Month: July 2024

Emily In Paris established itself as a guilty pleasure when the world arguably needed it most (in 2020). In doing so, this show keeps with tradition from Darren Star, who has helmed decades of similarly soapy shows including Sex and the City, Younger, and Melrose Place. His newest protagonist, Lily Collins’ inexplicably irresistible fashionista, has been entertaining streaming audiences for three full seasons, but now, it’s time for the show to shake things up a bit. This goes beyond Emily attempting to finally get better at speaking French beyond an intro course.

As viewers know, the series has a tendency to gloss over consequences, including personal drama that should carry legit fallout. And Emily has obviously been carrying on-and-off for seasons with Hot Chef Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), who has also maintained having a girlfriend, Camille, with whom he actually arrived at the altar in the third season. This led to Camille calling out Emily and Gabriel and cancelling the wedding, after which Gabriel confessed to Emily that he and Camille are with child. Will the show use this climactic event to dive into drama, or will the show stay fluffy? Let’s find answers.

Plot

The series will have plenty of subplots like Mindy’s quest to Eurovision and workplace antics, but the love quadrangle will remain a key focus. How will that go? Sounds messy.

As the show’s newest trailer indicates, not everything will be rosy for Emily and Gabriel and/or Alfie. The latter is still reeling from finding out that his supposed girlfriend remains in love with Gabriel (the dirty skillet continues to charm), and he remains on the scene, but friction exists, since he asks Emily for some “time,” and you know what that means. Meanwhile, Gabriel is shown in the trailer hanging out in Emily’s shower (skeevy but a fun switcheroo, given that the series began with Emily having a shower catastrophe), but the two do engage at least one bitter shouting match.

Well, it sounds like there will be more than one fit of yelling and quarreling. As Lucas Bravo recently told Vogue, these characters will have to start acting like grown ups: “This season is all about maturity.”

“We really wanted to take it to the next level, not in terms of passion, but in terms of maturity and the connection between them. There’s a lot of problems that weren’t addressed for three seasons which we’re confronting now. We’re finally communicating and fighting and addressing things. That was great to shoot. We have a few scenes like that where we’re yelling at each other, and at the end of the scene, Lily and I were like, ‘This is so fun!’ We said to Darren [Star, the show’s creator], ‘You need to write more fighting scenes.’ It was all this tension being released.”

Bravo further revealed that “there’s a ballroom scene” involving Emily and Gabriel, and Bravo feels “such tenderness and adoration for her and what we built in that sequence.” Further, he’s not able to divulge where their relationship ends up, but “when I’m in Gabriel’s skin, I’m deeply, deeply in love with Emily. She’s the one–she’s my soulmate. So from Gabriel’s perspective, I think they’re meant to be together and I hope they will be.” Bravo did concede, however, that “from an outsider’s perspective, I think they need to communicate and be independent, and their relationship should be a bonus to them being separate individuals.”

Whereas Alfie actor Lucien Laviscount revealed (to Marie Claire) that Alfie will be present, and season-finale cliffhangers will “definitely get answered.” He added, “Fans can expect a beautiful train crash,” and Alfie will go through an “emotional” arc, and this season will be “a little bit more hectic than previous seasons in that true, daring style.” Cue theatrics.

Additionally, Darren Star revealed that Emily will be in travel mode “[f]rom the French Alps to the piazzas of Rome,” and “viewers will vicariously experience amazing new locations through Emily’s eyes.”

Don’t forget that this travel will also include odd fashion, gorgeous surroundings, and yep, there’s Alfie with Emily again:

Cast

The core cast will be back, including not only Lily Collins and Lucas Bravo but also Emily’s colleagues including Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (Sylvie), Bruno Gouery (Luc), and Samuel Arnold (Julian) with William Abadie (Antoine) pushing everybody to be more luxurious. As already discussed, Lucien Laviscount will be back for more self-punishment as Alfie and Camille Rabat will continue to portray Camille’s bizarre quest for unhappiness. Thankfully, Ashley Park will be back as the ray of tolerable sunshine known as Mindy.

