Elsbeth, the latest spin-off that spawned from CBS‘ long-term mega hit, The Good Wife, has secured itself an early renewal — as per Variety — from the network after airing just four episodes of its debut season, with the fifth episode set to air this evening. Originally greenlit by CBS in May 2023, the series didn’t premiere until February 2024 due to the strikes that halted much of Hollywood’s production activities in 2023. Carrie Preston returns to her role as Elsbeth Tascioni, a character she famously portrayed on both The Good Wife and The Good Fight, the first spin-off, which starred Christine Baranski.
In the new series, Elsbeth moves from Chicago to New York where she teams up with the police as an investigator. Wendell Pierce and Cara Patterson also star in the show. According to CBS, Elsbeth is pulling in an average of 11 million viewers per episode across Live+35 multiplatform viewing. Meanwhile, Nielsen’s most recent data shows that the show is attracting about 7.3 million viewers per episode through traditional linear viewing. The renewal was announced in an enthusiastic statement from Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment:
“’Elsbeth’ has charmed audiences with its singular blend of delightful humor, distinctive ‘how-done-it’ storytelling, and the inventive, brilliant quirkiness of Elsbeth Tascioni. Executive producers Robert and Michelle King have a stellar track record for creating critically acclaimed series full of unforgettable characters and, alongside showrunner Jonathan Tolins and his writing team, have developed an incredibly entertaining and engrossing New York City-centric world for the show to explore. We are grateful to the uniquely talented cast, led by Carrie Preston, Wendell Pierce and Carra Patterson, for bringing these wonderful characters to life in the company of a world-class roster of weekly guest stars.”
Who Is Elsbeth Tascioni?
Elsbeth, who first appears early in The Good Wife as an ally of Julianna Margulies’ Alicia Florrick, is an eccentric, genius-level, highly effective lawyer who’s probably as well known for her success in court as she is for her bizarre and unconventional methods. Despite her seemingly scattered persona, Elsbeth has a knack for winning cases through her sharp insights and legal acumen, often catching her opponents off guard by disarming them as they get distracted. Elsbeth has been a fan favourite for years due to her quirkiness and her abilities at winning cases. She often serves as comic relief, but is a highly capable attorney and she is, as a result, one of the most beloved characters in The Good Wife universe.
Elsbeth airs Thursdays on CBS. There is currently no release date for Elsbeth Season 2. Past episodes of Season 1 are streaming now on Paramount+ in the U.S.
via Collider