Susan Granger’s review of “Elsbeth” (CBS/Paramount+)
“Elsbeth” ranks as the second most watched newcomer on CBS this year, averaging 11 million viewers on CBS, Paramount+ and CBS TV apps – with its second season launching on CBS on Thursday, October 17 and available the next day streaming on Paramount+.
A spinoff of “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight,” “Elsbeth” stars Carrie Preston as scene-stealing Elsbeth Tascioni, an astute but decidedly unconventional lawyer-turned-investigator who makes oddball observations – like Peter Falk’s “Columbo” – and corners elusive criminals.
Transferred to Manhattan from Chicago, Elsbeth was assigned by a federal prosecutor to monitor the activities of New York officers under legal scrutiny for corruption.
Bizarrely dressed as a tourist with a foam Statue of Liberty crown, giddily sunny Elsbeth arrives on the job, relying on her disarmingly naïve demeanor to disguise her legal acumen. Skeptically greeted by Capt. C.W. Wagner (Wendell Pierce), she’s befriended by NYPD officer Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson) and soon proves her worth in this police procedural.
As envisioned by mischievous creators Robert and Michelle King, quirky Elsbeth always wears contrasting patterns, playfully carrying numerous tote bags – an outlandish look that renders her both hard to miss and easy to overlook.
Previewing the premiere episode of Season 2, a womanizing finance executive is stabbed to death after a night at the opera. Because of a ringing cell phone, Elsbeth suspects obsessed music lover Philip Cross (Nathan Lane).
In the 2024-2025 season, showrunner Jonathan Tollins revealed than Pamela Adlon will play one of America’s most revered chefs/owner of New York’s hottest restaurant. Despite anger management training, her rage turns deadly when a staff member’s side hustle causes havoc in the dining room, blowing a major deal.
After that, Vanessa Williams is a chic, ultra-wealthy VIP at an exclusive Fifth Avenue jewelry store who takes her passion for gems to the next level. Then Rob Riggle is a billionaire whose colleague dies in a freak accident while training for a frivolous space mission. And Brittany O’Grady is a former child star-turned-scandalous party girl defining her career’s next chapter.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Elsbeth” is a spunky, slyly shrewd 7. Right now, its entire 1st season is streaming on Paramount+.
