A fresh take on the crime procedural, Elsbeth could be a good show to watch for fans of legal dramas. Being a spinoff from CBS hits The Good Wife and The Good Fight, the show has been constructed so that its storyline is standalone, thus open to viewers not acquainted with the origins of Elsbeth Tascioni.
Carrie Preston returns in her Emmy-winning role, and this ensures Elsbeth stands on its own. In fact, according to Preston, viewership testing showed that many had not seen The Good Wife or The Good Fight; therefore, producers felt assured that viewers who didn't know the show or characters would still enjoy Elsbeth.
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According to Robert King, co-creator of the series, they always tried to think of her as a standalone character, just like in Columbo. Elsbeth introduces a quirky, shrewd investigator in the heart of New York City with the crime-solving charm of Columbo, shifting away from its legal-drama roots.
But, how is this setup different from its predecessors, and what do fans and new viewers alike need to know?
Elsbeth is a new adventure for a familiar character
This show transposes its title character from Chicago's legal world to the investigation dynamics of the NYPD. According to Variety, the story follows Elsbeth Tascioni as she takes on a new position where she is observing operations of the NYPD as ordered by the government in an "outside observer-turned-investigator" scenario.
Preston tells Variety that the Kings conceived her as a "female Columbo." In the pilot episode, the audience knows who the culprit is at the very beginning.
Preston expounded on this view, stating that the role requires "unorthodox intelligence," and thus, it adds a bit of surprise and wit that viewers will experience each week.
Watching The Good Wife and The Good Fight helps but isn’t necessary to watch Elsbeth
While the show does contain subtle references and nods to The Good Wife and The Good Fight, new viewers won't find themselves lost. Wendell Pierce says that NYPD Captain C.W. Wagner, who he plays, also encounters her for the first time; it's all new for everyone.
He reveals that Wagner was "suspicious" of her unorthodox approach, but still admires the genius within her, who can even disarm the most unrelenting critics.
"No matter how grating she may be… she's really good at what she does," Pierce told Cinema Blend in February 2024.
She even said that although watching The Good Wife might add some insight into the lead's peculiarity, it is unnecessary for first-time viewers.
In Cinema Blend's interview in February 2024, Preston said,
“The show is standing on its own.”
This is due to its new crime-procedural format and the stand-alone character arc. She also wrote that the Kings didn't make Elsbeth as a "backdoor pilot" meaning the show is fully stand-alone from previous episodes.
Though Preston's character appeared in only 19 episodes of both previous shows, her influence and Emmy win made Elsbeth a memorable, fan-favorite personality. As Preston recalled about her scenes, they often were built around unexpected pauses that left the audience wondering what she would say next.
By the time she got to this show, she had honed her "daffy intelligence" to a fine art. This developed image is played off with, and, indeed, the character does change from week to week as she poses another crime scenario each week, flowing into a myriad of "worlds," from real estate to the tennis circuit.
Catch new episodes on CBS every week or stream on Paramount+.
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