Suits LA Rotten Tomatoes Score Sets Unfortunate Record For The Legal Drama Universe
NBC's Suits LA has broken an unfortunate Rotten Tomatoes record for the legal drama franchise. The upcoming Suits LAis the second spinoff from the nine-season USA Network show Suits, which became a record-smashing streaming sensation in 2023. The show's previous spinoff was the political drama Pearson, which ran for one season in 2019. The new NBC series is set to follow the goings-on at the entertainment law firm Black Lane and the interpersonal relationships between the staff, which includes Ted Black (Stephen Amell), Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt), Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis), and Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg).
Rotten Tomatoes has now aggregated an official score for Suits LA from seven different critics' reviews of the first three episodes. While this score could fluctuate as more reviews are added, at the time of writing, it has so far earned a bright green splat with a score of 43%. Critics' average rating for the show has been a mixed 5.8 out of 10. This marks the worst Tomatometer score earned by any season in the franchise, as all 10 seasons of the other shows have earned Fresh scores.
One of these reviews came from ScreenRant's own Ana Dumaraog, who gave the show a 4 out of 10 and said that the spinoff is "devoid of the best things that made Suits a fan favorite." Read an excerpt from her Suits LA review below:
Because Suits LA kicks off in absolute mayhem, it barely gets the chance to be fun. Even the banter that Korsh did so well in Suits is almost non-existent. It is heavy and dark from the get-go, with several plot twists, backstabbing, and even underdeveloped angst just in its first hour. Its storytelling is reminiscent of the latter seasons of Suits, when it felt like Pearson Hardman was always on the brink of collapse every episode. Sadly, that stretch of storytelling isn't anyone's favorite.
What This Means For Suits LA
Audiences' Reactions Will Be All-Important
This record-breaking Rotten Tomatoes score lands a huge blow against NBC’s Suits LA just days before it is set to premiere. Even though some seasons of the original series were more beloved than others, none of them received a score lower than the Certified Fresh 78% score earned by season 1, and even the short-lived Pearson earned a solid 72% score. Below, see how the new show compares to the previous seasons of the series:
Season | RT Critic Score | RT Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
Suits season 1 | 78% | 89% |
Suits season 2 | 86% | 94% |
Suits season 3 | 85% | 92% |
Suits season 4 | 100% | 93% |
Suits season 5 | 100% | 92% |
Suits season 6 | 100% | 82% |
Suits season 7 | 94% | 85% |
Suits season 8 | 100% | 73% |
Suits season 9 | 83% | 80% |
Pearson season 1 | 72% | 79% |
Suits LA season 1 | 43% | TBD |
Suits has set itself up as a hard act to follow, considering the fact that four out of its nine seasons have earned perfect 100% scores. However, the spinoff does not yet have an audience score on the platform, which could be the thing that makes or breaks its overall reception. Audiences have a much narrower range of reactions to the franchise, with their scores limited to the 15% range between 79% and 94% as opposed to critics' 38% range between 72% and 100%, which could indicate that Suits LA has a stronger chance of winning over viewers than critics.
Our Take On The Suits LA Rotten Tomatoes Score
There Is Still A Chance The Spinoff Could Be A Hit
This Rotten Tomatoes splat does not necessarily doom the spinoff. The reactions have not been entirely negative, as the majority of critics have praised the Suits LA cast and said that the show improved over the course of its first three episodes. If it can maintain that level of improvement over the course of the season and earn a more solid audience score, there is a chance it could still capitalize on the streaming success of the flagship show and gain the ratings necessary for it to be renewed and avoid the early cancellation earned by its predecessor, Pearson.
Suits LA premieres on NBC on February 23 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, followed by weekly episodes on Sundays.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
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