Carrie Preston seems to rule out a romance for Elsbeth (at least in season 2)

Elsbeth has been on a roll leading to a second season but could that include some romance? Carrie Preston has weighed in!

The new CBS series clicked with viewers to become a surprise hit of the 2024 TV season. Carrie Preston reprises her Emmy-winning recurring role from The Good Wife and its spinoff, The Good Fight, as Elsbeth Tascioni, a brilliant but wildly eccentric lawyer. 

Elsbeth moves to New York to work with the NYPD and soon falls into solving murders as her quirky mind helps her see the clues to figure out the truth. The show succeeded thanks to the “reverse whodunnit”, in which the audience sees who the killer is from the start. There are also great guest stars who help the show shine. 

Season 2 will see Elsbeth continue to work with the NYPD, with sidekick Kaya (Carra Patterson) working to become a detective herself. Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce) has accepted Elsbeth’s presence. The season should see Elsbeth finally settling into New York and maybe practicing law again. This leads to some wondering if the door is open for a possible romance in Elsbeth’s future. 

Will Elsbeth find romance in season 2?

Elsbeth’s backstory is that she was married to Mike Tascioni, an equally eccentric lawyer played by Will Patton on The Good Wife. They have an adult son who’s yet to appear and Elsbeth hasn’t talked much about her romances since. 

Talking to TVLine, Carrie Preston discussed Elsbeth’s embracing of New York and the chances of a romance. 

"She’s single, and that’s wonderful about the show. She’s come to New York from Chicago, reinventing herself in some ways, so I think it’s great she’s not attached to anyone except her self and her career, her son…. It will be interesting to see if we ever see a love interest for her, because she’s very busy — and happily so!"

For now, it does seem like romance isn't on the table for Elsbeth but it would be fun for her to find someone in New York one day, perhaps someone as offbeat as she is. It’d also be funny if she clashed with a more straight-laced figure baffled by her behavior but soon won over by her. The show could play on Elsbeth using her single status for her investigations as it’d be just like her to go out to dinner with a killer.

A dream casting would be Preston’s real-life husband Michael Emerson dropping in for such a role as obviously the pair can use their chemistry for it. Right now, fans are happy to see Elsbeth continue her crime solving but hopefully season 2 lets her land some dating as well.

Elsbeth season 1 is streaming on Paramount+.