If you’re like me and began your journey in The Good Wife universe by bingeing Elsbeth, you likely see Carrie Preston’s character as wholesome, lawful good. However, now that I’m watching the series she was introduced on with my Paramount+ subscription alongside the current CBS hit, I’m realizing that while the sweet attributions are accurate, this lawyer is not afraid to play dirty. Now, with new episodes of Elsbeth’s second season airing on the 2025 TV schedule, it seems like her past and present might collide in a way that ties the two shows together in a great way.
Now, while Carrie Preston plays Elsbeth the same between The Good Wife and Elsbeth, the work she’s doing in each show is totally different. This difference in work, in fact, is what makes it possible to watch Elsbeth without seeing The Good Wife first, in my opinion. However, after Season 2, Episode 10 of the spinoff, it would appear that the two series will tie together as the lawyer-turned-crime solver potentially makes her way back to the courtroom.
So, basically, Elsbeth’s past has come back to haunt her this season. One of her high-profile clients from her Chicago days is causing problems and making headlines. In Episode 10, Preston’s character voices her anger about not being able to defend herself due to attorney-client privilege as it’s revealed that the blame for burying a police report related to this case is being placed on her.
However, Elsbeth obviously isn’t going to sit back and let that happen. So, by the end of the episode, she figures out how to get out of attorney-client privilege. In the final seconds of the installment, she approaches Van Ness, and says:
Mr. Van Ness, the law firm representing you recently issued a press release blaming me for your legal woes, destroying my reputation. I might lose my job…You’re looking at a woman with nothing left to lose. But of course, your secrets are safe with me. That said, I’ve been approached for help by your soon-to-be ex, TruRose.
Van Ness responds, saying that if Elsbeth says anything about the report he’ll make her “life hell,” saying he has “friends in the police” and could find her door kicked in. He also said he could fill her email with internet harassment.
That led to Kaya arresting him, saying his words were a misdemeanor. When the man claims he was just talking to Preston’s character, she fires back with:
No, you were threatening me in front of a witness which means we no longer have attorney-client privilege. I’m free to defend myself, and I’m really, really good at defending.
I’m not kidding, I applauded Elsbeth when she said this. It was the most Good Wife thing she’s done all season, as she swerved her way masterfully through the law and its loopholes. Plus, it gave us a hint of what she could do next as she goes up against Van Ness.
I’d assume that this whole conflict is leading to a big courtroom battle that will see Elsbeth back as a defense lawyer. She has not been in that position once in Elsbeth – though we did get a taste of her courtroom prowess in that jury duty episode earlier in the season – and I can’t wait to see more of her practicing law and doing what she does best outside of solving crime, winning.
She is, pardon my French, a kickass lawyer on The Good Wife. While she’s overall a good person, like the other attorneys on that show, her primary goal is making sure her client wins, and that comes with some morally grey territory that she’s never been afraid of. I want to see her cleverly defending herself like she defended Peter, Alicia, Will and more. I want to see her unique approach to the law. And I’m dying to see her back in court!
So, here’s hoping that at some point during Season 2 (which airs on CBS on Thursdays at 10 p.m.) we get to see Elsbeth back as a lawyer, because not only would it be epic, but it’d also serve as a fantastic tie back to The Good Wife, the excellent show that made Elsbeth possible.
