The first Good Wife character is coming into Elsbeth (Who is it?)

Elsbeth fans can finally see a face from The Good Wife joining! Find out who!

It's always common for a spinoff to feature characters from the show it was an offshoot from. That really worked for The Good Fight as the series regularly showed scores of characters from The Good Wife. That included Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni, the wildly quirky attorney who became a fan favorite and earned Preston an Emmy award. 

Elsbeth now has her own spinoff with the idea of moving to New York City, and her work with the police soon makes Elsbeth a crime-solver. The show is unique in that each episode opens by showing the viewer who the killer is. It then focuses on how Elsbeth pieces it together with a cat-and-mouse game with the murderer. 

Who’s coming to Elsbeth?

TV Insider reveals that Episode 2 of the second season will have Christian Borle reprising his role as Carter Schmidt. The character appeared in five episodes of The Good Wife, an attorney often going up against Julianna Margulies's Alicia in court. Borle reprised the role for a few episodes of The Good Fight.  He had a fun sense of humor and a good style to be flashy in court. A Broadway veteran, Borle is known for the NBC series Smash and Prodigal Son.

The Elsbeth episode, titled "The Wrong Stuff," has Elsbeth suspicious when a billionaire dies in a test launch for a spacecraft and focuses on a rival (Rob Riggle). Carter pops into Chicago, although there's no word on how he enters the story. Perhaps he's working for Riggle or doing some sort of job while scouting Elsbeth as well. They are shown sharing a limo ride and Elsbeth seems as confused by his presence in New York as viewers.

It's still up in the air if we'll see more Good Wife/Fight characters showing up but Borle and Preston going against each other should be a highlight of this episode as Elsbeth gets ready for a big second season.

Elsbeth is no stranger to big-named guest stars

Speaking to TV Insider in May, showrunner Jonathan Tollins said he was open to some past characters returning, but it's tricky to figure out why they are in New York.

For example, Nathan Lane guest-stars in the Season 2 premiere but not as his Good Fight character of accountant lawyer Clarke Hayden. Rather, Lane will play an opera lover who takes things too far when an obnoxious audience member ruins a performance. 

The show has become a surprise hit thanks to Preston's performance and its great bevy of guest stars. That has fans wondering if some characters from The Good Wife/Fight could make an appearance. Producers Robert and Michelle King do enjoy using the same actors for their shows although not playing the same person.

"People keep saying, are you going to have guest stars from The Good Wife? I mean, we're in a different city. We have very little real estate, and it's hard because the real money for guest stars usually goes to the murderer. And I don't think Diane Lockhart [Christine Baranski] is going to kill anybody, I'm certainly open to it. I would love for it to happen if we can work it out somehow. I always think TV fans sometimes think of characters as crayons that you can just pick up and use. But it's like, there's budget, there's schedule, there's lots of things going on. So it's tricky."

However, we know at least one Good Wife/Fight character is popping up in Elsbeth for a fun reunion!

Elsbeth Season 2 premieres Thursday, Oct. 17 at 10/9c on CBS.