Elsbeth Star Reveals Her Character’s Origins: ‘A Female Columbo’

Even though CBS' Elsbeth just hit the small screen in 2024, Elsbeth Tascioni's title character is by no means new to television. Thousands who followed The Good Wife and then The Good Fight were already familiar with Carrie Preston's quirky attorney. However, an entire show revolving around her has long been nothing more than a distant dream for years.

Fortunately, the year 2024 changed the game, introducing a show that felt both refreshing and nostalgic, filling a niche that had been empty for far too long. Now that the show has been renewed for another season, Carrie Preston has revealed how the character came to life in the first place.

Is Elsbeth a Columbo Rip-Off?

As a spinoff of the 2009 TV hit The Good Wife, Elsbeth has been 14 years in the making. Indeed, as Preston jokes in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she's been 'off' most of the time in her on-and-off appearances as Elsbeth Tascioni, and yet her character hasn't lost an ounce of her charm over the years.

Moreover, the way Elsbeth was discussed between the actress and Robert King, co-creator of The Good Wife, has mirrored the way her own spinoff ended up from the beginning.

“Fourteen years ago, when they first offered me this delicious role, Robert King got on the phone with me and said, ‘The way we’re thinking about her is like a female Columbo,’ so it’s kind of prophetic that here we are borrowing the structure of Columbo and those great ‘howdunits,’ but with this very unexpected character at the center of it,” Preston revealed.

Any Elbeth fan should consider this a double win. First of all, it is nice to know that the character created more than a decade ago is still true to its original idea. Second, the Columbo-style formula has clearly worked well enough for the show to take off and attract a fairly large fan base.

Looking ahead, viewers would like to see a few more twists and turns to keep the show entertaining. However, as the first seasons go, the premise that was curated all those years ago has managed to remain just as relevant and successful.

If you are interested in seeing how Elsbeth will change with the second season, be sure to keep an eye out for all the news and behind-the-scenes updates to not miss the premiere date announcement.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter