Will ‘Suits LA’ get more of Harvey Specter? Why Gabriel Macht says the show ‘stuck the landing’
As fans of “Suits” know, Harvey Specter has a big personality — one that captured viewers when the legal drama first aired from 2011 to 2019, then again when “Suits” received renewed love on Netflix post pandemic. Harvey as a confident, cunning and savvy New York City attorney became a difficult act to replicate, many thanks actor Gabriel Macht’s portrayal.
So when the “Suits” resurgence in 2023 created enough buzz to lead a spinoff series, “Suits LA,” by the same creator, Aaron Korsh, fans had to know: Could Harvey Specter return?
That answer became a yes, in the form of a brief cameo in the fourth episode. Macht says he never wished for a major role in the new series.
“I thought that we definitely stuck the landing, and I think we gave the fans what they wanted, and we wrapped up some storylines. When you play a character for that long, it’s time to say goodbye,” Macht tells TODAY.com in an interview.
While Macht may not be planning on a longterm role in “Suits LA” as Harvey — even reluctant to reprise his role until the resurgence, which he shared in a March 24 interview on the 3rd hour of TODAY — his cameo in a flashback montage, alongside lead actor Stephen Amell’s Ted Black, made a splash.
Amell is the star of “Suits LA,” which focuses on entertainment lawyer Ted in Los Angeles rather than the corporate law firm Harvey headed in the nine seasons of the original series.
The episode that includes Harvey features a flashback of Ted, troubled by a personal issue preventing him from focusing on his latest case. It’s unclear where in Harvey’s professional timeline it takes place, though we know Harvey and Ted both used to work in a district attorney’s office. In the scene, Harvey buys Ted a drink after a baseball game to get his mind off things.
“I think the two of them relied on each other for their cerebral machinations of how to get their cases through,” Macht tells TODAY.com. “I think Harvey was there to show him, ‘All right now, this is the time to just get the job done.’”
Macht also says he’s a fan of Korsh’s direction in the newest chapter of the “Suits” universe and encourages fans to buy in as well.
“I think it takes time to get legs. I think it takes time for people to sort of accept that this is not the original show; it’s a different show,” he explains.
Macht uses his 134-episode run with “Suits” as an example of the time required to build loyalty and storylines.
“When I first started, my cousin said to me, ‘So the hook of your show is a fake lawyer and a real lawyer. How’s that going to last more than a couple episodes?’” Macht recalls, “I said, ‘You never know.’ And then it ended up 134 episodes.”
Macht previously said on Instagram that Harvey and Ted’s friendship will be unpacked in three episodes of “Suits LA.” Rick Hoffman also revealed he will reprise his role as Specter’s infamous rival Louis Litt in an upcoming episode.
“It takes a while for people to feel like you can bring someone in your home,” Macht explains. “With a little bit of the original coming in and spicing it up and just giving you a little bit of a spark — I think it’s helpful. But these guys, they don’t even need us.”
In the meantime, Macht is enjoying his time away from major acting roles, mostly focusing on his private life. He especially loves not having to memorize 10 pages of dialogue every day — and being a soccer dad. (He has two teenaged kids with wife Jacinda Barrett.)
“I don’t have a minivan, but I’m doing the school runs, and I’m waking the kids up, and I’m just seeing them grow, and I’m seeing the challenges of adolescents,” Macht continues. “I like just being around.”
