Throughout The Good Wife and The Good Fight, fans witnessed Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) the lawyer. Now, on her own show, Elsbeth, she’s teaming up with the NYPD to solve crimes. Initially, she was part of a consent decree while secretly investigating Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce) for possible corruption. With that case resolved and everything out in the open, she now has an official office at the precinct. However, there was a storyline considered that would have brought Elsbeth back into a courtroom.
“At one point, we discussed the idea of a murder and Wagner being arrested for it, with Elsbeth defending him at the start of season 2,” showrunner Jonathan Tolins revealed to TV Insider. “However, it didn’t align with the direction the show was taking as we developed the season.”
Could Elsbeth find herself back in the courtroom for a different reason in Season 2? “If so, she would still need to pass the New York bar,” Tolins pointed out. “We have an interesting concept of potentially reintroducing her to a courtroom, but in a different way than before.”
The Good Fight (Patrick Harbron / CBS)
Tolins also noted that Elsbeth, unlike the other two shows in the universe, is not a traditional legal procedural. “Given the current lack of faith in the courts, it’s a challenging time for legal dramas. We view our show as a lighthearted police procedural,” he explained. “We’re steering away from politics or issue-based legal content because the appeal of Good Wife and Good Fight often stemmed from tackling complex legal matters, which isn’t where our show lies. Our show is in a different realm.”
Preston believes that if Elsbeth ever returns to the courtroom, she will have evolved. “Seeing her in a courtroom setting again, given her experiences on the order and justice side of things, would be intriguing. She left law because she didn’t want to defend those in the wrong,” she shared. “It would be fascinating to see how her newfound skills and perspectives would influence her approach in the courtroom.”
She added, “She has found a new calling in life, but her exceptional lawyering skills remain. Perhaps a case will arise involving a lawyer who has committed a crime, allowing Elsbeth to utilize her background. That would be an engaging scenario.”
With that, Elsbeth would be a force to be reckoned with.
Elsbeth, Season 2, Fall 2024, CBS
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