Crime
Smoke
Where there’s smoke, there’s going to be fire. And where there’s Apple TV’s ‘Smoke,’ there’s going to be content issues.
In court, Ted Black is the entertainment lawyer you want representing you. But outside of court, his wisecracks get a little old.
Ted learned as much when he saw more than half his Los Angeles firm vanish in a moment. His business partner, Silas, conspired to write Ted out of the practice altogether—after compelling Ted to merge their firm with another’s—all because of a rude comment Ted had made months before.
Now, Ted’s once-revered firm teeters on the brink of collapse as he and his remaining faithful scramble to pick up the pieces—and to steal back some clients Silas took in his departure.
The biggest client Ted has brought back is Lester Thompson, the famous actor who allegedly shot and killed his business partner. Despite Lester’s pleas of innocence, the evidence seems to point the other way. But if Ted could prove that Lester didn’t do it, the case might just be a big enough win to restore the firm to its former glory.
Ted hails, originally, from New York City, though he moved to Los Angeles because of bad memories and worse choices. But for fans of the original Suits series, that New York connection is just what they needed to hear to know that they’ll see some of the original series’ characters again. The creator of Suits LA said as much in an interview with TVLine, discussing how he planned to connect Ted to Suits protagonist Harvey.
And that connection tells audiences everything they need to know about Suits LA, content-wise. While the series, so far, isn’t as sexually salacious as its predecessor, kindling and current romances indicate that there’s nothing stopping the TV-14 show from heading that direction. However, our comment about the original series being full of “sour language and rampant bad behavior”? Yeah, that observation still rings true.
Suits LA brings viewers back into the cheesy world of television lawyers, where every case is the biggest one and everyone has the perfect comeback at a moment’s notice. But not all cheeses age well, and, despite the series seeming prime to give Ted a series-long bout of character growth from cocky to kind, it’ll be up to viewers to determine if Suits LA is “gouda” or not.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Ted gets blindsided by his business partner, leaving him scrambling. Meanwhile, Erica’s loyalties are tested.
A bomb goes off, injuring one man and killing another. Someone involved in a murder case states that the victim committed suicide. We learn that someone allowed his son to die for unknown reasons.
One character confidently states that someone will sign with their law firm, and he crudely says he’ll cut off a certain body part if that doesn’t happen. We hear a reference to sex.
Someone admits to taking ecstasy. Two men drink liquor until one goes home inebriated. A man smokes a cigar.
A female character says she’s worth an “ungodly amount of money.” Someone states “I said I believed him; I didn’t say he was a saint.”
We hear six instances each of “a–” and “h—.” “D–n” is used four times, and we hear “b–ch” and “douche” once. The f-word preceded by “mother” is cut off before it can be uttered. God’s name is paired with “d–n” four times, and Jesus’ name is likewise used in vain once.
Ted begins work on Lester’s murder case. Erica battles a former coworker to land a prominent case involving a movie star.
We hear a reference to an alleged suicide.
A man and woman kiss, and they reference going further. There’s a reference to an affair. Someone claims that a man and woman were either going to eventually fight or have sex. Another character makes a sly reference to sex.
One person admits to taking ecstasy.
Someone lies about a client’s death to trick another character into testifying.
We hear a handful of uses each of “a–,” “d–n” and “h—.” We hear both “b–tard” and “p-ss” once. God’s name is used in vain three times, including once with “d–n.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Where there’s smoke, there’s going to be fire. And where there’s Apple TV’s ‘Smoke,’ there’s going to be content issues.
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