#ted black

The insipration came from the new 'leaked' Suitls LA video. While I may talk about Suits predominantly, this also applies to other beloved shows that are being desecrated by reboots/spin offs.

Oh boy, here it comes!

When will the studio execs ever learn that magic can happen only once?

I know I'm biased but the arrow guy tries so hard to be Harvey Specter, trying to imitate him down to the swag and cadence of his voice but it only came off as extremely grating. See, the thing about Harvey is, he is not pretending to be a charming ahole; he is a charming ahole; a flawed bastard with a deep-buried heart of gold. People hate him but would sell their souls to be him. He knows exactly how to push people and get things done but knows when to hold back too. And he cares with such a ferocity that sometimes make you wish you were someone he loves. Gabriel Macht did such a great job at it and immortalized the character. Same goes for Jessica, Mike, Donna and Loius. All these characters were immortalized by the actors who played them.

'If it looks like a duck, walks like duck, it is a duck' logic does not apply to reboots or spin offs. Of course there are exceptions but considering the current trend, reboot/spin offs are rarely enjoyable and they all seem be experiencing the two season curse. The first episode often has the highest viewership due to nostalgia factor then the rating falls and keeps steadily falling till the show is cancelled in season 2.

Coming back to the clip, we could see right away who the 'Mike' is and who the 'Donna' is. And despite me trying to keep an open mind, my feelings about the show soured right away. Again this exactly what studio execs seems to not understand when they sign off on a reboot or spin off- As a viewer, I had already completed that journey. I don't need to repeat it again.

I was taken into a new setting, I got to see the players, I grew to love some then grew to hate some, but I travelled with them and my journey is done when the characters walk off into the sunset. It may have been a happy/sad/ bittersweet ending but I, as a viewer has gone through it all and processed it and now the show holds a fond memory in my place. Just because it triggers warm feelings in me, doesn't mean I want to do it all over again with new characters.

I don't need the new characters to convince me how much better they are than the original ones. I don't need a Ted Black to tell me how he is so great and better than Harvey Specter. I don't need to him to talk and walk like Harvey or do things 'better' than Harvey. Same goes for the characters imitating Donna, Mike, Louis and Jesicca. I don't need a better version of my beloved characters. What I need is for you to show me who these new characters truly are. Show me what they stand for, show me their flaws. Let me uncover them like I did with the original show. Let the show have it's own flavour and personality. But no, we can't have nice things, can we?

And this exactly why reboots/ spin offs often lose their audience cause they don't seem to understand the concept of fan loyalty or what nostalgia truly means to a fan. If the show had been about a different corporate lawyer with his own set of characteristics and traits, I would have loved to give the show a chance but every promo and clip is about how Ted Black is as good, if not better than Harvey which grates my nerves to no end.

So, instead of treating beloved franchises like cash cows, pay the writers well and write better stories. Have some respect for your audience and don't play with their loyalty.

Ted Black and Harvey Specter 🥹