Suits LA is a new legal drama television series that was created by Aaron Korsh for NBC. The show marks the second spin-off of
Suits and is centered around Ted Black (Stephen Amell), a former federal prosecutor from New York who's reinvented himself by representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm, however, is at a crisis point, and in order to survive, he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career.
Ted is surrounded by a group who test their loyalties to both him and each other while mixing their personal and professional lives. In addition to Amell, the series stars Lex Scott Davis, Josh McDermitt and Bryan Greenberg.
Suits LA is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. Dan Rovetto, ACE, is one of three editors cutting the series. He edited the pilot, which debuted on February 23rd, and is also signed on to cut Episodes 104, 107, 110 and 113 - the season finale. Here, Rovetto shares with
Post details on his involvement with the franchise, his edit decisions and how the show comes together.
Hi Dan! How did you get involved in editing Suits LA?
“My path to Suits LA began back in 2012 when I joined the original series, Suits, as an assistant editor during the start of its second season. Back then, I was living in Santa Monica with my wife and kids, and working as a nighttime assistant editor on the reality show Flying Wild Alaska. It had been about two years since we made the cross country move from New Jersey to Los Angeles in order to chase my dream of working in the world of scripted television and feature films. The fact that SoCal was the birthplace of skateboarding and had plenty of good breaks to surf didn’t hurt either!”
Tell us about your career path.
“I started my career in entertainment in the production and development department at MTV in Times Square. This was during the years of Laguna Beach, The Hills and Jackass, and it was there that I got my first introduction to editing, which I immediately fell in love with. It seemed to combine my desire to be creative while affording me the opportunity to have a positive impact on people lives. Even if that just meant providing a little entertainment.
“After working my way up to editing in reality television, I discovered that while I had a genuine love for the craft, my true passion lay in the scripted shows and films I grew up watching with my parents. Movie nights were big in my house and whether it was The Godfather or the latest Star Wars film, the combination of carefully-crafted narratives and the visual artistry of performance truly ignited my creativity. So, before I advanced too much further in the world of reality TV, I made a commitment to do whatever it took to break into scripted.
“Turns out what it took was convincing my wife, who was pregnant with our third child at the time, to move all the way across the country, away from anyone we knew. Her support during this time was nothing short of impressive, and with such a huge sacrifice being asked of my family, I knew I had to give it my all. In those early days, I finished editing a documentary, which I started in New York, and then went back to assistant editing in reality at night. Knowing what my goals were made this seemingly backwards step in my career worth it, and working at night turned out to be a blessing in disguise. During my days I was able to network, and with the guidance and support of Lori Jane Coleman, ACE (my earliest and most instrumental mentor), I was able to shadow assistant editors in scripted TV. It was during one of those shadowing sessions that Lori introduced me to the editor who would give me my big break, bring me onto Suits and go on to become one of my biggest advocates and closets friends. Peter Forslund, ACE.”
Tell us about your history working on Suits.
“During my time assistant editing on Suits, I did whatever I could to be the best AE possible while supporting both my editor and the post department. Once I felt like I had my AE duties on lock, I would focus on taking any opportunity to make a name for myself as an editor. Whether that was cutting scenes, episode recaps, gag reels or webisodes. And in not too long I had the opportunity to cut my first episode during the back half of Season 3. Season 4, I cut one more, and then Season 5, I officially started editing for the series.
“From that point, I was fortunate enough to establish myself as Aaron Korsh’s go-to editor. We collaborated together on some of Suits’ most pivotal episodes, season premieres and finales, the backdoor pilot for Pearson, and eventually the series finale, which took place in its ninth season.
“Now if you had told me back then that years later there would be this Suits resurgence with a reboot pilot in the works, I definitely would not have believed you. But here we are. And in the interest of full disclosure, even with all of my previous editing experience on the original series, I was asked to interview for the pilot. Yup, that’s right. Did it sting a little? Sure. But honestly, I understood. Remember this was March of 2024 during a very slow time in Hollywood. There were many talented editors with plenty of pilot experience available and of course any show creator would want to hire the absolute best person for such a high-stakes, high-profile project like this. I’m just grateful that person turned out to be me.”
What were your initial thoughts after reading the script?
“You know it’s funny, when I first read the script to the pilot a scene with Stephen Amell’s character, Ted Black, really jumped out at me and I knew I wanted to reference it in my interview. In the scene, Ted’s estranged father tries to make amends by offering to make Ted a partner at his law firm on day one. ‘You could skip right to the front of the line’ his father says. But Ted’s not having it. He doesn’t want anything from his father, especially something that he hasn’t earned.
“There are times as an editor when you read a script and feel like it’s speaking directly to you - and this was one of those times. So, before I left the interview, I turned back, took a beat, and said, ‘I would just like to say how grateful I am for this opportunity and, echoing the sentiment of Ted Black, in no way do I feel my previous work entitles me ‘to skip right to the front of the line.’ The laughter that followed told me this landed the way I had hoped, and I ultimately landed the pilot as well.