Release Date

Netflix’s two-part strategy will reign here with half of the season arriving on August 15 and the rest on September 12.

Trailer

The aforementioned “fighting” gets a special spotlight in this trailer.

In just a couple of weeks, a new season of Bel-Air will be in our hands. Peacock is finally returning with a new season of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air remake more than a year after its second season concluded. The show’s third season is focused on Will Smith’s first summer in Bel-Air and the many highs and lows that come with it. Additionally, we’ll also get to see more of Carlton, Hilary, Ashley, Mr. & Mrs. Banks, Jazzy, and others as the year’s warmest months only complicate things for everyone in the show.

So, with the season three premiere date just around the corner, let’s get you up to speed with everything you need to know about the new season of Bel-Air.

Trailer

Earlier this month, Peacock released the official trailer for Bel-Air season three. You can watch it below.

Release

Bel-Air season three will debut on August 15. The new season will launch with the three new episodes before returning to an episode-per-week release schedule for the remainder of the season. The August 15th season three premiere marks almost a year and a half since the season two finale was released. New episodes in Bel-Air season three will be released weekly on Thursdays at 3am EST/12 AM PST starting on August 15.

Cast

You can expect all of the same cast members from season two of Bel-Air to return for the show’s third season. There will also be some new faces as revealed by Deadline. Vic Mensa (The Chi) will join to play Quentin while Alycia Pascual-Peña (Moxie, Saved By The Bell) will take on the role of Amira. Here’s the full cast list for season three and their roles.

Main:

• Jabari Banks as Will Smith,
• Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks
• Coco Jones as Hilary Banks
• Adrian Holmes as Philip Banks
• Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks
• Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks
• Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey Thompson
• Simone Joy Jones as Lisa Wilkes
• Jordan L. Jones as Jazz

Recurring:

• April Parker Jones as Viola “Vy” Smith
• SteVonté Hart as Tray Melbert
• Tyler Barnhardt as Connor Satterfield
• Joe Holt as Fred Wilkes
• Charlie Hall as Tyler Laramy
• Jazlyn Martin as Jackie
• Vic Mensa as Quentin
• Alycia Pascual-Peña as Amira
• Marlon Wayans as Lou (Will’s father)

Plot

Season three of Bel-Air was detailed in a press released shared by Peacock. You can read it below.

Season 3 is summer season of Bel-Air! No school. No uniforms. Just summer sizzle. Pools, beach parties, bonfires, fireworks, Juneteenth celebrations and lots of summer lovin’.

Season 3 explores questions like, how do you prove yourself in a world that views you in limited ways? How do you reach beyond your comfort zone to create new opportunities for yourself? How does a family rebuild broken trust?

Bel-Air has always been a show with a strong cultural point of view. In addition to our soapy teen and family stories, this season we’ll have a lot of great discussion on the gentrification happening in South LA and how so many people are capitalizing on the economy at the cost of the community. And this convo will become a backdrop through the season.

Bel-Air Season 3 Episode Schedule

Season three of Bel-Air is expected to have ten episodes. If true, this is the expected tentative schedule viewers can expect for the new season:

• Episode 1: August 15
• Episode 2: August 15
• Episode 3: August 15
• Episode 4: August 22
• Episode 5: August 29
• Episode 6: September 5
• Episode 7: September 12
• Episode 8: September 19
• Episode 9: September 26
• Episode 10: October 3

How To Watch Bel-Air Season 3

Bel-Air season 3 will share episodes on a weekly basis on Peacock starting on Thursday, August 15 at 3am EST/12am PST.

Bel-Air Season 3 First Look Images

‘Bel-Air’ season 3 debuts on Peacock on August 15. Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘Bel-Air’ are available now to stream on Peacock.

Last month, Wiz Khalifa revealed that he is expecting his second child. However, the “We Dem Boyz” rapper’s partner isn’t the only party carrying something rather special.

