First Look At John Amos In His Final Role In NBC’s ‘Suits L.A.’ Pilot

By Denise Petski, Nellie Andreeva

October 2, 2024 2:54pm

We’re getting a first look at the late John Amos in NBC‘s Suits L.A. pilot in a just-released episodic photo (see above). Amos, who died at the age of 84, was cast in a guest-starring role in the pilot from Aaron Korsh, which was picked up to series in July. It is the iconic actor’s final role.

In the pilot, Amos played himself as a client at Ted’s (Stephen Amell) law firm who also has a longstanding friendship with Ted. While Amos’ guest appearance was not conceived as part of an ongoing arc, we hear there was a potential for him to recur. He will now be seen in the pilot only, which will air when the series debuts later this season.

NBC has yet to make a decision on whether the episode will be dedicated to Amos.

The new Suits iteration is centered on Amell’s Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York who has reinvented himself representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and to survive he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career.

Amos’ August 21 death, announced by son Kelly Christopher Amos, had not been disclosed until Tuesday, Oct. 1. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office has determined Amos died of congestive heart failure.

Amos’ career spanned more than five decades in television and film. His most memorable roles include family patriarch James Evans on Norman Lear’s Good Times, WJN-TV weatherman Gordy Howard on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and as adult Kunta Kinte in the miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination.

His other television work included roles on Hunter, 704 Hauser and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as well as The District, The Andersons, The West Wing and Men in Trees. On the film side, one of his most memorable roles was in 1988’s Coming to America as Cleo McDowell opposite Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem. He also reprised the role in the 2021 sequel. His final film role was in 2023’s The Last Rifleman, written by Kevin Fitzpatrick and directed by Terry Loane.