Is Suits LA based on a true story? Explained

No, Suits LA is not based on a true story. However, the spinoff series, which is now airing on NBC every Sunday evening, features a character that is inspired by a real-life entertainment lawyer. Starring Arrow star Stephen Amell, the Suits spinoff brings the legal drama to Hollywood.

Amell's character as Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor, left New York and now heads a law firm in the West Coast. His change in address isn't the only thing that changed. He also left criminal law and reinvented himself to become a formidable entertainment lawyer, representing some of the biggest names in show business.

It turns out that Amell's Ted Black isn't entirely fictional. The character's job and even the name are inspired by a real-life CAA agent. The sequences in the Suits LA were even shot in and outside of the CAA building in Century City, further intertwining the fictional and real-life inspiration of the story.

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Suits LA's Ted Black is Ted Chervin

Stephen Amell's Ted Black is inspired by Ted Chervin, a real-life CAA agent and former ICM Partners managing director. According to an August 7, 2024 article by Deadline, Dennis Kim, the former agent and current manager of Suits and Suits LA creator Aaron Korsh, explicitly said:

"Ted Black is Ted Chervin."

In the series, Ted Black is a former federal prosecutor who is trying to escape the mob and reinvent himself in New York as an entertainment lawyer to the stars. Similarly, the NY native Chervin also started his career in the Big Apple as a federal prosecutor after he graduated from Harvard Law.

Also like the fictional Ted Black, Chervin pursued mobsters and organized crime kingpins before he left for Los Angeles, pursuing a talent agent role in Hollywood. Some of his high-profile cases include indicting the head of Colombia's Cali drug cartel.

Besides the parallels in their professional lives, the similar names of both fictional and real-life characters don't appear to be a coincidence. In fact, Korsh has been fascinated by Chervin's story after hearing all about it during a dinner when he signed with the former ICM agent, per Deadline. He was fascinated enough that he wrote a script titled Ted, a story about a man named Ted who follows Chervin's career trajectory.

However, when he pitched it, USA Network execs reportedly turned it down because it was "too showbiz-focused,' per the outlet. It was allegedly passed around and underwent a name change, Hindsight, until it eventually went to NBCUniversal and became Suits LA.

Also according to Deadline, Chervin doesn't represent Korsh anymore but remains friendly with Korsh. He even reportedly congratulated him after the news that the spinoff show inspired by his career trajectory was picked up, and signed it "from the real Ted." He also has no involvement in creating the project.

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What to know about Suits LA?

As mentioned earlier, Suits LA follows Ted Black, played by Stephen Amell, in his newly reinvented life on the West Coast, representing some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Besides Amell, Josh McDermitt also stars in Suits LA as Ted's ex-partner in the Black Lane law firm they started, Stuart Lane, who betrayed him and started a new firm with his ex Samantha, played by Rachelle Goulding.

Other notable cast and characters in the series include Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis), who becomes Ted's new partner and the Head of Entertainment in his new firm, Black and Associates, after Stuart's betrayal. There's also Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg), Ted's former protege who left him at the last minute to join Stuart's new firm as the Head of Entertainment.

The series follows the rivalry between Ted and Stuart as well as Erica and Rick, who were former lovers, and the high-stakes legal drama in Los Angeles.

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Catch Suits LA now streaming on Peacock, with new episodes arriving every Sunday evening on NBC before heading to Peacock the very next day.