Warning: SPOILERS for the Suits LA episode “Batman Returns” are ahead!
From the moment Suits LA was announced, fans wondered if anybody from the original Suits would appear in the spinoff. Then in November 2024, it was announced that Gabriel Macht would appear in three episodes, and the first of those episodes just finished airing on the 2025 TV schedule. While it was great to see Harvey back in the episode “Batman Returns,” there is something I’m specifically hoping for from his next two Suits LA appearances. And no, it’s not seeing him paired back up with Louis Litt, as apparently Rick Hoffman is reprising his Suits character in an episodes sans Macht.
How Harvey Specter Fit Into “Batman Returns”
Rather than viewers reuniting with a post-Suits Harvey Specter, “Batman Returns,” which can now be streamed with a Peacock subscription, flashed back to the character in 2010, i.e. a year before he met Mike Ross. This was back when Harvey was well acquainted with Stephen Amell’s Ted Black, who at this stage of his life was a federal prosecutor in New York. Ted’s mission in the flashback storyline is to bring down Pellegrini, the most brutal mob boss the Big Apple has ever seen.
Earlier this season, Ted was able to have Pellegrini arrested for the murder of Billy Esposito, a witness critical to Ted’s case. But upon getting on bail, Pellegrini confronted Ted at the diner where his brother Eddie worked and threatened him. Despite Pellegrini’s insistence that Eddie wasn’t in danger because his outfit doesn’t “go after family,” the encounter was enough for Ted to worry about Eddie and his then-girlfriend’s Samantha’s safety.
Harvey, who played on the baseball team as Ted, sensed something was wrong when Ted’s pitching was off during a game. Harvey persuaded him to get his head straight during the game so they could win the playoffs, and they did just that. Afterwards, Harvey and Ted enjoyed some Macallan 25s together with Eddie at a nearby bar to celebrate, and when Eddie stepped out for a bit, Harvey informed Ted that he’d learned from his people at the DA’s office that Pellegrini has someone in Ted’s office. That’s how he was able to have Esposito killed, though Harvey insisted that Ted didn’t need to worry for his own safety, because is something happened to him, an “army” would be sent after the mob boss.
I Want To See Harvey Specter In Suits LA’s Present Day Storyline
Harvey didn’t get a lot of screen time in his first Suits LA episode, but it was just enough to help advanced the flashback storyline in a significant way. I also enjoyed the amusing debate between him and Ted about which one of them was Batman. It harkened back to the Suits days when Harvey compared himself to DC Comics’ Caped Crusader as a way to emphasize just how amazing he was at his job.
However, I’m hoping that the next two times we see Gabriel Macht on Suits LA, it will be him playing Harvey in the present day. Now granted, that may be a little difficult considering that one, he doesn’t work in entertainment law, and two, he and Donna moved to Seattle at the end of Suits to work with Mike Ross and Rachel Zane. It’s hard to envision what pieces would need to be moved into place for this to organically happen.
Nevertheless, I trust the Suits LA writers can come up with something worthwhile. Honestly, Harvey wouldn’t even need to directly factor into the main storyline if that’s what it takes. Maybe he’s just in Los Angeles for his own business, and his catch-up with Ted is purely meant to further the latter’s personal progression. Or maybe Harvey doesn’t show up in LA at all and just talks with Ted over the phone.
However this happens, I want to learn how Harvey Specter is doing since we last saw him, or rather the present day version of him, in the Suits series finale. Obviously this can’t overshadow what’s going on with Ted Black since Suits LA is about him, but I don’t want our only time spent with Harvey on the spinoff taking place before his Suits journey began. We’ll see if my wish is granted as new episodes of Suits LA air Sundays at 9 pm ET on NBC.
