‘Suits’ Star Gabriel Macht Reveals Why He Reprised Role for ‘Suits LA’

Gabriel Macht is coming back to the Suits universe as Harvey Specter, and the actor revealed why he’s reprising the role. It was previously announced that Macht, who starred as the powerful attorney for all nine seasons of the USA Network legal drama, will be back for a multi-episode arc on NBC’s upcoming spinoff, Suits LA. Despite not taking on any acting roles since Suits ended in 2019, Macht told PEOPLE he’s “just doing it for the fans.”

“I’m not doing it for me,” he continued. “I’ve done it 134 times. I’m not doing it for me. I had very little interest in coming back to work as an actor right now because I spent so much time [doing it], and this was my time to really raise my kids and do this creative stuff like Bear Fight,” referencing the whiskey he’s a creative partner and equity shareholder in.

Many Suits actors have expressed interest in potentially appearing on Suits LA, and Macht would only do it if there was “a way to do this where it made sense for my family, it made sense for the timing, and if there was a way that I could sort of pass the baton to Stephen [Amell] and the cast in LA.”

As for how creator Aaron Korsh eventually talked him into the gig, “Aaron called me, and he just said, ‘Look, this is a different world. This is in LA,” Macht explained. “It’s not New York, but the character of Ted, who Stephen Amell is playing… He came out of New York. And [Harvey] would’ve known him when you were in New York. And if there’s any world where you might be interested in coming back, let me know. Because I have this idea that could be really great.’ I’m going to shoot in a couple weeks. I’ve read some scripts, and I see what it is, and I understand now how the characters of Ted and Harvey connect. So I’m looking forward to seeing the dynamic between the two.”

Amell, who plays lead attorney Ted Black at an entertainment law firm on Suits LA, previously teased to Entertainment Weekly that Ted and Harvey have a history together and they “came up together in the D.A.’s office.” As of now, it’s unknown what exactly will bring Harvey from Seattle to Los Angeles. In the meantime, Suits LA premieres on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.