Suits' Gabriel Macht talks about a very personal moment while shooting Suits LA

Suits LA has only just premiered, but it’s already proving to be more than just a spin-off of the beloved USA Network series. Amid the fresh faces and shifting locales, one particular scene struck a deeply emotional chord with actor Gabriel Macht, who reprises his iconic role as Harvey Specter, and offered audiences a rare moment where fiction and real life gently collided.

In one of the show’s early episodes, Harvey reunites with the new lead, Ted Black, on a basketball court in Los Angeles, a scene that, for Macht, was far more than just a scripted encounter.

A full-circle moment for Harvey, and for Macht

The scene was filmed at Rancho Park, the same park where Macht played sports during his teenage years. Returning to that space, this time in character, stirred a wave of nostalgia that caught even the actor off guard.

“I grew up in that park. I played baseball and basketball there,” Macht shared in an interview with Collider.

Wearing a uniform and stepping onto that court again turned what could’ve been just another day on set into something unexpectedly meaningful.

“It was full circle for me,” he added, suggesting that Suits LA isn’t merely continuing a story, it’s honoring a personal history.

A fresh chapter in a well-loved universe

Suits LA is the latest chapter in a franchise that began in 2011 with Suits, the fast-paced legal drama set in the cutthroat world of New York corporate law. This time, the story shifts coasts to Los Angeles, with Stephen Amell taking the lead as Ted Black. A former Manhattan prosecutor looking for a fresh start out West, Black is a composed yet compelling figure, one whose path intersects with Harvey’s in a dynamic that blends rivalry with deep mutual respect. Their evolving connection is already emerging as one of the emotional pillars of the new series.

A story of reinvention, for the characters and the franchise

The heart of Suits LA lies in transformation. Ted Black is building a new firm from the ground up while navigating California’s unforgiving legal landscape, all while wrestling with ghosts from his past.

The tone leans more introspective than the original series, preserving Suits’ trademark sophistication but grounding it in more personal, emotionally complex territory. Harvey’s return, though brief, bridges the past and present, offering the new series the weight and reassurance of its roots.

Revisiting a character who never really left

For those unfamiliar with Suits, Harvey Specter is one of modern TV’s most iconic characters. Created by Aaron Korsh, Harvey is charisma and control personified, but his story has always been layered with emotional tension beneath the surface. Macht’s return gives fans a glimpse of a Harvey who has matured. In Suits LA, he steps back into the world not as the lead but as a grounding force, a mentor figure, and a living link to what came before.

A warm reception and a nod to nostalgia

There’s something about seeing Gabriel Macht back as Harvey that feels different this time. Maybe it’s the unexpected second life Suits found on Netflix, drawing in an entirely new audience years after its finale. Or maybe it’s the timing, how Suits LA arrives just when fans seem most ready for something both familiar and new. His return wasn’t just a pleasant surprise; it felt right.

Like a missing puzzle piece quietly snapping into place. And in doing so, Macht reminded fans that the essence of Suits never really went anywhere.

For Macht himself, stepping back onto set wasn’t about perfectly recreating the past. It was about reconnecting with something real and familiar.

“We had some of the same crew, we had some of the same directors,” he said.

But the way he tells it, those connections weren’t just technical, they were emotional. The environment felt lived-in, not recreated. Harvey didn’t have to be summoned. He was already there, woven into the rhythm of the set and the people who built him from the ground up.

Passing the torch with heart

Though Macht has taken a step back from acting to focus on family and personal ventures like Bear Fight Whiskey, he agreed to return for Suits LA as a gesture of support. His appearance isn’t just fan service, it’s a quiet endorsement. By choosing to show up, even briefly, he signals to audiences that the franchise is in good hands. It’s a subtle but powerful passing of the torch to Stephen Amell and the new cast.

A story that knows when to come home

There’s a quiet confidence in how Suits LA unfolds, it never tries too hard to justify itself. The writing is still sharp, the emotional beats land softly but firmly, and the show carries a respect for its roots without being stuck in them. What’s emerging feels less like a sequel and more like a rediscovery, new rhythm, new stakes, same heart.

And maybe it’s no coincidence that this next chapter begins on a weathered basketball court in Rancho Park, a real place, tied to a real past. A place that belongs as much to Gabriel Macht the person as to Harvey Specter the character. In that sense, Suits LA isn’t just about moving forward. It’s about circling back, carrying everything you’ve lived through and setting it down, not to relive it, but to begin again.