“SUITS LA” ON NBC

Not quite a half-dozen years after the successful run of the legal drama “Suits” on the USA Network, NBC had the notion to capitalize with a spinoff taking corporate law firm intrigue from the heart of Manhattan to the sunny climes of Los Angeles.

It is instructive to look back at the nine-season run of “Suits,” if not for nostalgic reasons, but to frame a thematic transfer of a cutthroat legal world from frenzied New York to the laid-back Southern California lifestyle.

The East Coast version developed a successful formula of a new twist on legal drama by bringing a college dropout who never went to law school to a position as associate in a firm where legal sharks jockeyed for getting their names on the lobby wall.

Patrick J. Adams’ Mike Ross, using guile and a photographic memory, teamed up with senior partner Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) to close out practically unwinnable cases, while hiding the fact that he never graduated from Harvard Law.

Through most of the long run, Gina Torres’ Jessica Pearson was the cunning managing partner who had to handle the hard-charging lawyers, with Rick Hoffman’s neurotic Louis Litt proving to be the leading candidate as the most devious.

There could be a contest for the most odious lawyer to grace the inside of the firm, but the prize might go to David Costabile’s Daniel Hardman, the disgraced co-founding partner who returned from exile to attempt to take control of the firm, burning bridges left and right.

Given the intrigue inside and out of the firm that captivated audiences with “Suits,” what is going to make the West Coast version in “Suits LA” garner the same acclaim and following of its progenitor?

The first question about “Suits LA” is why have a spinoff of a beloved series that is devoid of connection to its origin, even when the series opens with a flashback to 2010 in New York City with the new series’ main character.

At the time, Ted Black (Stephen Amell), a federal prosecutor undeterred from convincing a reluctant witness to testify against a mob boss, narrowly dodges an explosion that claims the life of the man who could put a crime lord behind bars.

Fifteen years later in current time, Ted has relocated to Los Angeles to form the Black Lane law firm where he’s partnered with old friend Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt), a top-notch criminal defense attorney.

A forthcoming merger has created turmoil for other Black Lane lawyers, including Erica Rollins (Lex Scott Davis), who is angling to head up the entertainment law division, a position that the more seasoned Rick Dodsen (Bryan Greenberg) feels belongs to him.

Right off the start in the first episode, the merger plans go awry, and suddenly a chunk of Ted’s employees depart with Stuart Lane, which plunges the legal landscape at the now Black & Associates firm into a chaotic state.

Those who remain with Ted, in addition to Erica investing her ambition into running the entertainment wing, include Ted’s loyal, efficient gal Friday, Roslyn (Azita Ghanizada), who appears to barely tolerate anyone else trying to ingratiate themselves with the boss.

Barely a half-hour into the start of the series, a cloud of doom hovers over Ted that is surprising he’s not even seeing a shrink with the same frequency that Louis Litt had in “Suits” with his incurable neuroses.

Within a short period, that also includes many flashbacks, Ted’s marriage to Samantha (Rachelle Goulding) falls apart and he grapples with his estrangement from his father and the loss of his younger brother Eddie (Carson A. Egan), who has Down’s Syndrome, that he has cared for since they were kids.

All professional challenges and personal setbacks naturally weigh heavily on Ted, but we are still left hanging as to the reasons his marital union disintegrated and his passion to prosecute criminals suddenly vanished.

Undoubtedly, a move to Los Angeles was tempting, and being an entertainment lawyer would certainly have a glamorous appeal in a town where film and television production is considered the dominant industry.

Yet, Ted faces something of a crisis of conscience when one of top clients, film producer Lester Thompson (Kevin Weisman), charged with murder, now insists that Ted act as his defense attorney. Put in a bind, Ted had vowed never to take on that role.

Like its predecessor, “Suits LA” revolves around the personalities in the office, with several of the attorneys on the distaff side looking glamorous enough to be entertainment clients instead of representing them.

For all its plot twists and backstabbing, “Suits LA” is too convoluted and confusing instead of delivering the magic of its forerunner. There is little here to suggest the DNA of “Suits” is in evidence.

Other than the cameo appearance of Gabriel Macht, there is no connection to the original series other than the use of the theme music of Ima Robot’s “Greenback Boogie.” The unique chemistry of “Suits” is nowhere to be found.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.