When a spinoff is created, it’s only natural to expect characters from the original show to pop in regularly. For instance, Boston Blue has featured guest appearances from Blue Bloods actors like Bridget Moynahan, and there have also been crossovers between Fire Country and Sheriff Country.
So, fans of Elsbeth would obviously expect some characters from the shows The Good Wife and The Good Fight to drop by somehow. It happened earlier this season, with Sarah Steele returning as Marissa Gold, a former investigator now following in her father’s footsteps as a political operative.
However, those expecting more faces to pop in may be in for a letdown. Speaking to TVLine, showrunner Jonathan Tollins revealed that Elsbeth's format makes it harder to find logical ways to bring in Good Wife characters. Marissa was an exception, as it was a “natural use” for her to be involved in the mayoral campaign of Alec Bloom.
“I believe she would have gone into politics. Christian Borle [came back] as an attorney, Carter, in three episodes. But it's very tricky because first, we're in New York, and [those shows] took place in Chicago. We're a cop show; that was a legal show."
For those who haven’t watched, Elsbeth has the title character (once again played by Emmy-winner Carrie Preston) move to New York City as a legal overseer for the NYPD. Elsbeth soon becomes involved in solving crimes, where her eccentric mind helps her spot clues and catch the killer.
The show has referenced Elsbeth’s past in Chicago, including Borle’s guest turn as Carter Schmidt. However, as Tollins notes, finding logical reasons for Good Wife characters to come to New York is a stretch.
Another factor is that Elsbeth’s budget seems limited, with Preston and Wendell Pierce the only regular stars alongside a rotating recurring cast of detectives. It’s always the draw of the guest star of the week getting the real attention.
There is one fun loophole that the Elsbeth producers can use: While not having Good Wife characters, they can at least use the same actors. The main gimmick of Elsbeth is that the audience sees from the start who the killer is, with a notable guest star in the role.
This has allowed the showrunners to bring in several actors from The Good Wife and The Good Fight, just not as those same characters. That includes Nathan Lane, Hamish Linklater, Laura Benanti, Anna Camp, Blair Underwood, Mo Rocca, and more. The show never has Elsbeth finding any of them familiar, establishing them as different characters, often the killers.
However, for the more prominent Good Wife actors (Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, Julianne Marguiles as Alicia Florrick, Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, etc.), it’d be impossible for them to be anyone but their original characters, with Tollins joking, "A lot of those people we can’t afford."
There’s also how it’d be pretty tricky figuring out a reason for them to be in New York, as Tollins confirmed, "Our budget is set up so that our guest budget usually goes to the murderer. So unless Diane Lockhart wants to kill someone, it's tricky."
So, fans of The Good Wife shouldn’t be holding their breaths expecting any more major Good Wife stars to appear, but that shouldn't take away from how fun the show is!
Elsbeth is streaming on Paramount+.
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