Today (July 28), Wiz Khalifa took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal his official musical plans. According to the entertainer, fans should expect two projects from him, an album and mixtape titled, Wiz Owens. On his page, Wiz Khalifa surprised fans with the forthcoming body of work’s tracklist.

The project is set to feature a total of 13 tracks. At this time, Wiz Khalifa hasn’t confirmed whether the mixtape will feature any guest appearances.

One fan however wasn’t amassed with the mixtape announcement as they wanted the album that was promised, to which Wiz Khalifa replied: “Clearing the samples still so this is for in the mean time.”

Yesterday (July 27), Wiz Khalifa first teased the project. “New mixtape before the album drops,” he wrote.

He went on to hint that the mixtape could drop as soon as Monday (July 29).

Continue below to view the full tracklist and artwork.

Tracklist

1. “Jet Lag”
2. “Crispy T”
3. “Yellow Diamonds”
4. “1200 To Smoke”
5. “Gym Getting Fine”
6. “Early Mimosas”
7. “Innit”
8. “Movie Role”
9. “When I Was Young”
10. “On Bro”
11. “PTSD”
12. “Dream About You”
13. “Smoke Break”

Artwork

Over the last few weeks we have watched the USA men’s basketball team play five exhibition games and look solid, winning all five games, but showing some apparent flaws in back-to-back close calls against South Sudan and Germany.

As such, there were some genuine questions about this USA squad coming into the first game of the Olympics group stage against a talented Serbia squad that won the silver at the World Cup a year ago without Nikola Jokic. Those questions were quickly answered on Sunday afternoon in Lille, as the Americans made quite the statement with a 110-84 win over Serbia, led by their two veteran stars as LeBron James and Kevin Durant were sensational, combining for 44 points in the win.

The first game gave us plenty to think about, and here we look at four takeaways/questions going forward

Kevin Durant and LeBron James are still outrageous

Not sure how anyone’s first thought could be anything other than this, but it remains worth pointing out how absurd it is that these two guys are still doing it at this level. Durant is on the Carmelo Anthony tier of guys who just dominate in international play, as his ability to score 1-on-1 is amplified playing on a team where you just can’t double off of anyone. In the first half, Durant wasn’t just cooking off the bounce but was a flamethrower from deep, and when he’s doing that there’s really just nothing you can do. Scoring 21 points on 8-for-8 shooting in under nine minutes of action is a hysterical first half stat line, and Durant’s one of only a few guys on Earth that could pull that off. We weren’t sure exactly how KD would look after missing the entire showcase schedule with a calf strain, but it’s safe to say he’s feeling good and remains one of the all-time matchup problems for defenses.

And then you have LeBron, who was in full control of the game when he was on the floor and looks like someone hellbent on reminding the world that, despite the Lakers not being a real factor for a title in recent years, he’s still That Guy. The physicality allowed by FIBA officiating can bother some guys, but I think it only serves to make James more dangerous. He eliminates most of the grifting from his arsenal and simply reminds every opponent that he is bigger and stronger than them when the Americans absolutely need a bucket. The scoring power stands out, but you can also tell he just loves playing on a team with this much talent around him, where his decision-making as a passer is almost always rewarded.

If Team USA lets it fly from deep, good luck

During the exhibition slate, Team USA was . Their 32 attempts against Serbia are the second-most attempts they’ve taken in a game (the most was 36, again against Serbia), and while they won’t hit 18 in every game, they were consistently creating great looks from beyond the arc. In their two close calls against South Sudan and Germany, they put up 7-for-28 and 6-for-17 performances from beyond the arc, which allowed the math game to close the gap. I think at times the Americans physical advantages can work against them when it comes to their play style, as there can be a feeling that they should be able to take other teams inside and dominate at the rim. The problem is, with more contact allowed, it’s not always as easy to do that as it would seem, and the best way for a less talented team to hang around is to trade threes for twos.

