Elsbeth is an American police procedural comedy drama television series that premiered on February 29, 2024, on CBS. It is a spin-off of The Good Wife (2009–2016) and The Good Fight (2017–2022), from which Carrie Preston originated the role of Elsbeth Tascioni, an unconventional attorney who ends up working as a de facto detective.[2][3] In April 2024, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 17, 2024.[4][5]
Elsbeth | |
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Genre | |
Created by | |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 15 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Carrie Preston |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | February 29, 2024 present | –
Related | |
Most, though not all, episodes of Elsbeth use the "howcatchem" mystery format rather than the traditional "whodunit", showing the audience from the start who the killer is, how and why they commit the crime, and how they are caught.[6]
Premise
editThe series focuses on the offbeat Elsbeth Tascioni, an unconventional but astute attorney who, after a successful career in Chicago, uses her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner criminals alongside the NYPD. Ostensibly assigned by the United States Department of Justice to oversee a monitorship or consent decree after some controversial arrests,[7][8] her real mission (revealed over the course of the first season) is to investigate Captain C.W. Wagner for corruption. Nine of the first 10 episodes use the inverted detective story format.[9]
Cast
editMain
edit- Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni
- Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke, a young NYPD officer who befriends Elsbeth
- Wendell Pierce as Charles Wallace (C. W.) Wagner, the Captain at Officer Blanke's precinct
Recurring
edit- Danny McCarthy as Agent Fred Celetano
- Fredric Lehne as Lieutenant Dave Noonan (season 1)
- Gloria Reuben as Claudia Payne, the wife of C. W. Wagner[10]
- Danny Mastrogiorgio as Detective Bobby Smullen
- Molly Price as Detective Donnelly
- Micaela Diamond as Detective Edwards
- Ajay Naidu as Martin Wali
- Daniel K. Isaac as Lieutenant Steve Connor (season 2)
- Christian Borle as Carter Schmidt (season 2)
- Michael Emerson as Judge Milton Crawford (season 2)[11]
- Sullivan Jones as Cameron Clayden (season 2)[12]
Guest
edit- Stephen Moyer as Alex Modarian, a respected drama instructor and professor
- Jane Krakowski as Joann Lenox, a high-end real estate broker
- Linda Lavin as Gloria Blecher, a co-op board president
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Skip Mason, the creator of Lavish Ladies, a popular reality TV show[13]
- Retta as Margo Clarke, a matchmaker
- Kelly AuCoin as Declan Armstrong
- Blair Underwood as Cliff McGrath, the father and coach of a rising tennis star[14]
- Gina Gershon as Dr. Vanessa Holmes, a cosmetic surgeon.[15]
- Keegan-Michael Key as Ashton Hayes, the CEO of a financial firm
- Geneva Carr as Poppy Hayes
- Elizabeth Lail as Quinn Powers, the creator of an app called "Cerberus"
- Arian Moayed as Joe, the owner of a cocktail bar
- Laura Benanti as Nadine Clay, a supermodel[16] (seasons 1 and 2)
- Andre de Shields as Matteo Hart, a designer
- Daniel Davis as Dr. Yablonski (seasons 1 and 2)
- Nathan Lane as Phillip Cross, a former lawyer obssessed with opera
- Rob Riggle as Neal Dorsey, a self-made billionaire
- Vanessa Williams as Roslyn Bridwell, a socialite with financial struggles
- Pamela Adlon as Genevieve Hale, a chef with a terrible temperament
- Jack Davenport as Sam, the maitre d' of Genevieve's restaurant
Episodes
editSeries overview
editSeason | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 10 | February 29, 2024 | May 23, 2024 | |
2 | 20[17] | October 17, 2024 | TBA |
Season 1 (2024)
editNo. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Robert King | Robert King & Michelle King | February 29, 2024 | 4.59[18] | |
In New York City, theatre professor Alex Modarian murders one of his students, Olivia Cherry, who threatened to expose their affair. Cloning her phone's SIM card, Alex carefully stages Olivia's death as a suicide. Chicago attorney Elsbeth Tascioni arrives to the city, sent by Department of Justice Agent Celetano, under a consent decree to observe the police, much to NYPD Captain Wagner's chagrin. Elsbeth befriends Officer Kaya Blanke, who is investigating Olivia's death, and they spot a man's deodorant in her bathroom. Suspicious of Alex, Elsbeth questions his current and former leading ladies, confirming that he had a history of inappropriate relationships with students. Suicidal texts sent from Olivia's phone contain old-fashioned sentence spacing and typos that Elsbeth ties to Alex, but the deodorant implicates his teaching assistant Todd, Olivia's boyfriend. Elsbeth is ordered to apologize to Alex, but she and Kaya dupe him into trying to plant his SIM card cloning tool in Todd's bag; caught red-handed by Wagner & Bobby Smullen, Alex is arrested.A phone call with Celetano reveals Elsbeth's real mission in NYC: investigating Wagner for corruption. | |||||||
2 | 2 | "A Classic New York Character" | Robert King | Bryan Goluboff | April 4, 2024 | 5.43[19] | |
Gloria Blecher, the loathed president of her co-op board, vetoes a lucrative offer from real estate broker Joann Lenox, angering her fellow board members. As revenge, Joann climbs to loosen Gloria's balcony and convinces Gloria's son, Lewis, that he is being evicted. Arguing with Lewis, Gloria falls from the balcony to her death. At the crime scene, Elsbeth encounters Joann, who retrieves her handbag from the building's dumbwaiter and plants the incriminating wrench in Lewis' garden. Surprising Joann at her rock-climbing gym, Elsbeth matches her liquid chalk to residue on the balcony and makes an offer on an apartment in the building. Meeting with Joann and the board, Elsbeth deduces that they all played a role in Joann's plot to kill Gloria: Annie secured Lewis' fingerprints on the wrench, sending it to Leonard's apartment in the dumbwaiter; Daniel distracted the doorman, allowing Joann inside; Dorothy used her barking dog to lure Gloria out to the balcony; and Leonard cleared the sidewalk below. The board members immediately turn on Joann after Elsbeth reveals her deal Gloria was a hoax. In another shocking twist, it's revealed Joann's father was Gloria's husband, who Gloria killed after she discovered that he was having an affair with the housekeeper, Joann's mother. The corpse of Gloria's husband is recovered in the building, and Joann happily pleads guilty with her revenge completed.Elsbeth connects Wagner to a man named Martin Wali and a company called FlairAll. | |||||||
3 | 3 | "Reality Shock" | Ron Underwood | Jonathan Tolins | April 4, 2024 | 4.60[19] | |
Skip Mason, producer of the reality show Lavish Ladies, electrocutes one of his stars, Wendy Wexler, in her bathtub when she attempts to blackmail him. Kaya, a Lavish Ladies superfan, guides Elsbeth through the show, which former star Katricia left after an inebriated on-camera meltdown. Elsbeth suspects Skip, noticing glitter from Wendy's bath on his hands and on glassware he removed from the bathroom to cover his tracks. A voicemail he left Wendy at the time of her death seems to prove he was with another star, Tracy, and he provides footage painting intern Valencia as a suspect. Kaya tracks down Katricia, who has a high tolerance for alcohol and believes Skip and Wendy drugged her to elicit a meltdown. Rewatching the show, Elsbeth realizes Skip's voicemail used an old sound clip of Tracy. At Wendy's memorial service, Tracy finds a text she sent that contradicts Skip's voicemail, and Katricia confronts Skip. He tries to intimidate her by admitting he killed Wendy, but Elsbeth reveals his confession was captured by a hidden microphone, and Skip is arrested.Elsbeth tries to get information on Wali from Lieutenant Noonan, but he proves fiercely loyal to Wagner. | |||||||
4 | 4 | "Love Knocked Off" | Rosemary Rodriguez | Erica Shelton Kodish | April 11, 2024 | 4.35[20] | |
Margo Clarke, a celebrity matchmaker, coaches petty criminal Dennis Pagano to pose as "Gabriel Erwood", a perfect match for her demanding client Lainey Belfort. They are married six months later, fulfilling Margo's contract, but after a year of marriage, "Gabriel" visits Margo's home in the Hamptons, planning to tell Lainey the truth. An angry Margo clubs him to death with a statuette of Cupid, dumping his body and the murder weapon off shore. Captain Wagner assigns Kaya to investigate Gabriel's disappearance, as Lainey is an important donor to Wagner and his wife Claudia's charitable foundation. Suspicious of Margo, Elsbeth deduces that she burned a rug to destroy evidence. Gabriel's body is found and identified as Dennis, leading Kaya and Elsbeth to his ex-girlfriend Tina and a file cabinet full of evidence of his transformation into Gabriel funded by Margo. A previous magazine photoshoot of Margo's home reveals the statuette is missing; Margo hurriedly buys a replacement, but Elsbeth confronts her with the recovered Cupid, and she is arrested.Invited to Claudia's foundation gala, Elsbeth sees Wagner with the head of FlairAll but chooses not to tell Celetano. Wagner realizes Elsbeth may be investigating him. | |||||||
5 | 5 | "Ball Girl" | Rob Hardy | Eric Randall | April 18, 2024 | 4.28[21] | |
Cliff McGrath, father and coach of professional tennis player Hunter McGrath, is determined for his son to win against top-ranked Johann "Yoyo" Arnaldo. Cliff laces Yoyo's towel with nitroglycerin ointment during a tournament in NYC, noticed by ball girl Ashlee, and Yoyo collapses on the court and dies. Wagner, hoping to learn about Elsbeth and her secret investigation, treats her to sushi, but an oshibori leads her to realize how Yoyo died. Ashlee approaches Cliff with a scheme to win bets on Hunter by sabotaging his opponents, and plants the incriminating towel in Yoyo's hotel room. She tips off the police, leading them to suspect Yoyo's girlfriend Irina, who reveals that she gave him erectile disfunction medication; an inadvertent adverse reaction with the ointment resulted in his death. Suspicious of Cliff, Elsbeth learns from Hunter that his late mother had the ointment, and Hunter comes to suspect his father as well. In Hunter's final match, he and Elsbeth manipulate Cliff into believing Ashlee has sabotaged his son's towel. Cliff incriminates himself, and he and Ashlee are arrested.Meanwhile, Elsbeth is conflicted after Wagner arranges a new job for her son. | |||||||
6 | 6 | "An Ear for an Ear" | Nancy Hower | Zoe Marshall | April 25, 2024 | 4.28[22] | |
Plastic surgeon Vanessa Holmes, furious at her protégé Astrid Olsen for starting a rival practice, poses as a patient and poisons and hits Astrid to death. Vanessa flirts with a guard at the Museum of the City of New York to establish an alibi, but the museum is later disrupted by a climate change protest. Elsbeth suspects Vanessa of arranging the fake patient's appointment using fellow surgeon Dr. Yablonsky's phone. Celetano introduces Elsbeth to Martin Wali, who believes Wagner is covering up FlairAll's illegal labor practices in exchange for bribes through his foundation. Elsbeth approaches Wagner about the alleged bribes, but he implies that her son's new job could be viewed in the same light. Paint on Vanessa's shoes is matched to paint from the museum protest, confirming her alibi, but Elsbeth realizes the fake patient's medical history actually belongs to Vanessa's wife, Carolyn, and Yablonsky confirms that Carolyn went to Astrid to correct Vanessa's work. Elsbeth finds evidence in Vanessa's trash that she splattered her own shoes, and Vanessa is arrested.Elsbeth lets Kaya in on her investigation into Wagner; meanwhile, Lt. Noonan accepts a bribe from FlairAll on Wagner's behalf. | |||||||
7 | 7 | "Something Blue" | Yap Fong-Yee | Erica Larson | May 2, 2024 | 4.23[23] | |
Wealth management CEO Ashton Hayes reveals his unethical business practices to his employee/future son-in-law, Derek. At his bachelor party, Derek blabs to Capri, an exotic dancer hired by Ashton to test his discretion. Betrayed, Ashton gets Derek drunk following the wedding and sinks him in the lake in a golf cart. Elsbeth and Kaya doubt Derek's death was accidental when his autopsy determines he suffocated. Ashton's daughter Nora confesses she cheated on Derek with Rob, the wedding choreographer. Elsbeth interviews Rob under the guise of a private dance lesson and he leads her to Capri, who in turn leads her to Ashton. Discovering dissolving tape at Ashton's country club kitchen, Elsbeth realizes Derek died as a result of Ashton gagging him with the tape, while a wedding video shows Derek wearing a watch Ashton gave him, which Ashton took back before killing him. Wagner helps lure Ashton to plant the watch at Rob's dance studio, where Elsbeth intercepts Ashton and talks him into an impromptu dance. The watch falls out and Ashton is arrested.At Elsbeth's housewarming party, Wagner reveals he suspects Noonan of being the real corrupt cop, leaving Elsbeth unsure who to believe. | |||||||
8 | 8 | "Artificial Genius" | Tyne Rafaeli | Leah Nanako Winkler | May 9, 2024 | 4.20[24] | |
Investigative journalist Josh Johnson prepares an exposé on Cerberus, a crime-reporting app led by entrepreneur Quinn Powers. Using Cerberus to create a fictional cattle prod-wielding dog-kidnapper, Quinn plays a prerecorded presentation during a virtual company meeting and sneaks away to Josh's apartment. She beats him to death with a cattle prod, destroys his article, and steals his dog to implicate the fictional dog-napper. Elsbeth becomes suspicious after neighborhood dog walker Mimi does not recognize the supposedly kidnapped dogs, while Kaya suspects Cerberus is generating posts with AI. Video of Quinn's meeting reveals that she lost her headband during the murder. Unable to find it at the murder scene, Elsbeth and Kaya find evidence leading them to Quinn's former high school friend Ellen Davis, the true creator of Cerberus. Ellen reveals data flaws that Josh discovered, which Elsbeth confirms by feeding Quinn false information which is later reported on Cerberus. When Mimi finds Josh's dog in the park and Elsbeth brings it home, she realizes the dog must have hidden the headband. Finding the headband, Elsbeth crashes a Cerberus team meeting and Quinn is arrested.Meanwhile, Wagner tells Wali his suspicions about Noonan, promising to bring the corrupt lieutenant down. | |||||||
9 | 9 | "Sweet Justice" | Kevin Rodney Sullivan | Bryan Golubuff & Erica Shelton Kodish | May 16, 2024 | 4.26[25] | |
Cocktail bar owner Joe Dillion learns from Ivy Benson, his favorite customer, about her former college roommate and bully Gemma Nelson. A vengeful Joe strangles Gemma in her sleep, but the police discover it was actually Jane Dunhill, Gemma's housesitter, who was killed. Elsbeth suspects Joe, who left a footprint at the crime scene, and Kaya links a mark on Jane's neck to Joe's bottle opener ring. Ivy's online comments toward Gemma make her a suspect, and an angry Gemma unleashes her followers on the NYPD, demanding Ivy's arrest. Joe's regulars reveal he is fiercely protective of his customers, and he admits to Elsbeth that he would do anything for Ivy. Elsbeth stages the arrest of Dion, Joe's employee, who receives a grateful kiss from Ivy, goading Joe into confessing. Joe is arrested, and Gemma's boyfriend Brad breaks up with her, exposing her bullying in a humiliating video.Wagner tells Claudia his suspicions about Noonan, and lures him into a secret meeting with FlairAll's CEO, Declan Armstrong. With Elsbeth recording the incriminating conversation, Wagner intervenes when Noonan pulls a gun, and Noonan and Armstrong are arrested. Wagner is exonerated, but orders Elsbeth back to Chicago for betraying his trust. | |||||||
10 | 10 | "A Fitting Finale" | Rosemary Rodriguez | Jonathan Tolins | May 23, 2024 | 4.90[26] | |
Retiring supermodel Nadine Clay walks her final runway at her soon-to-be-ex-husband Nick Garrison's fashion show, where photographer Ezra Tate is shot dead. Nadine explains that Ezra, her former lover, was desperate for money, and a pawn shop owner reveals Ezra was involved with gambling debts, blackmail, and a mysterious "Pangaea Project". Elsbeth surprises Nadine at the home of designer Matteo Hart, who declares Elsbeth his new muse. Nadine claims Ezra had compromising photos of her, and suspects a jealous Nick killed him. Matteo tells Elsbeth that Ezra and Nadine, as fashion students, created Pangaea Project: a misguided photoshoot of Nadine made up as different ethnicites. Nick tells the police that he suspects Ezra was blackmailing Nadine over Pangaea, and she killed him. At Matteo's fashion show, built around Elsbeth and her unique fashion sense, Elsbeth has an epiphany. She confronts Matteo with Ezra's photos of Nadine's final shoot, revealing Matteo killed him. Matteo also confesses to killing an enforcer who threatened Ezra over his debts, burying him in the backyard, and Elsbeth gives Nadine the Pangaea photos.Wagner changes his mind, fast-tracking Kaya as a detective and convincing Celetano to give Elsbeth her own position investigating corruption in NYC. |
Season 2 (2024)
editNo. overall | No. in season | Title [17] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [17] | U.S. viewers (millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 1 | "Subscription to Murder" | Nancy Hower | Jonathan Tolins | October 17, 2024 | 4.76[27] | ||
| ||||||||
12 | 2 | "The Wrong Stuff" | Aisha Tyler | Erica Shelton Kodish | October 24, 2024 | 4.45[28] | ||
While going through an exclusive private space training simulation, self-made paint billionaire Neal Dorsey is repeatedly humiliated by renewable energy CEO, Gavin Morrissey. Neal becomes jealous when his son Randy starts to idolize Gavin, and he retaliates by putting a lithium battery in the shoe lifts of Gavin's boots. When Gavin enters a centrifuge, the battery explodes and kills him. Elsbeth investigates while dealing with a handsome fire marshal who constantly flirts with her, and she quickly learns of Neal's rivalry with Gavin and the tension between Neal and his son. When Elsbeth discovers that Gavin's hoverboard stopped working shortly before his death, she theorizes the battery came from there, but Neal has already replaced it with another stolen battery. However, when Elsbeth pries out the new battery, she finds a gold pen tip that was specifically customized for Neal. The tip allows Elsbeth to seal the case and Neal is arrested.The person in the black SUV is revealed to be Elsbeth's old colleague Carter from Chicago, who tells her one of their clients from a divorce case they handled is now getting divorced a second time, and details of the previous case are causing issues with the new one. Carter strictly orders Elsbeth not to discuss either case under threat of retribution from the firm. | ||||||||
13 | 3 | "Devil's Night" | Robin Givens | Bryan Goluboff | October 31, 2024 | 4.84[29] | ||
Mackenzie "Mac" Altman, a former child actress turned professional party girl, wakes up on Halloween morning with no memory of the night before, except possibly killing someone. Elsbeth helps Mac retrace her steps, only for them to stumble upon the body of Mac's boyfriend Sonny Miller. Mac soon becomes the prime suspect and cannot help her own case, while her lawyer/manager Danny refuses to let Elsbeth get involved. Despite this, Elsbeth manages to track Mac's movements all the way to a bar where she was not long before Sonny was killed. Elsbeth realizes that Mac did kill Sonny, but Danny orchestrated the murder by drugging Mac at the bar and manipulating her to do it. Danny's motive was to stop Sonny from revealing that he was embezzling from Mac's estate. Mac and Danny are arrested, with the former deciding to give up her hard-partying lifestyle. Lt. Connor puts up an opinion sheet at the precinct, which shows morale is low since Noonan's arrest, while suggesting Wagner's leadership skills are faltering. Connor insists this problem be corrected, which Wagner discusses with his wife while contemplating how to do so. | ||||||||
14 | 4 | "Diamonds Are for Elsbeth" | Mary Lou Belli | Zoe Marshall | November 7, 2024 | 4.25[30] | ||
Socialite Rosalyn Bridwell plans a heist with her best friend Celeste to rob Vivian's, an exclusive jewelry store, after the new creative director Valentina bars them from attending the store's grand re-opening. When Rosalyn realizes one of their associates in the heist plans to expose them, Rosalyn poisons him with cyanide in his tea, while feigning to be poisoned herself. Elsbeth quickly proves how Rosalyn faked being poisoned and also discovers her shaky finances. She goes to Rosalyn's apartment, interrupting a meeting of the heist group. Judith and Huey manage to hide, but Elsbeth sees Judith's trademark blazer, while also noticing that Rosalyn's dining set does not include silverware. Elsbeth then realizes that Rosalyn hid the silverware set because she used one of the spoons from that set to scoop the polish into the tea. Judith is brought in for questioning and confesses to the heist. That night, Rosalyn, Celeste, Huey, and Judith put their plan into action, distracting Valentina and switching out the jewels, with Huey making off with the real jewelry. Rosalyn also tries to steal a spoon to replace the one missing from her silverware set, but Elsbeth, Kaya, Wagner and Detective Donnelly interrupt her, having already found the incomplete set, and Rosalyn is arrested, while Judith is granted a deal. Huey is also arrested before he can escape, and the jewels are recovered. However, Judith subsequently flees to Paris, having stolen all of Rosalyn's jewelry while in hiding after Elsbeth crashed the meeting. Kaya moves in with Elsbeth while having her home renovated so she can rent out a room to pay for her college classes. Kaya insists on paying rent, but Elsbeth feels their friendship entitles her to a free stay. In the end, Elsbeth finally concedes on the condition they have a mandatory fro-yo night. Meanwhile, Wagner tries to bring fun into the workplace by raffling off a free lunch, which isn't as successful as he hoped. | ||||||||
15 | 5 | "Elsbeth Flips the Bird" | Ron Underwood | Sarah Beckett | November 14, 2024 | 4.30[31] | ||
Renowned chef Genevieve Hale prepares to entertain prominent businessman Roger Montebello at her exclusive restaurant, hoping to secure a position at his luxury hotel chain. However, her kitchen staffer Jordan deliberately double-books the restaurant to sabotage Montebello's experience. When Genevieve confronts him, Jordan goads her into attacking him with a meat tenderizer. When Genevieve realizes that Jordan recorded the assault, she strangles him to death in a fit of rage. She deletes Jordan's video and inflicts injuries on herself to make it appear as if someone else attacked them both. Elsbeth quickly doubts Genevieve's story upon learning of her violent history. Genevieve tries to prevent Elsbeth from investigating her restaurant, but Nadine Clay brings Elsbeth there as a plus one. Elsbeth soon discovers the deal between Genevieve and Montebello, as well as Jordan's scheme of selling reservations behind Genevieve's back. At home, Elsbeth tries to make Genevieve’s most famous dish, which has disastrous results but allows Elsbeth to solve the case: Genevieve had turned the food over while she staged the crime scene, proving that she was fully conscious when the murder happened, and she is arrested. Lt. Connor discovers Elsbeth and Kaya are living together, causing Kaya to become worried about her promotion. Meanwhile, Elsbeth is contacted by pop star Tru-Rose, the plaintiff in the current divorce case involving Elsbeth’s former client. Tru-Rose asks Elsbeth to help her in court, but Elsbeth is forced to refuse. Wagner hosts a poker night for the detectives, but this too falls short when Elsbeth wins the pot. | ||||||||
16 | 6 | "Gold, Frankincense, and Murder"[32] | Rachel Raimist | Erica Larson | December 5, 2024 | TBD | ||
17 | 7 | "One Angry Woman"[33] | Lionel Coleman | Eric Randall | December 12, 2024 | TBD |
Co-creator Robert King directed an episode of the season.[34]
Production
editDevelopment
editOn January 31, 2023, it was announced that a pilot was ordered by CBS.[35] It was a straight-to-series order, with CBS Studios joining the production of the series.[36] Shortly after the premiere, creators Robert and Michelle King stated that, although the character of Elsbeth Tascioni originated on The Good Wife, they do not consider Elsbeth to be a spin-off but a "separate show" inspired by Columbo that happens to use a "character in [their] wheelhouse".[3] On April 18, 2024, CBS renewed the series for a second season.[4]
Casting
editCarrie Preston reprises her role as Elsbeth Tascioni from The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Also, Wendell Pierce joined as C.W. Wagner, and Carra Patterson joined in the role of Kaya Blanke.[37]
The Kings have indicated that, while they avoided recycling actors for different characters on The Good Wife and The Good Fight, Elsbeth would not adhere strictly to the Good series' shared universe, and therefore some guest stars from the earlier series, such as Linda Lavin, would appear as different characters in Elsbeth.[3]
Filming
editAfter the show was ordered to series, the rest of the first season began shooting in January 2024 [38] and wrapped in late April 2024.[39] The first season of the series was filmed in New York and consists of 10 episodes.[40]
During a conversation with the press and an open audience to promote the Spanish release of the whole first season, Preston stated that season 2 consists of 20 episodes.[41] Filming on the second season started on July 23, 2024.[42]
Release
editThe first season of Elsbeth premiered on February 29, 2024, on CBS. The show is available to stream on Paramount+.[2] The second season premiered on October 17, 2024 on CBS.[5]
In Australia it premiered on Paramount+ on 26 April 2024[43]
In the UK it will premiere on Sky Witness on 23 July 2024 and Germany on Sky One on 6 August 2024.
Despite strong viewership for the pilot episode, new episodes did not resume until April 4, five weeks later, when the second and third episodes aired back-to-back. This was blamed on preemptions caused by the 2024 State of the Union Address on March 7 as well as the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 21 and 28. CBS opted to repeat the premiere episode on March 14 rather than schedule a standalone new episode between these events.[44]
Reception
editThe review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 94% approval rating with an average rating of 7.2/10, based on 31 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Carrie Preston's standout character from The Good Wife makes for a great detective in this amiable and clever spinoff."[45] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[46]
Ratings
editSeason | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank |
Avg. viewers (millions) |
18–49 rank |
Avg. 18–49 rating | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||||
1 | Thursday 10:00 p.m. (1, 3–9) Thursday 9:00 p.m. (2, 10) |
10 | February 29, 2024 | 4.59[18] | May 23, 2024 | 4.90[26] | 2023–24 | 15 | 7.45[47] | 56[a] | 0.47[47] |
2 | Thursday 10:00 p.m.[17] | 20[17] | October 17, 2024 | 4.76[27] | TBA | TBD | 2024–25 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Season 1
editNo. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Pilot" | February 29, 2024 | 0.29/4 | 4.59 | — | — | — | — | [18] |
2 | "A Classic New York Character" | April 4, 2024 | 0.34/4 | 5.43 | 0.19 | 2.64 | 0.53 | 8.07 | [19] |
3 | "Reality Shock" | April 4, 2024 | 0.29/4 | 4.60 | 0.18 | 2.84 | 0.47 | 7.44 | [19] |
4 | "Love Knocked Off" | April 11, 2024 | 0.28/4 | 4.35 | — | — | — | — | [20] |
5 | "Ball Girl" | April 18, 2024 | 0.28/4 | 4.28 | 0.22 | 3.20 | 0.50 | 7.47 | [21] |
6 | "An Ear for an Ear" | April 25, 2024 | 0.24/2 | 4.28 | 0.21 | 3.15 | 0.45 | 7.43 | [22] |
7 | "Something Blue" | May 2, 2024 | 0.27/3 | 4.23 | 0.22 | 3.20 | 0.49 | 7.43 | [23] |
8 | "Artificial Genius" | May 9, 2024 | 0.22/3 | 4.20 | 0.23 | 3.25 | 0.44 | 7.44 | [24] |
9 | "Sweet Justice" | May 16, 2024 | 0.26/3 | 4.26 | 0.21 | 3.09 | 0.47 | 7.34 | [25] |
10 | "A Fitting Finale" | May 23, 2024 | 0.28/3 | 4.90 | — | — | — | — | [26] |
Season 2
editNo. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Subscription to Murder" | October 17, 2024 | 0.27/3 | 4.76 | 0.21 | 3.52 | 0.48 | 8.28 | [27] |
2 | "The Wrong Stuff" | October 24, 2024 | 0.27/3 | 4.45 | 0.20 | 3.43 | 0.47 | 7.88 | [28] |
3 | "Devil's Night" | October 31, 2024 | 0.31/4 | 5.82 | 0.21 | 3.26 | 0.53 | 8.10 | [29] |
4 | "Diamonds Are for Elsbeth" | November 7, 2024 | 0.22/2 | 5.31 | 0.20 | 3.36 | 0.42 | 7.61 | [30] |
5 | "Elsbeth Flips the Bird" | November 14, 2024 | 0.27/3 | 5.40 | 0.20 | 3.24 | 0.47 | 7.55 | [31] |
Notes
edit- ^ Tied with Jeopardy! Masters and So Help Me Todd.
References
edit- ^ Tinubu, Aramide (February 28, 2024). "Carrie Preston Delights in CBS' Enchanting 'Good Wife' Spinoff 'Elsbeth': TV Review". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Nellie, Andreeva (November 13, 2023). "CBS Sets 2024 Premiere Dates For Delayed Scripted Series, Confirms Matlock & Poppa's House Move To Next Season". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ a b c Goldberg, Lesley (March 1, 2024). ""I Don't Think This Is Like The Avengers": The Good Fight Creators on Why Elsbeth Isn't Really a Spinoff". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
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