“I couldn’t have been more thrilled to be part of this next chapter of Suits! I was also stoked to get to work with the super talented director Victoria Mahoney.”
You worked on the Fox lot? Tell us about your editing set up?
“Cutting the Suits LA pilot at the iconic Fox Studio lot was a true highlight for me. Built in 1928, and originally known as Movietone City, it was the first motion picture facility built specifically for film production. Some of the most iconic movies have been filmed there, such as Miracle on 34th Street, The Sound of Music and one of my favorites as a kid: Big Trouble in Little China. So, although I was given the option to partially work remotely, setting up a cutting room on the lot full-time was a no brainer. Part of what working in post-pandemic Hollywood has taught me is just how much it means to me to collaborate in-person.
“As for my editing rig, it included the essentials: Avid Media Composer 2023 paired with the NEXIS storage system. Keeping media from the original series online was very helpful for reference and the NEXIS handled nine seasons worth of media wonderfully. I also love having access to After Effects and Photoshop for any advanced temporary visual effects I might want to flesh out. Although, truth be told, my rockstar AE Kenji Yasutake had me covered.”
What did you bring with you from your time editing reality TV?
“One of the many things I learned coming up in the reality TV world was just how useful macro software can be. Keyboard Maestro streamlines my workflow by collapsing complex key combinations into a single press, making repetitive tasks a breeze. On top of that, my Megalodon Triple Knob Macropad and programmable mouse offer even more customization options, giving me access to a wider range of macros and extra keys. These tools help me edit more smoothly and efficiently, giving me more time to focus on the creative.”
Let’s talk about the pilot, which premiered on February 23rd.
“Editing the pilot for Suits LA has been a great privilege. The challenge of honoring the iconic storytelling style of the original series while introducing fresh elements, new characters and their arcs was exciting and rewarding. Crafting performances for characters being introduced for the first time is particularly important. With no prior reference for these characters, every decision shapes how the audience perceives them.
“Take Ted. We were particularly careful in how we handled his moments of anger, doing our best to make sure they always felt earned and justified. A key example is the flashback scene with his father outside the hospital that I referenced earlier. When I originally cut this scene, I was tempted to use more intense takes from Ted as he confronts his father. Having read the script, I knew the totality of what his father had done and therefore it could justify a much more heated performance. From an audience member’s perspective however, when we get to that scene, we only know that Ted’s father has wronged him, but we don’t yet know to what degree. By toning down Ted’s performances, we hoped to preserve his characters favorability and complexity of his arc.”
Are there other scenes you would point to?
“Another pivotal moment with Ted’s character, and the overall feel of the pilot, presented itself in the opening scene. The pilot starts off with a flashback where Ted, working as a NYC federal prosecutor at the time, goes to pressure an informant, Billy, into testifying in a case. As it was originally scripted and edited, Ted walks up to the door and immediately sucker punches Billy. After Ted threatens Billy’s daughter if he doesn’t testify, a brawl breaks out between the two of them.
“As you could imagine, there are likely some people who expected to be starting off with glamorous shots of Los Angeles and getting right into a sexy new Suits LA law firm. Aaron and I agreed, however, that this wasn’t the typical Suits world, and felt it was important to establish that distinction right away. Also, reordering or lifting the scene wasn’t an option due to its importance in the pilot’s structure. As a compromise, however, we worked on recutting the scene without the initial sucker punch, adding ADR lines to better justify Ted’s behavior, and adjusting the overall tone to strike the right balance. The pilot did get greenlit with this version of the scene, but we ultimately wound-up reshooting it once production started on the series in order to further refine it - removing all the physical violence, rewriting dialogue to deepen Ted’s motivations, and even taking the opportunity to plant a line in reference to Ted’s relationship with his father.
“As an editor I really enjoy this nuanced process of shaping individual performances and overall story. Sometimes it’s about replacing entire takes. Other times it’s as subtle as swapping in a single word’s inflection while keeping the picture the same. At times, you may have to reorder scenes to perfect pacing and the emotional resonance of storylines. And on rare occasions, a reshoot may be necessary in the attempt to have a story hit just right. The totality of these decisions, both big and small, carry immense weight.”
Any final thoughts?
“To the fans of the original series, I would like to thank you! There were many stars that had to align in order for us to be where we are today and not least of which is your support. Part of what is special about Aaron Korsh is, knowing the expectations, he has a willingness to push himself creatively and always trusting in his gut instincts. So for those that feel like Suits LA may not be enough like the original series, and others who may feel like it’s not different enough to stand on its own, I urge you to give it a chance. Here in the edit bays on the Fox studio lot we feel strongly that we have something special developing and are hopeful it will translate to the viewers.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have a hand in shaping this new chapter in the Suits franchise. Working alongside such a talented cast and crew to bring these compelling characters and sharp storytelling to life has been a true privilege. Much love to my wife, family and anyone who has supported me along the way!”