I’ll be interested to see if they keep this up against other teams, as this has been a trend to let it fly in two games against a slower, but bigger, Serbia team. That’s not to say they need to chuck pull-up threes, but when they’re flowing offensively they can create good looks for some of the best shooters in the world — especially now that KD is back in the lineup. Some of this goes to the next takeaway, which is they look way better when they can get up-and-down the floor and use their athleticism to put the opposing team on the back foot. That shows up the most in transition, but it’s also pushing off misses and creating mismatches to attack early in the clock, springing shooters free as the defense scrambles to get set.

Will Joel Embiid remain the starter all Olympics?

Joel Embiid played just 11 minutes in this one, and the Jokic matchup would, in theory, be when the United States would want to deploy their biggest center. However, there’s just no way around the fact that this team just looks better with Anthony Davis or Bam Adebayo at center, allowing them to run up-and-down the floor and run less of their offense through Embiid post touches. It is, simply, a matter of fit. Embiid is at his best when things revolve around him, and on Team USA that’s just not the case. This team is at its best pushing the pace, and Embiid prefers to do the opposite.

It’s not all that dissimilar to why Derrick White is on this team (and heavily in the rotation) and Jaylen Brown is at home (and not happy about it). At some point, you need to establish a hierarchy and have guys buy in to their role, who can thrive off the ball and with others making decisions for them on a team with this much talent. Embiid, for all his gifts, just looks uncomfortable being asked to take on a secondary role that he’s never really been asked to play.

In a game the U.S. won by 26, Embiid was a -8, largely due to the slow start as they tried (as Dwyane Wade highlighted on the broadcast) to get him involved and going early, leading to some stagnant offense. They came to life when he came out of the game, and that’s been a bit of a theme. This is a team that can overcome that and probably still win every game, but how long do they want to put themselves behind the 8-ball with slow starts because they’re not running their most optimal lineup?

The biggest difficulty in coaching Team USA is ego management, and I’m sure USA Basketball made quite the pitch to Embiid to get him to choose the Americans over France — which, he hears about from the French fans every time he touches the ball. I doubt we see a change in the group stage, as they should be able to cruise from here, but I do wonder if there will be a matchup down the road in the knockout and medal rounds that leads Steve Kerr to not being willing to tempt the fates with a sluggish start.

Speaking of ego management…Jayson Tatum DNP?

It wasn’t real hard to figure out who would be at the bottom of the pecking order of the rotation by the time the exhibition slate had closed, as Tyrese Haliburton got phased out of the lineup in favor of Derrick White’s defensive acumen. For a team that needs to push the pace, getting stops is of vital importance, and they have no shortage of shot creators or facilitators on the roster. However, because Kevin Durant was not part of the process all the way up to the opener, we didn’t know who would get squeezed out of the wing rotation. The answer, for Sunday, was Jayson Tatum, who had played at 14-21 minutes per night across the five exhibition games.

After the game, Steve Kerr said this was the choice for this game with Durant coming back and Tatum would have a chance to “make his mark” another time.

I will say, I feel like the DNP was better than giving him three minutes as a victory cigar at the end, as I think that would’ve hurt more. How he factors into the rotation going forward will be interesting, because Durant obviously showed his value to this team with his perfect first half. We’ll see how Kerr gets him involved, because Tatum certainly didn’t seem all that enthused on the bench — a contrast to Tyrese Haliburton who seems to have embraced his current role as “bench vibes guy”, popping up as the first one to greet guys and celebrate. That said, the rotation can’t be everyone and it’s not abundantly clear where the Tatum minutes come from.

Perhaps they pull back on some of the two-big lineups and that opens up a few minutes at the four. Maybe they look to give LeBron a lighter load over the next two games to keep him fresh for the knockout round. But I think Jrue Holiday’s minutes are etched in stone and Derrick White has quickly established himself as the other trusted “glue guy”, playing most of the minutes Holiday doesn’t. That leaves Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards, who both played quite well in this one and might just fit what they’re looking for a bit more. I do think in the next couple games you could see some of those two’s minutes going to Tatum, but I’m not sold on this being a one night deal for Tatum being at the end of the rotation (or out of it all together).

