Carrie Preston has played quirky, brilliant Elsbeth Tascioni for 14 years, through memorable appearances on The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and now the warmhearted mystery that is Elsbeth. Viewers can’t seem to get enough of this over-the-top Chicago defense attorney turned NYPD police consultant — and unofficial detective.
When the hit returns on Thursday, October 17, Elsbeth is happily enjoying New York City with her own apartment, a cute dog and a new police family now that her secret life as a Justice Department spy investigating — and clearing — NYPD police captain C.W. Wagner (Wendell Pierce) of corruption has wrapped.
Season 2 won’t be all rainbows, of course. “We ended with everything kind of resolved and happy,” says showrunner Jonathan Tolins in the video interview above, “but though the show is comfort food, we don’t want things to get too comfortable, so we’re pulling the rug out from under our characters. A lot of things from the past will come back to haunt them.” According to Preston, that includes “discovering why Elsbeth left Chicago and came to New York.”
Not to worry: The title character won’t ditch her Columbo-type sly interrogations, or her optimism and sunny persona. But there may be some swerves in watching Elsbeth catch any villain we already knew “done it.”
One element of the show that will remain: gifted actors playing baddies. In the first season, that included Stephen Moyer, Jane Krakowski, Blair Underwood, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. This season, says Tolins, “begins with the opera, featuring another incredible guest star, Nathan Lane.” He adds, “We love putting Elsbeth in unfamiliar surroundings because her curiosity and enthusiasm are so infectious. It also proves to be a great way to solve crimes.”
Learn more about the mysteries to come in Elsbeth Season 2 in the full video interview above.
— Additional reporting by Kate Hahn
Elsbeth, Season 2 Premiere, Thursday, October 17, 10/9c, CBS