‘Elsbeth’ reviews: ‘Gem’ of a spinoff centers on the ‘fabulous’ Carrie Preston

CBS audiences first met Carrie Preston’s alter ego Elsbeth Tascioni in a first-season episode of their prestige legal drama “The Good Wife.” The character would go on to appear in almost every season of that series and quickly leapfrogged to its even-better sequel “The Good Fight,” where she dropped in on three of its six years. Clearly a favorite of fans as well as series creators Robert King and Michelle King, Preston’s Elsbeth, a daffy and disorganized but utterly unassuming and brilliant lawyer, now has her own series, which debuted its premiere episode on Feb. 29 — a leap year, how fitting.    

Relocated from Chicago to New York City (where all of the “Good” series shoot), Elsbeth now works for the New York Police Department as an observer, making sure the force’s officers follow the letter of the law. The series introduces two new regulars: Wendell Pierce as the police captain and Carra Patterson as a form of partner for Elsbeth.

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The new show has received strong notices from critics. As of this writing, it has earned a 70 score on Metacritic, indicating “generally favorable” reviews, and is Certified Fresh with a 90% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with their critical consensus reading, “Carrie Preston’s standout character from ‘The Good Wife’ makes for a great detective in this amiable and clever spinoff.”

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“Elsbeth” has been deemed a “rock-solid procedural” that is “outlandish, witty and full of joy.” It boasts a “winning trio” of actors and the “brilliant duo” of the Kings as creators, who are operating in “comfort-food mode” after the politically sharp “The Good Fight.” At its heart is Preston’s “ingenious” performance, who is “capable” at playing the “thoroughly broad-by-design” character. Critics also singled out Pierce as an “ever-charming,” “tremendous onscreen talent.” Robert King steps behind the camera as director of the premiere and brings with him a “brighter and more wide-eyed visual approach” than his usual for the world of “Elsbeth.”

Preston only appeared in 14 episodes of “The Good Wife” and five episodes of “The Good Fight,” but she spun those 19 appearances into awards success, winning an Emmy in 2013, scoring a second Emmy nomination in 2016, and receiving six of Gold Derby’s own award nominations for both series.

See excerpts from some of the critics’ reviews below, and join in the discussion of “Elsbeth” and more with your fellow TV fans and industry insiders in our forums.

Aramide Tinubu (Variety): “Elsbeth is unique as a character, and the series’ construction is also intriguing… Since procedurals have been a dime a dozen for decades, it’s hard to deliver anything distinctive to the genre. But ‘Elsbeth’ breaks the mold by presenting different formats within the episodes… A gem of a series, ‘Elsbeth’ embraces a bold blend of comedy and drama centering on a beautifully off-kilter protagonist, making it a breath of fresh air.”

Lili Loofbourow (Washington Post): “Elsbeth Tascioni is a fabulous creation. And if the glut of ambitious shows that fell short during Peak TV taught us anything, it’s that the nuts and bolts (your plot, your dialogue) are trickier to master than they might seem. There’s a lot to appreciate about the humor and skill and sheer muscular competence that goes into good, solid, episodic network TV. ‘Elsbeth’ benefits from terrific guest stars… And the main ingredient – a memorable character you want to see wander around a TV world – is here in spade… But if ‘Elsbeth’ succeeds as episodic TV, confidently establishing the cast of each new case, its serial aspect – the longer story building over a few episodes – suffers from the effort to bridge registers that start to feel incompatible.”

Daniel Fienberg (Hollywood Reporter): “Elsbeth is immediately striking for how at ease it is. It’s more culturally topical than politically topical and while it’s a show driven by weekly murders, it handles that carnage with a distinctly light touch… it’s designed to attract a wider audience as a fizzy, accessible comic thriller built around a charmingly quirky lead performance.”

Amy Amatangelo (Paste): “After two wildly creative and successful series, our standards for shows set in the ‘The Good Wife’ universe are high. ‘Elsbeth’ isn’t necessarily a bad show, but it’s definitely a disappointing one… Leading the series, Preston remains a delight. All that we loved and remembered about Elsbeth is there.”

Ben Travers (IndieWire): “Preston, who won an Emmy for this role in 2013, knows the exact pitch at which to play Elsbeth. Never grating yet always pesky, her unrelenting positivity (and general relentlessness) would undoubtedly get old, fast, in real life. Cops and criminals alike are exhausted by her, but audiences can more easily appreciate her dogged demeanor because a) we know she’s on the right track, and b) she’s played by the affable Preston. The Kings know this, and craft our re-(re-)introduction to the character in a way that emphasizes her bonafides, making her an easy-to-root-for lead.”

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