For a guy who just won broke through to win a championship and felt like he truly established himself as a top star, that’s perhaps a tough pill to swallow. But like with Embiid, fit is everything on Team USA and he’s not going to be taking KD and LeBron’s minutes in big games, which doesn’t leave a lot for him.

All eyes are on Lil Yachty’s rising hip-hop collective, Concrete Boys. As individual acts, the members have begun to build out a fan base for themselves. But as a group, newer rap fans have started to cling to them following their joint singles.

Of the acts, its first lady, Karrahbooo has become a fan favorite. But according to reports, the “Running Late” rapper is no longer a part of the collective. Continue below for more information.

Did Karrahbooo Leave Lil Yachty’s Group Concrete Boys?

Yesterday (July 27), Lil Yachty and Concrete Boys were set to perform at 2024 Broccoli City Fest. Once the collective took to the main stage, attendees quickly noticed Karrahbooo was missing. Her username was also seemingly removed from the collective’s official Instagram biography section. In the public’s eyes, Karrahbooo left Lil Yachty’s group Concrete Boys. But further research shows that it might not be as clear-cut as supporters would like to believe.

Fans have begun combing through Karrahbooo and Lil Yachty’s latest posts online for clues regarding their status. Over on X (formerly Twitter), Karrahbooo shared a few vague things, including a video skit from TikToker Nurse John, that supporters believe backs up the rumor. In her stories, Karrahbooo posted a half dozen fans frantic questions about her whereabouts.

However, over on her Instagram page, Karrahbooo hasn’t removed “Concrete” from her display name. She also still follows several Concrete affiliates Pellz and Wiz as well as member Dc2trill.

An official statement has not yet been released by Lil Yachty, Concrete Boys, or Karrahboo. Could this be a simple spat among the blooming family? It sure appears this way.

To put it mildly, Grimes and Elon Musk’s parental relationship is complicated. According to reports, back in October 2023, the “I Wanna Be Software” musician sued Musk over parental rights.

Now, Grimes’ mother, Sandy Garossino, has taken to the Musk owned platform, X (formerly Twitter) to call him out for interfering with her ailing mother’s wish. In a length post, Garossino pleaded with Musk to allow the children to see their great-grandmother.

“I’m writing here as the only way I have to reach you,” she wrote. “As you know, my 93-year-old mother is now at end-of-life palliative care. She yearns to see and hold Claire’s children one last time. Especially the youngest, whom she has not yet met.”

Later in the thread, Garossino alleged that Musk was “withholding” the former couple’s three children from Grimes.

“I am alarmed to learn that the children cannot come as you are withholding them and their needed passport documents from Claire,” she wrote. “It was even more troubling to see you and X on television at the Olympics in Paris yesterday, after your DC trip earlier in the week. Where are the other children, and with whom? They are scheduled to be with their mother. They were expected here in Canada.”

Read the full letter below.

Peacock is host to a wealth of hit TV shows, both classic and new (with Love Island USA recently tying up its sixth season), and NBCUniversal’s streaming service is also beefing up their original film slate. This includes another dive into the true crime realm with Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.

Kevin Hart executive produces and stars in this movie created by showrunner and writer Shaye Ogbonna (The Chi), and further executive producers include Will Packer, Sabrina Wind, Jason Horwitch, and Hartbeat. What can we expect from the star-studded film?

Plot

This heist movie is based upon the iHeartRadio Fight Night podcast, which details the fateful night of October 26, 1970. That date, of course, refers to Muhammad Ali’s return to boxing in Atlanta, where a historical heist was pulled off on the same evening by “Chicken Man.” Portrayed by Kevin Hart, this hustler invited enormously wealthy boxing fans to a post-fight party where each of them was held at gunpoint. By the end of the evening, the titular million-dollar heist went down, and this shockingly brazen crime spree became the subject of an investigation led by detective J.D. Hudson, who had also helped Ali enter the boxing ring. (It was a busy weekend for Hudson.)

The investigation carried on for years, ending only “when everybody was dead,” according to Hudson, who was one of Atlanta’s first Black detectives that navigated the city’s desegregated police department. The Peacock film will explore the story in light of Ali’s historic fight that led to Atlanta earning the “Black Mecca” title, and here’s more from the Peacock synopsis:

When a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history. Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name but must convince his old adversary, J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.

Peacock shared the following stills ahead of release:

Cast

The main cast includes Kevin Hart (as Chicken Man), Don Cheadle (as JD Hudson), Samuel L. Jackson (as Frank Moten), Taraji P. Henson (as Vivian Thomas), and Terrence Howard (Cadillac Richie). Guest stars include Dexter Darden (as Muhammad Ali), Chloe Bailey (Lena Mosley), Lori Harvey (Lola Falana), Marsha Stephanie Blake (Delores Hudson), and Sinqua Walls (McKinley Rogers).

Release Date

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist will stream on September 5 on Peacock.

Trailer

Peacock did the thing with this trailer:

The second anniversary of PnB Rock’s tragic death is quickly approaching. Unfortunately, the “Forever Never” rapper’s death has not yet received justice in the court of law. As family, fans, and the hip-hop community continue to mourned him, a new courtroom update has inflicted further heartbreak.

According to Rolling Stone, the alleged shooter of PnB Rock was deemed incompetent to stand trial and this isn’t the first time.

On July 26, Sharonda P. Bradford, the California Superior Court Commissioner, revealed to the outlet that the charged individual had received “a range of services” during his detainment. However, despite those measures, an expert argued that he wasn’t fit to stand trial.

“The recommendation is that the previous orders remain,” he wrote. “The proceedings remain suspended, remediation continues.”

An update in the matter is expected to be announced next month.

So far, the other persons charged in connection with PnB Rock’s murder have formerly entered their pleas. Freddie Trone, the father of the accused teenage shooter (discussed above), reportedly plead not guilty to all the charges filed against him (one count of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony).

The third co-defendant, Tremont Jones, also entered a pled of not guilty on his charges (two counts of robbery, one count of conspiracy, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm).

Jones is accused of providing information to Trone and his supposed son as to PnB Rock’s location the day of the shooting.

In early June, USA Basketball made its selections for the 2024 women’s Olympics roster, with 12 of the biggest stars of the sport earning a spot on the most competitive roster in the world. There were a number of snubs, from Arike Ogunbowale (who apparently removed herself from the pool earlier in the process) to Caitlin Clark, the latter’s omission sparking weeks of debate.

The truth was, at the time, Clark was not playing her best basketball in the first month of her WNBA career, going through the adjustment period most every rookie goes through making the leap from the college level to the pros. Clark brushed aside the snub talk, noting how hard it is to make the roster and took some positives from it, as she gets a month off after a grueling year that saw her go straight from a Final Four run with Iowa into her rookie season.

She also said she’d use it as some additional fuel, making sure that there’s no doubt she belongs in future years. Clark spoke about her exclusion from the roster on June 9, and had a pair of rough outings immediately after, but since that point, she’s seemingly taken a leap. Clark is averaging 18.8 points, 10.8 assists, and 6.9 rebounds per game on 44.5/33.3/88.5 shooting splits in her last 12 games, with the Fever going 7-5 in that stretch to move into seventh place in the WNBA standings. In the first 14 games of her WNBA career, she averaged just 15.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.9 rebounds on 36.7/32.2/89.7 splits, with the Fever going 4-10.

On Sunday, Dawn Staley joined Mike Tirico as part of NBC’s studio team for their USA Basketball coverage, discussing the men’s blowout win over Serbia, but they eventually shifted towards a discussion of the USA women, who will begin their quest for a ninth straight gold on Monday. Tirico asked Staley, who is part of USA Basketball’s selection committee, about Clark not making the roster, and the South Carolina coach noted that things might be different if the team was being put together today.

