*Suits spoilers follow*. The Suits franchise is officially continuing with a brand new spin-off launching later this month. The show found a new lease of life in 2023 - four years after it ended - when it became a huge streaming hit on Netflix and Peacock. The legal drama broke its own record multiple times, pulling in staggering figures for consecutive weeks. As a result, a new Los Angeles-based spin-off was greenlit, with Suits creator Aaron Korsh returning to helm the drama.

This isn't the first series to spawn from the original nine-season run. So, let me fill you in on everything you need to know about the franchise ahead of its anticipated return. Set in a fictional New York City corporate law firm, Suits is centred around college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J Adams), whose photographic memory lands him a job under successful attorney Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). The series follows the pair as they close high-profile cases while trying to hide Mike's secret of never attending law school.

It also features Rick Hoffman as manipulative law partner Louis Litt, Meghan Markle as ambitious paralegal Rachel Zane, Sarah Rafferty as legal secretary Donna Paulsen, and Gina Torres as the firm's control-obsessed managing partner, Jessica Pearson. The first season, which was filmed in Toronto, aired in 2011 to much acclaim. Eight more seasons followed, with the show reaching a total of 134 episodes.

The series reached a turning point in season five when Mike's world came crashing down when he was convicted of fraud and sent to prison. The storyline shifted even further when Torres, Adams, and Markle left the show at the end of season seven. Seasons eight and nine introduced Grey's Anatomy's Katherine Heigl as Samantha Wheeler, while Amanda Schull (Katrina Bennett) and Dulé Hill (Alex Williams) were promoted to series regulars.

However, the newcomers couldn't replicate the magic of the original cast, with viewer ratings significantly plummeting for the concluding episodes. You can relive all the courtroom drama with the official Suits rewatch podcast Sidebar, hosted by original stars Adams and Rafferty. Each week, the pair recaps episodes of the hit drama, sharing their personal experiences and interviewing fellow cast members.

After the firm released a statement that listed Jessica as the sole person responsible for Mike's fraud, she was banned from practicing law in New York. During Suits' seventh season, Jessica decided to move to Chicago to start over and was met with the unfamiliar world of dirty politics. This storyline appealed to show bosses, who greenlit a spin-off series titled Pearson that followed the powerhouse lawyer as she navigated a new city and ruthless attorneys. Suits' season seven finale served as a backdoor pilot for the show.

In addition to Gina Torres, Pearson's cast also featured One Tree Hill's Bethany Joy Lenz, Simon Kassianides, Eli Goree, Chantel Riley, Morgan Spector, Isabel Arraiza, DB Woodside, Wayne Duvall, and Betsy Brandt. Suits stars Gabriel Macht and Rick Hoffman also appeared as Harvey Specter and Louis Litt, respectively. Pearson ran for one season on the cable network in 2019 but was cancelled a month and a half after its season ended.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Suits creator Aaron Korsh previously reflected on the spin-off's lack of success, which he felt was largely due to its disparity from the original series. "We didn't embrace its similarities to the original Suits. We made a conscious decision to try to distinguish it in tone. I think the fans were like, 'This isn't Suits. This is darker and not as funny,'" he said. Suits: LA will focus on a new character named Ted Black (played by Arrow's Stephen Amell). His firm is at "crisis point" as he is forced to embrace the role he's condemned his entire career to.

"Ted is surrounded by a stellar group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other while they can't help but mix their personal and professional lives," the synopsis adds. "All of this is going on while events from years ago slowly unravel that led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved.". The show's cast also includes Josh McDermitt, Lex Scott Davis, Bryan Greenberg, Victoria Justice, Troy Winbush, Alice Lee, Rachelle Goulding, and Azita Ghanizada.

Fans will be excited to learn that Gabriel Macht will reprise his role as Harvey Specter in a three-episode arc. A recent trailer for the spin-off sees the new gang discussing Harvey while looking at a picture of him. "Remember this guy? I never liked him. The only person I knew cockier than you," Winbush's Kevin says to protagonist Ted, who bluntly replies: "That's exactly why I liked him.". Harvey's upcoming appearance will definitely bring some much-needed nostalgia to Suits: LA, which is trying to hit the ground running following Pearson's short-lived tenure.