Not every TV show set in a particular city has been filmed there. Although series likeGossipGirlandSexandtheCityhad the luxury of shooting on-location, othershows set in the Big Appledidn’t get the same luck. One example happens to beSuits, the USA Network series that broke streaming records after landing on Netflix. The legal dramamight’ve taken place in New York City, but it wasn’t actually filmed there.Despite the show’s successful run, putting out a total of nine seasons, only the pilot episode was shot in New York.
Given this revelation, many viewers began to wonder whetherSuitsLA, the spin-off that recently premiered on NBC, was filmed in the titular city. The new series follows Ted Black (StephenAmell), a former federal prosecutor from New York who reinvented himself on the West Coast as the head of a criminal and entertainment law firm. Black Lane Law has a star-studded clientele, with lawyers representing Hollywood talents and major film producers. Yet, Ted’s firm isn’t in the best of places right now. After a risky career move, the protagonist’s empire is put at risk, with him having to prove more than ever that he has his clients' back.
With Los Angeles' celebrity culture being a major element of the spin-off, shooting on location seems like the right thing to do, in order to make it authentic. But is the series really filmed there? To find out ifSuitsLAis or isn’t shot in the City of Angels, here is a guide with details about where exactly Ted’s firm is located and whether there is any overlap between filming locations of the OG series and the new legal drama.
Where Was ‘Suits LA’ Filmed?
AlthoughSuits LAwas primarily filmed in Los Angeles, California,its pilot was in reality filmed in Canada.The first episodewas shot in Vancouver, and after the show receiveda stamp of approval from NBC, production was relocated to the West Coast. The exterior of Black Lane Law, Ted’s criminal and entertainment firm in the spin-off, is located in the Century City neighborhood and the place is known as Century Park. According to the property’s website, 2000 Avenue of the Stars has indoor and outdoor workspaces that cultivate creativity and innovation.
The luxurious business park offers the ideal look for what you would imagine from a law firm in a series likeSuits LA. After all, Ted’s clients are primarily Hollywood actors and creatives from within the entertainment scene. Although the exterior shots are at Century Park, it doesn’t mean that this was also the space that the cast and crew used to film indoor scenes. It is very likely that the interior of the office shown in the series was built on a sound stage. After all, Amell did revealin an interview with VarietythatSuits LAwas shot at the northeast corner of the Universal lot.
Showrunner,Aaron Korsh, also shared with Variety what his train of thought is when thinking about filming locations for the series.
“I always think of it as what place would serve the scene the best. If you think like that, you will get iconic places just naturally in the course of doing it. And then you’ll also get places that maybe aren’t as iconic, but show L.A. in a different light.”
Where Is ‘Suits LA’ Set?
As you might’ve guessed from the title, the spin-off is also set in Los Angeles, where Ted and his team work representing clients within the entertainment field.There are a few flashbacks of the protagonist’s experience working as a prosecutor in New York— specifically when he dealt with a case that went south involving a major crime boss — but most of the series is focused on the present timeline and his career on the West Coast.
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The series will premiere on NBC on February 23.
Was ‘Suits LA’ Filmed in the Same Places as ‘Suits’?
Suitswas not filmed in the same spots asSuits LA, given thatthe OG show was predominantly shot in Toronto, with some exterior shots of New York. Unlike the spin-off, the original series' pilot was filmed in New York at Kirkland & Ellis, but production was then relocated to Toronto when the show got picked up by USA Network. Pearson Hardman, the fictional law firm at the center ofSuits,was in reality the Bay and Adelaide Centre. The building is located at the heart of the financial district in downtown Toronto, and it is anchored by the city’s renowned legal and accounting firms. Whenever viewers see characters like Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) arrive and depart the office space, those scenes are typically shot in the property’s lobby. Much like Century Park, the Bay and Adelaide Centre presented a polished look that paired well with the show’s power dynamics.
Other locations used in the show include St. Paul’s Basilica, Knox College at The University of Toronto (where the Harvard scenes were filmed), Downsview Park Studios, TIFF Bell Lightbox, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The reason why the American production was mostly filmed in Canada was because the local government offered tax breaks for qualifying film and TV productions. Given how expensive shooting in New York is, the Canadian metropolis seemed like a budget-friendly alternative with an urban landscape that worked as a stand-in for Manhattan. Over the course of the show’s 9 seasons, the city truly became a character of sorts, since some of the filming locations became important spots for the main characters and their corporate lives.
Where Was ‘Suits’ Set?
As previously mentioned,Suitswas primarily set in New York. Although almost the entire series was filmed in Toronto, the story took place in the Big Apple. Back in 2011,Macht told The Hollywood Reporterthat he would much rather film in New York City than Toronto because the legal drama would be more authentic to its main setting. Although he did understand that shooting in Canada was a better option in terms of finances,he did point out how shooting the series outside of New York prevented the production from fully leaning into the location that drives the story. After all, there are only so many streets and buildings that you’re able to use to replace New York’s ambiance.
The actor did share that despite the decision to shoot outside the US, the writers were responsible for making the series resonate with audiences.
“The show resonates because of the writing. It’s really smart. The writers did well creating three-dimensional characters that have a great arc at the beginning — we know that when we’re dealing with Harvey and Mike, we’re dealing a relationship that evolves."
In spite of the OG series not having been filmed in New York,the spin-off has been granted the opportunity to embrace its main setting in a purposeful way. The Amell-led project was also initially supposed to be set in the US but shot in Canada. That is why the pilot was filmed in Vancouver, instead of the City of Angels. Gladly, NBC made the right call to move production to LA and allow the series to lean into its Hollywood feel. Even though the various celebrity cameos lined up for Season 1 (VictoriaJusticeandPattonOswaltto name a few) will help to make the entertainment law element of the spin-off more believable, having the show set near the Hollywood Walk of Fame and on a lot at a major studio like Universal makes it even more appealing. IfSuitswasn’t able to shoot on-location, thenSuitsLAis living the OG cast’s dream.