It’s interesting that Staley would make this statement on air, but it’s a reminder of how thin the margins are at this level with how great the USA pool of talent is. Had Clark come out of the gates firing on all cylinders to start her WNBA career, she probably would’ve made the roster. Instead, she had the kinds of struggles most rookies go through, it just happened to come right when selections were being made. Clark almost assuredly has a future as part of Team USA, and if her recent run is an indicator of what she’ll be doing in the WNBA going forward, there likely won’t be a lot of drama for future selection processes.

Those who watched Suits during its original USA Network run (and those who are also somehow not Netflix devotees) might wonder why NBCUniversal is resurrecting the franchise for a new spin off. After all, the Pearson spin off (starring Gina Torres) only lasted for a single season. Yet the original series did sustain interest for nine seasons, and last year was the Summer of Suits on Netflix, perhaps due in part to Meghan Markle fascination. Clearly, there’s also overall interest and a new audience for this world.

NBCUniversal must believe that the record-breaking streaming numbers bode well for Suits to be invigorated enough to sustain a new entry. As such, NBC filmed a pilot and recently greenlit a full season for Suits: LA in the fine tradition of prime time legal/procedural spin offs that have found great success moving the action to a new city. Let’s talk about what could come from this addition to the primetime roster:

Plot

Once upon a time, showrunner Aaron Korsch hoped that Suits would become “something in the tone of Entourage that took place on Wall Street.” Little did he know that, over a decade later, Suits would eclipse that show to a level that a spin off (Pearson, based in Chicago rather than New York) would be ordered after another had (unsuccessfully) came and went.

As mentioned above, that show missed the mark with the original audience, but perhaps a more dramatic change of venue can help keep this franchise going for a longer haul. Fortunately, Suits: LA will not only take the legal-soap-operatic action to the West Coast but will also branch into a location-appropriate area(s) of law. The spin off’s leading men will also take on very different roles than their former series that made them famous.

As shown above, Stephen Amell (Heels, Arrow) will portray Ted Black, a New York transplant in LA (let’s hope that he knows Harvey Specter, originally portrayed by Gabriel Macht). He will launch a sure-to-be-in-demand firm for entertainment and criminal law clientele with the help of Josh McDermitt’s (The Walking Dead) Stewart Lane. The synopsis reveals how they will enter the story in “crisis” mode:

Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York, has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career. 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. All of this is going on while events from years ago slowly unravel that led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.

Of this new turn in his career, Ameell declared to People, “It’s something very new and different for me – talky-talky, not punchy-punchy.” He subsequently added, according to Deadline, that he had “a pilot script with more words per page than I have said in my entire career, by a factor of five.” He did clarify that this spin off is definitely “going to have that Suits feel.” Of course, Amell also admitted to never watching Suits until he secured the LA role, so hopefully, his sizing up of the spin off is on point, given that he now calls himself a “big fan and just glad I get to be a part of the world.”

Will there be any cameos from the original cast in at least minor roles? These secrets will likely remain under wraps until promotion time, but here’s to hoping that somebody familiar to this universe — Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres? — will make an appearance. For his part, Adams insisted that he is “ready to suit up again,” if that’s the way that Aaron Korsh wants to go. Surely, NBC won’t want to completely ignore that opportunity for extra ratings juice.

Cast

Amell remains in leading-man mode with his law partner, Stuart Lane, portrayed by Josh McDermitt. The supporting cast includes Victoria Justice, Lex Scott Davis, Rachelle Goulding, John Amos, Troy Winbush, Bryan Greenberg, Kevin Weistman, and Alice Lee.

Release Date

Although Suits: LA has shot a pilot and been confirmed for a series order, NBCUniversal hasn’t clarified whether this spin off will surface in 2024 or (more likely) 2025.

Trailer

No trailer yet. However, the original cast is now beginning to rival the Community cast with the number of times they have been asked about reviving their magic.