Suits LA's Ted Black and the real-life inspiration for the character

Suits cast reunite in Super Bowl advert

Suits LA will be the first spin-off from the iconic Suits which saw newfound success on Netflix but is newcomer Ted Black based on a real person?

The legal drama once again became among one of the most-watched shows on TV in 2023 when it was dropped on Netflix, four years after Suits aired its ninth and final series.

So much so that news broke shortly after that a spin-off was in development, entitled Suits LA and introducing Ted Black as the central figure for the upcoming series expected to come out next year.

Is Suits LA’s Ted Black based on a real person? 

Suits LA’s Ted Black, who will be portrayed by Arrow star Stephen Amell, is a former New York prosecutor who started up an LA law firm that specialises in criminal and entertainment law, with his old friend Stuart Lane, 15 years ago.

But what some fans may not realise already is that Ted Black and his story is loosely based on a well-known real-life figure.

Suits fans are curious to know if Suits LA's Ted Black is based on a real-life figure. (Image: GETTY)

It has been reported that Ted Black was inspired by CAA agent and former ICM Partners managing director Ted Chervin, with the character even keeping his name in the show.

This was confirmed by Literate’s Dennis Kim, Suits and Suits LA creator Aaron Korsh’s current manager who simply stated: “Ted Black is Ted Chervin”.

Raised in New Rochelle, New York, Chervin became a federal prosecutor, pursuing mobsters and organised crime lords, including the head of Colombia’s Cali drug cartel, according to Deadline.

Chervin then went on to quit his job at the age of 29 and moved to Los Angeles to try his hand at becoming a Hollywood talent agent.

He started off in a low level position at literary agency Broder, Kurland, Webb where he went on to become a partner prior to its merger with ICM.

Suits LA's Ted Black character is based on talent agent Ted Chervin. (Image: GETTY) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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After Suits came to an end, Korsh went on to write a spec script entitled Hindsight and inspired by real-life experiences and people, with Ted Black as the main character.

He approached various companies but was turned down a number of times before Suits had massive success once again on Netflix last year.

NBCUniversal approached Korsh with the President of Scripted Content Lisa Katz reportedly asking if Hindsight could instead have the Suits moniker in the title.

And while Korsh wasn’t interested in revisiting Suits, he was happy to expand the universe like Taylor Sheridan has done with the Yellowstone franchise.

Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos said: “For the last several years, the guy [Korsh] that created Suits had a spinoff show that he was trying to sell everywhere in town.

“Everybody passed, including us, and including [NBCUniversal], and now they’re making it.”

Deadline has also stated that when the news broke of the show, Chervin, who has no involvement in Suits LA, texted Korsh and Kim: “Congrats on the series pickup from the real Ted”, along with a smiley face emoji.

Korsh replied: “The OG Ted” with Kim then calling him a “legend”.

Suits is available to watch on Netflix.

Suits LA's Ted Black and the real-life inspiration for the character

Suits LA's Ted Black and the real-life inspiration for the character

Suits LA's Ted Black and the real-life inspiration for the character

Suits LA's Ted Black and the real-life inspiration for the character

Suits LA's Ted Black and the real-life inspiration for the character