The Good Wife Outshines Elsbeth in Every Possible Way, Redditors Agree

On February 29, CBS began airing Elsbeth, a series about a lawyer who uses her autism spectrum disorder to help catch criminals alongside the New York City Police Department.

What is Elsbeth About?

If you've seen The Good Wife and The Good Fight, you'll recognize Carrie Preston's character, Elsbeth Tascioni. She is a cheerful and spontaneous lawyer who leaves her native Chicago for a solo project. Elsbeth has a form of autism spectrum disorder that does not interfere with her ability to solve complex professional problems.

She comes to New York at the invitation of the local mayor's office to help the police. They are not happy with the intrusive supervision, but quickly turn their anger to compassion – Elsbeth is charming and has amazing powers of observation.

Elsbeth is a procedural where each episode has its own story. If you haven't seen the previous two shows in which Elsbeth appeared, you can still watch the show.

The Good Wife Fans Are Disappointed with The Spin-Off

However, the spin-off of the successful series has not received the most flattering reviews from fans.

“The writing and the premise just aren't working for me. Instead of using her intellect to find amazing loopholes to help people navigate the legal system she's just being a cop and catching bad guys,” Reddit user CatastropheWife wrote.

Elsbeth Seems to Waste Its Main Character’s Potential

Despite the intriguing premise and charismatic main character, fans agree that Elsbeth still feels like another faceless procedural, wasting the potential of such a multifaceted heroine.

The reverse detective formula, where viewers know who the killer is at the beginning of the episode, doesn't help either. In cases where the viewer already knows the criminal, the screenwriters come up with the stories where the detective solves crimes that are too complicated or seem absolutely unsolvable – this keeps the intrigue in the case when we already know the answer.

However, Elsbeth has not yet impressed the viewers with her investigations – the path the main character takes is no different from the path she would have taken if we did not already know the solution to the main intrigue of the episode.

There’s Still Time for Elsbeth to Pick Up The Pace

The Good Wife was a soap opera, a family saga, a drama about office intrigue, and a feminist epic about strong women all at the same time. The show was centered on the characters' legal adventures, and The Good Wife is still known for its meticulous and inventive treatment of cases, something that writers of other similar shows have largely failed to achieve.

For now, fans agree that it's better to revisit The Good Wife, but perhaps Elsbeth will find its footing and pace – it still has time.