CBS’s new midseason drama Elsbeth returns to the network’s primetime lineup with an episode that features guest stars Linda Lavin and Jane Krakowski. Season one episode two, “A Classic New York Character,” will air on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT. Episode three, “Reality Shock,” follows at 10pm ET/PT.
The new primetime drama kicked off with an episode that featured a friend of Carrie Preston’s, Stephen Moyer. During a press conference prior to the premiere, Preston talked about reuniting with her True Blood co-star.
“You know, True Blood, I mean, it holds a special special place in my heart. My career sort of took off in a way that it hadn’t before that show, and so we all bonded. We made True Blood kind of in a vacuum, and then it aired. […] We weren’t even together. So, we all like bonded over that show, and he, in particular, was like a real cast leader – he and Anna (Paquin) together, real cast leaders. He’s such a personable person. He’s so outgoing and everything, and so when they were casting this role on Elsbeth, I kept thinking, ‘Gosh! He would be so perfect because he’s so charming, but he can also be really dark, obviously,'” said Preston.
Preston continued: “But having him on set during the pilot was such a comfort to me because the stakes are really high. I wanted the show to be amazing, and, you know, you’re nervous. And [Robert King and Michelle King] wrote this gorgeous script with these epic scenes. This is a very dialogue-heavy show and so I really wanted somebody who could really do that kind of scene work, somebody who understood that, and that’s Steven times one billion. And so that just gave me such real security, you know, in a sometimes like nerve-wracking situation. It was never that on this this pilot, because of Robert and Michelle and Stephen. And you know Wendell (Pierce) and Carra (Patterson), it was just a really beautiful experience, that pilot time of my life. Really.”
In addition to Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni, season one stars Wendell Pierce as Captain C.W. Wagner and Carra Patterson as Officer Kaya Blanke. Jonathan Tolins guides the series as showrunner and also executive produces along with Liz Glotzer.
“A Classic New York Character” Plot: After the loathed co-op board president (Lavin) of a luxury pre-war building falls off her balcony to her death, Elsbeth and Kaya are called to the scene to dig for a lead when they meet Joann (Krakowski), a high-powered Manhattan real estate broker with huge clients and even bigger secrets.
Elsbeth Plot, Courtesy of CBS:
Elsbeth stars Emmy Award winner Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni, an astute but unconventional attorney who utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner brilliant criminals alongside the NYPD. After leaving her successful legal career in Chicago to tackle a new investigative role in New York City, Elsbeth finds herself jockeying with the toast of the NYPD, Captain C.W. Wagner (Pierce), a charismatic and revered leader. Working alongside Elsbeth is Officer Kaya Blanke (Patterson), a stoic and ethical officer who quickly develops an appreciation for Elsbeth’s insightful and offbeat ways.
