NBC Exec on Suits LA Cancellation: 'Hard Decisions Were Necessary'

*Suits* is a show that has captured the hearts of fans over the past nearly 15 years since its debut on USA Network in 2011. The legal drama enjoyed a major revival in recent years thanks to its full availability on Netflix, prompting countless binge-watching sessions and reintroducing the series to a new generation of viewers. However, despite this renewed popularity, the spin-off *Suits LA* was recently canceled by NBC following the release of the network’s fall schedule. What led to this decision? According to Jeff Bader, NBC’s president of program planning strategy, it came down to audience engagement and growth potential.

“It’s so hard to talk about shows and which ones you bring back, and *Suits LA* had a very short run, but it really just hasn’t resonated the way we thought it would,”

Bader told Variety, explaining the rationale behind the cancellation. He continued:

“There can be many, many reasons why, people are speculating why it hasn’t resonated, but it’s just not really showing the potential to grow for us in the future, unfortunately.”

He elaborated that decisions like these require a deep analysis of both linear and digital performance metrics. The network evaluates which shows demonstrate stability or upward trends in viewership across platforms, and which appear unlikely to gain traction moving forward.

“We had to look at the performance of the shows, both on linear and on digital. We had to see the ones that looked like they had growth potential in the future. So we’re looking at how stable they are on their linear performance, how stable they are on digital, which ones are growing and which ones are declining. And we had to make some hard decisions.”

Bader also noted that NBCUniversal regularly explores the possibility of transferring canceled series to Peacock. However, in the case of *Suits LA*, the opportunity didn’t materialize.

When it came to renewing other shows, Bader explained that both quantitative and qualitative factors were considered — including week-to-week ratings consistency and the ability to attract a fresh audience.

“We looked at what their performance was week-to-week, episode-to-episode, on both linear and digital, to just try and glean which ones we thought had the best ratings story,”

he said, adding:

“And then on the creative side, the creative teams did the same thing. Which ones have the most potential, or the best potential, to capture a new audience? And these were the two shows that made their way to the top.”

The original *Suits* series aired for nine seasons from 2011 to 2019. The revival spin-off premiered in February 2025 and featured Stephen Amell, Lex Scott Davis, Josh McDermitt, and Bryan Greenberg in leading roles. Original cast members Rick Hoffman, David Costabile, and Gabriel Macht also made appearances throughout the season. The series was created and executive produced by Aaron Korsh, the mind behind the original *Suits*. The final episode of *Suits LA* aired on May 11, 2025.