: There were a couple of them that I liked for different reasons. I loved Gina Torres’ character, Jessica. I thought she was fantastic. But also, I loved Louis Litt because I like those characters who, when they enter a room, you know shit is about to go down, something’s about to happen, they’re going to say something unexpected or throw a speed bump or a hurdle in. I’m drawn to those characters, as an actor. But the more you watch it, the more you fall in love with Louis, and you yearn for him to enter a scene. And Rick [Hoffman] did such a great job with that character. I loved it. I’m so excited that he’s coming to play with us.
When you read this pilot script, what did you see, as far as the possibilities in this character?
McDERMITT: What’s interesting is I have a lot of friends who are lawyers. I have one friend that went to law school, and then when you’re in law school, you’re just hanging out with your law school friends. He introduced me to all his lawyer friends, and then they just all became my friends. Now, all of a sudden, I have too many friends that are lawyers. What I saw with Stuart was the different places they could go with it. I wasn’t trying to think of, “Oh, where will he go in relation to Ted or in relation to Rick,” or anything like that. It was most about, “Who is this guy? What situations could I see him in?” And then, trying to build the character from there and make him as real as possible. That’s what I was drawn to, at first. Obviously, what I come up with in my mind is going to be completely different from what the writers end up ultimately doing anyway, but it still gives me a starting point to go through it and see where that leads me.

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Once you got to the twists and you learned that Stuart had cut Ted out, that Rick left to go with Stuart, and even that Eddie was not actually alive, what went through your mind?
McDERMITT: There was a lot going on, for sure. That helps flesh it out. It’s very messy, in a good way. And I don’t mean disorganized. I just mean when two characters sleep with each other, and then the next day you find out that one of them is the boss, and they didn’t know that, that’s just messy. There was a lot of mess in this, and I liked that. I liked that Stuart wanted to go. He went after Erica, and then he ultimately got Rick. But then, she also knew, “Hey, Ted, if Stuart asked me, you better bet that he asked Rick too.” Stuart was just hedging his bets. There’s all this four-dimensional chess that’s being played everywhere, and that’s what’s really fun about it. The possibilities are endless at that point, with where you can go with the story and who these characters are.
It’s almost like Stuart is that contestant on Survivor that plays the game a little bit too hard and you’re like, “Dude, just chill out a minute. Don’t show your cards to everybody.”
McDERMITT: Yeah, he wants to make it to the final tribal council.
Stuart also clearly has some facial hair going on. Was that your decision? Was that something that was decided for the character? How did that come about?
McDERMITT: I grew it during the strike, just because I had time to do it. Usually, if I start growing a beard, I’ve got to shave it for this reason or that, but I started growing it, and then I auditioned with it. I thought, “Surely, they’re going to make me shave it.” But Aaron Korsh was like, “No, I like it. We’ll keep it.” And I was like, “Okay, cool.” So, I kept the beard. I like it because Stuart looks different. Everyone else looks great without their beard, and I don’t have to compete with that. I think a long beard with a put-together suit is a cool look. I just like that look.
You know that guy has to be fun outside of work.
McDERMITT: I think the term is party animal.
What do you think Stuart thinks makes him a great lawyer?
McDERMITT: I don’t mean it in an arrogant way, but he knows he’s the smartest guy in any room he walks into. He’s just a brilliant legal mind. But also, the fact that he continues to fight and put his clients first and their interests above anything else. And he has integrity. I think that’s really what makes him intimidating and scary to other people who have to go up against him. He’s not shady. He has ethics and he will do the right thing, but he is going to try to find any way possible to get his clients the victory that they need. That, coupled with his intelligence, is really huge.
Do you think that he thinks he’s a better lawyer than Ted?
McDERMITT: Yes. He knows it.
Ted Black Has Qualities That Stuart Lane Admires, Even if He Wouldn’t Admit It

“Is [Stuart] content being himself?”

