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Elsbeth (TV series)

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Elsbeth
Genre
Created by
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Jonathan Tolins
  • Liz Glotzer
  • Robert King
  • Michelle King
Camera setupSingle-camera
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseFebruary 29, 2024 (2024-02-29) –
present (present)
Related

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] The series was renewed for a second season in April 2024.[4]

Elsbeth is usually a "howcatchem" TV mystery show as opposed to 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.[5]

Premise

The series focuses on the offbeat Elsbeth Tascioni, a unconventional but astute attorney who, after a successful career in Chicago, utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations, and corner criminals alongside the NYPD. She is assigned to oversee a monitorship or consent decree after some controversial arrests.[6][7] Nine of the first 10 episodes use the inverted detective story format.[8]

Cast

See also: List of The Good Wife and The Good Fight characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

No.Title [14]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [14]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Robert KingRobert King & Michelle KingFebruary 29, 2024 (2024-02-29)4.59[15]
In New York City, theatre professor Alex Modarian murders student Olivia Cherry, who threatened to expose him for sleeping with her. Cloning her phone's SIM card, Alex carefully stages Olivia's death as a suicide. Chicago attorney Elsbeth Tascioni arrives in NYC, 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 and notices Olivia used teeth-whitening strips and birth control just before her death, making suicide unlikely, and spots a man's deodorant in her bathroom. Suspicious of Alex, Elsbeth questions his current and former leading ladies, confirming his history of inappropriate relationships with students. Suicidal texts apparently 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, Alex is arrested.
A phone call with Celetano reveals Elsbeth's real mission in NYC: investigating Wagner for corruption.
2"A Classic New York Character"Robert KingBryan GoluboffApril 4, 2024 (2024-04-04)5.43[16]
Gloria Blecher, hated president of her co-op board, vetoes a lucrative offer from real estate broker Joann Lenox, angering board members Leonard, Annie, Daniel, and Dorothy. 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 conspired 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. Gloria's husband's corpse is discovered, hidden in her apartment walls for thirty years; he fell in love with their housekeeper, Joann's mother, so Gloria fired her and killed him.
Elsbeth connects Wagner to a man named Martin Wali and a company called FlairAll.
3"Reality Shock"Ron UnderwoodJonathan TolinsApril 4, 2024 (2024-04-04)4.60[16]
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"Love Knocked Off"Rosemary RodriguezErica Shelton KodishApril 11, 2024 (2024-04-11)4.35[17]
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"Ball Girl"Rob HardyEric RandallApril 18, 2024 (2024-04-18)4.28[18]
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"An Ear for an Ear"Nancy HowerZoe MarshallApril 25, 2024 (2024-04-25)4.28[19]
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"Something Blue"Yap Fong-YeeErica LarsonMay 2, 2024 (2024-05-02)4.23[20]
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"Artificial Genius"Tyne RafaeliLeah Nanako WinklerMay 9, 2024 (2024-05-09)4.20[21]
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"Sweet Justice"Kevin Rodney SullivanBryan Golubuff & Erica Shelton KodishMay 16, 2024 (2024-05-16)4.26[22]
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"A Fitting Finale"Rosemary RodriguezJonathan TolinsMay 23, 2024 (2024-05-23)4.90[23]
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 ethnicicites. 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.

Production

Development

On January 31, 2023, it was announced that a pilot was ordered by CBS.[24] It was a straight-to-series order, with CBS Studios joining the production of the series.[25] 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

Carrie 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.[26]

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

After the show was ordered to series, the rest of the first season began shooting in January 2024 [27] and wrapped in late April 2024.[28] The first season of the series was filmed in New York and consists of 10 episodes.[29] During a conversation with the press and an open audience to promote the Spanish release of the whole first season, Preston announced that season 2 will be 20-episode long and that filming is scheluded to start on July 22, 2024.[30]

Release

Elsbeth premiered on February 29, 2024, on CBS. The show is available to stream on Paramount+.[2]

In Australia it premiered on Paramount+ on April 26th [31]

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 single new episode between these events.[32]

Reception

The 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."[33] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34]

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (April 18, 2024). "'Elsbeth' Renewed for Season 2 at CBS". Variety. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "Elsbeth and the 7 best "howcatchem" mystery shows on TV to watch". Hidden Remote. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  6. ^ Loofbourow, Lili (February 28, 2024). "Review | Elsbeth is a well-executed, frothy delight". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "The Good Wife Spinoff Elsbeth Is Too Much of a Good Thing". Time. February 29, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  8. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (February 28, 2024). "'Elsbeth' Wants To Be the Next 'Columbo.' It Nearly Succeeds". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Jacobs, Meredith (January 31, 2024). "Elsbeth Adds Gloria Reuben as Wendell Pierce's Wife". TV Insider. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Jacobs, Meredith (January 4, 2024). "Elsbeth: Jesse Tyler Ferguson to Guest Star in Good Wife Spinoff". TV Insider. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  11. ^ Hailu, Selome (January 26, 2024). "The Good Wife Spinoff Elsbeth Casts Jane Krakowski, Blair Underwood, Retta and Linda Lavin as Guest Stars (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Bastidas, Jose Alejandro (February 29, 2024). "Elsbeth Adds Keegan-Michael Key, Gina Gershon as Guest Stars". TheWrap. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Cordero, Rosy (April 1, 2024). "'Elsbeth' Rounds Out Guest Cast With Elizabeth Lail, Arian Moayed & Laura Benanti". Deadline. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Shows A-Z – Elsbeth on CBS". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 1, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Decent Start for Elsbeth on CBS As It Builds in Total Viewers from So Help Me Todd Lead-In". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (April 5, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Elsbeth Return to CBS After 5-Week Absence Improves Upon its Series Premiere Performance in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  17. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 12, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Elsbeth on CBS Once Again Builds Out of So Help Me Todd Lead-In Among Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  18. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 19, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: CBS and NBC Share Prime Time Victory". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  19. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 26, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: Slight Year-to-Year Increase for First Round of NFL Draft on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 3, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: 'Ghosts' Third Season Finale on CBS Leads Broadcast in its Slot Among Viewers, 18-49 and 25-54". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  21. ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 10, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: '9-1-1' on ABC Tops Penultimate 'Young Sheldon' CBS Episodes Among Adults 18-49 Within the Hour". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  22. ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 17, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: 'Young Sheldon' on CBS Reaches Four-Year High with Series Finale". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  23. ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 24, 2024). "Thursday Ratings: 'Elsbeth' Inaugural Season Finale Helps CBS to 13th Consecutive Thursday Broadcast Victory in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 31, 2023). "CBS Orders Pilots For The Good Wife Spinoff Elsbeth Starring Carrie Preston & Matlock Reboot With Kathy". Deadline Hollywood.
  25. ^ White, Peter (May 9, 2023). "Matlock, Elsbeth & Wayans' Family Comedy Poppa's House Ordered To Series At CBS". Deadline Hollywood.
  26. ^ White, Peter (March 3, 2023). "Elsbeth: Wendell Pierce & Carra Patterson Join Carrie Preston in CBS' Good Wife Offshoot Pilot". Deadline Hollywood.
  27. ^ Preston, Carrie [@Carriepreston] (December 1, 2023). "First costume fitting today for Season 1 of @elsbethcbs! We start shooting in January. Scripts are being written, clothes are being tried on, sets are being built. I'm positively manic with excitement!" (Tweet). Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ Preston, Carrie [@Carriepreston] (April 20, 2024). "Lighting up your life at the #Elsbeth wrap party! 🪩 Love our crew & cast" (Tweet). Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ King, Robert [@RKing618] (November 23, 2023). "10" (Tweet). Retrieved November 26, 2023 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ García, Pedro [@fuertecito] (June 12, 2024). "La mismísima Elsbeth Tascioni, @carriepreston, hoy en Madrid 💕 Ha estado perfecta en el coloquio. Nos ha contado muchas cosas de #Elsbeth y ha avanzado que la T2 tendrá 20 episodios, indagará más en su pasado y (seguramente) conoceremos a su hijo. La T1 en @MovistarPlus ▶️" (Tweet). Retrieved June 13, 2024 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ [1]
  32. ^ Gelman, Vlada (March 11, 2024). "TVLine Items: Leighton Meester's CW Comeback, Elsbeth 's XL Return and More". TVLine. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  33. ^ "Elsbeth: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  34. ^ "Elsbeth: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
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