SummaryElsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) uses her skills to help NYPD's Captain C.W. Wagner (Wendell Pierce) and Officer Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson) investigate cases in this spin-off of The Good Wife.
Created By:Michelle King, Robert King
Elsbeth
Season 1 Premiere:
Feb 29, 2024
Metascore
Generally Favorable
69
User score
Generally Favorable
6.2
My Score
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All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
81% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
14% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Oct 13, 2025
90
Our favorite police consultant is as "Elsbethy" as ever in the Season 3 premiere "Yes, And..." The episode is a microcosm of everything we love about the series, and Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) herself, and if there were any worries that Season 3 wouldn't be able to maintain the lofty standards set by the first two seasons, consider them dashed. "Yes, And..." is one of the series' best.
Jul 22, 2024
80
This is easy television: enjoyable, familiar and moreish. You can be gripped by the central crime while also fairly safe in the knowledge that the perpetrator will get their comeuppance and Elsbeth will come out on top. But as with all the Kings’ series, it’s executed with precision, wit and class, while Preston has pulled off the tricky balancing act of creating a loveable oddball who never verges into irritation.
User score
Generally Favorable
61% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
20% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
20% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
Apr 20, 2024
10
Columbo is one of my favorite mystery shows; it's unique in that it was not a "whodunit" but "howtocatchem." Nine times out of ten, Columbo latched onto the culprit and the show as spent with him noticing discrepancies and getting in their business while try to shut him down (they never do, clearly his bosses have his back). Life is Murder tried to do Columbo the first few episodes but got it wrong and thankfully abandoned the premise, becoming a much better show in its own right. Elsbeth, on the other hand, has wholly and perfectly embraced it. The character does the full Columbo, while being uniquely and distinctly herself, and we are really, truly enjoying it for this.
Mar 17, 2024
10
I Loved her character before and still do. Cant wait for more episodes. If you aren’t familiar with her character, she’s an attorney who is very quirky on the outside. Seems like someone you would never hire. However, she always pulls a rabbit out of her hat because she’s extremely intelligent in every way, reading people and figuring out things that no one else sees.
Feb 28, 2024
80
“The Good Wife” (also on CBS) was one of those prestreaming shows that demonstrated just how smart, sophisticated, subtle, sly and wickedly funny a network series could be, and they have imported those qualities into the more overtly comical, completely delightful “Elsbeth.”
Feb 29, 2024
75
No matter what comes next, “Elsbeth” is already a rock-solid procedural with a winning trio in front of the camera and a brilliant duo behind it.
Feb 29, 2024
70
There are no particularly savage sendups of either the principals or the police. The show favors mild bemusement over withering satire or heavy judgment. That’s a fine and appealing tone that builds (again) on a long tradition.
Oct 13, 2025
60
This season, while it seems that there will be some continuing arcs, the mysteries themselves have room to breathe and become more than just a vehicle for Carrie Preston to do her Elsbeth thing.
Feb 29, 2024
37
Preston is as talented as they come, but she has little to work with here. Patterson and Pierce are given even less. This can’t be creatively fulfilling for anyone, with Elsbeth reduced to a collection of tics and unbridled enthusiasm. .... It’s baffling to see the Kings embrace such blatant copaganda.
Dec 3, 2025
8
Love love the show but this season is unrealistic with the storylines. It seems bc the detective Kia left, Elsbeth has struggled with a storyline. And the writers have the audacity to have her befriending the judges wife?! You are going to kill a good show. I have enjoyed the parallels of the Goodwfife.
Mar 5, 2024
7
I had a lot of fun with this episode. Not sure if it'll develop much, but I love the quirkiness, and Bunk is great, of course, as the straight.
Mar 1, 2024
4
This is based purely upon the pilot - shows are subject to change. In a strange way, I almost feel compelled to rate this show higher, merely based upon comparison. But it's not good. Not only is it not good, it's illogicism makes it basically unwatchable. All of the clues in the pilot could have easily been misconstrued. It's far from the logic of Holmes, r even the inhterpretations of Monk. It's lowest common denominator, airport literature crowd type deductions. Not to mention, her mere citizen role of outside council or whatever being allowed access and time with witnesses is problematic. She can just talk freely to witnessess and suspects, and they all let her. Not only that, they humor and even try and placate her. The show shows you who the antagonist is, right **** the worst thing is, is that this is the show that was focused **** live in a bundling age, and regular television is a true backburner. But good God, this is average at best. Except it's not, under an objective microscope, this show kind of ****. Just because a ton of other shows are worse, does not increase the score of this one.
Jun 2, 2024
0
Elsbeth held some promise, and with so many other shows reaching the end of their seasons, I was excited to have something new to watch.
But when I started watching, I was immediately let down. I am an autistic man and Elsbeth’s behavior is incredibly similar to the stereotype of how autistic people act. She is also incredibly annoying and unlikeable, which didn't have me rooting for her as a character whatsoever.
Besides having a horrible main character, the plot of the show itself is just absolutely dull. We already know who committed the crimes at the start of each episode, so theres just no surprise for us as an audience. The other characters are just as annoying as Elsbeth. They go on long monologues instead of doing anything. Elsbeth was too hyped up for its boring story line and its egregious character writing. The bar was set, and the show dug itself six feet underneath it.
