‘Elsbeth’ Star Carrie Preston Reveals How ‘Columbo’ Inspired ‘The Good Wife’ Spinoff
Preview
“She’s unique and unorthodox. She’s colorful. She’s a scatterbrained genius.” Can’t wait to meet the character detailed by Emmy winner Carrie Preston? You already have!
Elsbeth Tascioni, Preston’s scrappy Chicago defense attorney from The Good Wife and The Good Fight, has landed her own witty spinoff, Elsbeth. “I feel like one of the luckiest actresses around because almost nobody gets the opportunity to play the same character on three different shows!” Preston says.
Elsbeth premieres on Thursday, February 29 at 10/9c on CBS. Here, Preston explains what to expect from the beloved character’s solo outing.
When the series opens, Elsbeth has left Chicago and moved to New York City. What’s she up to?
Carrie Preston: She’s been brought in by the Justice Department on what’s called a consent decree to, in essence, babysit the NYPD and make sure they don’t do anything illegal or litigious. To the cops, she’s this crazy lady who keeps sticking her nose in their business, but it turns out Elsbeth is a brilliant de facto detective and gets involved in solving cases.
How did Elsbeth come about?
Many fans over the course of The Good Wife and The Good Fight asked about creating a show around Elsbeth. Then, during COVID, [creators Robert and Michelle King] found themselves watching Columbo reruns. They thought, what if they created a show for Elsbeth structured like Columbo—a how-dunit as opposed to a whodunit?
Fans of Peter Falk’s great ’70s TV detective will notice Elsbeth using versions of Columbo’s trademark verbal trap, “One more thing.…”
That’s a total nod to Columbo! You never quite know when she’s manipulating you, or if she’s just scatterbrained. The fun of it is that it might be both of those things.
Who are the other characters in Elsbeth’s orbit?
There’s the captain [C.W. Wagner] played by the brilliant Wendell Pierce [Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Suits]. He’s very revered in the department. I have to work side-by-side with him even though he’s not quite sure he wants me there. And I become friendly with Officer Kaya Blanke, who Carra Patterson [Rustin] is playing. She’s very ethical and buttoned-up. She starts to appreciate that Elsbeth has a circuitous [method] but gets to the truth nonetheless.
Elsbeth, Series Premiere, Thursday, February 29, 10/9c, CBS