Image via NBC

Does he see qualities in Ted that he wishes he had, as far as the lawyering goes?
McDERMITT: That’s an interesting question. I’ve thought a lot about that, and I don’t know that I fully settled on something firm, in that sense. There are qualities in Ted that he admires, but I also think he sees that those qualities could get Ted into trouble or could get Stuart into trouble if they aren’t careful. There’s a charisma to Ted that maybe Stuart wishes he had. Stuart doesn’t always have the best bedside manner. Stuart can be a little bit of a bull in a china shop, so to speak. He maybe wishes he had a little more of that charisma that Ted has. But at the same time, if he had that charisma, who knows where that would lead Stuart. Would Stuart still be as good of a lawyer? Would he just rely on his charisma too much? That’s why I’m back and forth. Does he admire Ted’s traits and qualities, and does he wish he had them, or is he content being himself?
Did you ever worry about how audiences would react to Stuart?
McDERMITT: I didn’t even think about it. He does this thing in the pilot, by leaving and cutting Ted out of the merger, that’s a crappy thing to do, but he’s not thinking of it as that so I couldn’t think of it as that. I had to think of the justifications and why, with those years of toxic behavior between the two of them. Stuart’s setting up these boundaries to say enough is enough, even though they’re both at fault for each other’s behaviors. I was a little surprised, I had friends check in with me after the pilot and they were like, “Oh, my God, I can’t believe you’re the villain.” And I was like, “I’m not the villain. Stuart’s not a villain.” I think people perceived it that way, but the more you get to know him and you get to know more of his backstory, and you see the different layers to him or the things that Ted has done to him, you go, “Maybe this was justified.” It’s a nice, big surprise in the pilot, but I never looked at it as that. It just gets messy, and that’s what I liked. Not everything is as black and white as people want to make it. It’s very grey. The world is very grey, and there are dark shades of grey and light shades of grey. That’s a healthy perspective to view everything. It isn’t as cut and dry as you think it is.
If you’re going to have original cast members show up on this show, Gabriel Macht is a pretty good place to start. What has it been like to have his support of the series? Does that give everyone a boost of confidence?
McDERMITT: Yeah, it is a boost of confidence. The fact that we can get the stamp of approval and have them pass the baton like that is such an enormous blessing. And to have people like Rick Hoffman come in to play, as well. Hopefully, we can have others. It’s a big deal to us because we’re all fans of their show. To find out that they are happy for their little brother, so to speak, it really does mean a lot.
Would you like to see Harvey and Stuart doing something together, at some point?
McDERMITT: I would love to have scenes with Stuart and Harvey. Any OG character that you bring in, I would love Stuart to interact with them just because I think it would be a fun dynamic, especially as we get to know Stuart more. I’d like to see Stuart and Louis, or Stuart and Mike. They’re both extremely smart people, but I think Mike might get the better of Stuart.

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There is definitely cast chemistry, but you blew it all up so early on. What was it like to figure out what that dynamic was, but then take it all apart and start to build some of it in new ways throughout the season?
McDERMITT: We shot the pilot in Vancouver, and we all got up there a month or two before, just to hang out and actually do some bonding with each other as people who are supposed to have been working together for more than a decade. You’d probably develop a shorthand with each other. We were so focused on the pilot that I forgot that, by episode two, Stuart was not in that law firm. It honestly didn’t even dawn on me that I’d be working with Bryan [Greenberg] so much. And I love working with Bryan. He’s great. But I didn’t even think of that until I got episode two and remembered that we left the firm. I was just tracking Ted and Stuart. I think the cast has gelled really well, very quickly. We’ve got a lot of really sweet people who are incredible actors. It’s been a lot of fun to just play with everybody.
And there’s so much history with all these characters that it feels like anything could happen with them, at any time.
McDERMITT: Yeah, for sure. And you find out that some of it was in the past already. Are they going to rekindle? As Stephen [Amell] put it at one point, everyone’s in play.
‘Suits LA’s Josh McDermitt Has Ideas About Who He’d Like to See Guest on the Show

“Those two would be on my wish list, for sure.”

Image via NBC

Because these characters work in the world of entertainment, it leads to opportunity for some fun guest stars because you have people coming in to play characters, but you also have some coming in to play versions of themselves. Is there anyone you’d love to see make a guest appearance on the show?
McDERMITT: I’m such a huge fan of Melissa McCarthy. I think she would be hilarious on our show. Whether she plays herself or not, she’s just such a wild card. And also, maybe Will Ferrell. I would like to see Will Ferrell play someone completely strait-laced and not funny at all. You know he would be so funny without even trying, just because he’s such a funny guy. Those two would be on my wish list, for sure.

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What would you say to tease what’s still to come this season? What are you most excited for fans getting to see, especially with Stuart?
McDERMITT: The vice is going to tighten. We have the seeds of reconciliation planted between Stuart and Ted, which is nice because I don’t think that storyline is done. In terms of on the legal side for Stuart, we’re going to see him challenged in a way that I don’t think he’s been challenged before in his career, and that will be exciting.

Suits LA

Release Date

February 23, 2025

Network

NBC

Writers

Aaron Korsh

Suits LA airs on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock. Check out the trailer: