Elsbeth, featuring a quirky character from The Good Wife and The Good Fight, debuts on CBS February 29. Carrie Preston plays Elsbeth, an attorney sent from Chicago to New York to observe the NYPD in an investigative role. Her goofy demeanor drives the New York detectives, including Capt. C.W. Wagner, played by Wendell Pierce, nuts. But she also has a good eye for perpetrators.
The show comes from Robert and Michelle King, who executive produce with Jonathan Tolins and Liz Glotzer. Tolins is the showrunner.
How did Elsbeth, who was not a primary character on the previous shows, get her own series? “Robert and Michelle just managed to create this pure, original character that is the perfect match for an actress you just love to watch,” Tolins told B+C.
He said Preston brings unpredictability to every scene she’s in. “That’s one of the things that keeps you watching, because you never know what Elsbeth is going to do next,” he said. “And there’s a certain delight in just being in her presence — both the character and the actress.”
Pierce, of course, played Bunk Moreland on The Wire. Tolins worked with him on Grease Live!, on Fox back in 2016. Pierce played Coach Calhoun in that special. “Just like Carrie, Wendell is someone who’s delicious to watch,” Tolins said. “You’re happy every time he appears in the scene.”
Carra Patterson plays officer Kaya Blanke, who Elsbeth walks the street beat with.
Viewers will know early in the episodes who the perpetrator is, then watch Elsbeth piece together the case against the perp. Tolins described Elsbeth as “a police procedural with a twinkle in its eye.”
He was an exec producer on The Good Fight, and said the Kings apparently liked the way he wrote the Elsbeth character, which led to him getting to run the new show. He described being a showrunner as “a never-ending series of decisions that have to be made day and night … but it’s fun, actually.”
Reviews for Elsbeth have been pretty good, which is no minor accomplishment for a cop drama on broadcast. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone said, “ ‘Elsbeth’ Wants To Be the Next ‘Columbo.’ It Nearly Succeeds.”
David Bianculli of NPR said, “In an era where so much TV is so dark and depressing, Elsbeth stands out as a sweet, happy little treat.”
IndieWire’s Ben Travers wrote, “No matter what comes next, Elsbeth is already a rock-solid procedural with a winning trio in front of the camera and a brilliant duo behind it.”
Viewers don’t need to be familiar with The Good Wife and The Good Fight to enjoy Elsbeth, Tolins calling it “a new chapter” in the character’s life. “They can absolutely start fresh,” he added.
Elsbeth approaches the world “with a level of almost childlike wonder mixed with extreme intelligence,” Tolins said. “She is someone who, because of her personality, is often dismissed and underestimated, and always proves to be a lot smarter than people realize.”
