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

*Suits*, a fan favorite that first aired on USA in 2011, has enjoyed a remarkable run over nearly 15 years. The series experienced a significant resurgence recently, fueled by its availability on Netflix, sparking numerous binge-watching sessions. However, despite this momentum, the new spin-off, *Suits LA*, was canceled after its release on NBC's fall schedule. Jeff Bader, the brand's president of program planning strategy, shed light on the decision to end the show.

"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 has not resonated the way we thought it would," Bader explained to Variety after the fall schedule was made public. "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."

The executive further elaborated on the decision-making process: "And it’s those decisions we had to make. 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 mentioned that NBCUniversal considers the potential for transferring shows to Peacock when they are canceled on the network. However, *Suits LA* did not receive approval for such a move.

Regarding the shows that survived the cut, Bader outlined the criteria that made them appealing: "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 told the outlet. "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."

*Suits* originally aired for nine seasons from 2011 to 2019. The revival series, *Suits LA*, premiered in February and starred Stephen Amell, Lex Scott Davis, Josh McDermitt, and Bryan Greenberg. Additionally, original *Suits* cast members such as Rick Hoffman, David Costabile, and leading man Gabriel Macht made appearances on the new show. Aaron Korsh, the creator of *Suits*, also served as the creator and executive producer of the spinoff, which concluded its run with its final episode airing on May 11, 2025.