Elsbeth season 2: 10 guest stars we'd love to see next season

One of CBS's best successes this year has been Elsbeth. A spin-off of The Good Wife and The Good Fight, Carrie Preston reprises her Emmy-winning turn as Elsbeth Tascioni. The quirky lawyer now works alongside the NYPD, which has her falling into solving murder cases. 

The pull of the show has been how it's a "reverse whodunnit" with the audience seeing who the killer is from the start. The other pull has been the great guest stars playing the killers with Stephen Moyer, Jane Karkowski, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Gina Gershon, and more. There's also the rotating pack of detectives helping on cases. 

Elsbeth is preparing for a second season on CBS, which paves the way for more fun guest stars! There are also fans of The Good Wife who would love to see some characters from that show return. Here's a quick look at ten guest stars we'd love to see Elsbeth Season 2 tackle!

Michael Emerson

The most obvious guest star is Michael Emerson and not just because of his Emmy-winning turns in Lost or shows like Person of Interest and Evil. It's because he and Preston have been married for years and it would be great to see them together again on-screen.

Preston has suggested rather than a killer, Emerson could be an old friend of Wagner's who enters their circle and he and Elsbeth should have fun banter. However it works, seeing the husband and wife sharing the screen together would be a delight for fans. 

Meryl Streep

Preston has said her dream casting would be the legendary Oscar-winning actress, which seems a wild choice. After all, Streep's TV roles have been on cable or streaming like Only Murders in the Building, not network TV. Yet Streep could be intrigued by the idea of a one-off appearance if Preston lobbies hard enough.

The roles are plentiful, from playing basically herself as a scheming actress to a spin on Miranda Priestly as a cold fashion magazine editor. Either way, Streep's appearance would garner massive ratings and who knows, help her land an Emmy to add to her large awards collection.

Mamie Gummer

If Streep isn't available, the show could at least bring in her daughter Mamie Gummer. She can play a variety of fun roles, lending herself to a wicked businesswoman or a surgeon up to no good to clash with Elsbeth.

Even better would be for Grummer to reprise her role from The Good Wife as Nancy Crozier, an attorney who, like Elsbeth, puts on a show of looking weaker to throw folks off. If Elsbeth gets more into the courtroom stuff, having Nancy as a recurring foe in the courtroom would be a great bonus. 

Matt Czuchry

Elsbeth's pilot mentioned Cary Argos, the former Good Wife attorney who's now working for the Department of Justice. More mentions seem obvious that Matt Czuchry can show up to reprise the role with Cary for an episode or even a guest arc. He and Elsbeth have a fun bond with Cary no doubt bemused by her antics and ready to help out. It'd be a fun return of a beloved Good Wife character and boost Elsbeth to success. 

Anna Paquin

The pilot of Elsbeth had Preston's True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer as the first killer. So it'd be fun if his wife and fellow True Blood star Anna Paquin dropped in too. The Oscar winner hasn't done network TV but might be open to trying something new. She could be a good pick for a killer or at least a suspect in a case and it'll be fun seeing her try to outmatch her hubby in a game with Elsbeth. 

Niecy Nash

A longtime TV fave, Niecy Nash has added an Emmy to her shelf while starring in shows like The Rookie: Feds and more. She'd be terrific on Elsbeth with her sassy attitude and signature humor. Seeing her as a killer (maybe a music mogul turned to murder?) would be fun, but it'd also be good if she becomes one of the rotating pack of detectives who helps on cases. There's a connection as Nash co-starred with Preston on the TNT series Claws, so they already work well together, and it will be a fun reunion to fire up a new season. 

Jennifer Coolidge

Jennifer Coolidge is all over the place these days so why not throw in an Elsbeth appearance? The Emmy-winning star has experience with CBS starring in the sitcom 2 Broke Girls and wouldn't be above doing a guest star turn here. She'd be a great starlet as a brash lady involved in a murder case and she and Preston should have great chemistry together. Any appearance by Coolidge on TV is great so having her pop in for an episode would be a fun turn. 

Skylar Astin

Fans of So Help Me Todd are upset about the show's unexpected cancellation, but that blow could be lessened with Skylar Astin joining Elsbeth. It'd be good to see Todd himself land on a new show and Elsbeth would be a great opportunity. He can easily fit in as a detective, maybe even Kaya's new partner. Even better is some fans suggesting that Astin could play Elsbeth's often-mentioned but yet unseen son dropping in to see his mom. Either way, landing a new gig on another CBS show can make up for Astin losing out on Todd. 

Alan Cumming

A beloved TV actor, Alan Cumming's best TV role is probably The Good Wife's wild political fixer Eli Gold. He and Preston shared scenes there with Gold thrown off his game by her antics. It would make sense that Eli has moved to New York and no doubt among the power players where he gets involved in a politically-charged murder case. 

Seeing Eli clashing with Wagner and Kaya and inserting his usual wild one-liners into things would be a delight. Even if it's only one episode, seeing Eli once again would be a wonderful turn for Elsbeth. 

Will Patton 

One last Good Wife guest-star to bring in, Will Patton had a few appearances as Elsbeth's ex-husband, Mike Tascioni. He's just as eccentric as she is, always carrying a Chihuahua around, a hat never leaving his head, and a slow drawl that hides his own legal smarts. 

Patton and Preston got along great on the show as clearly some feelings still between them even as they banter and threaten each other. Having Mike pop in, perhaps defending a suspect, makes total sense and lets Elsbeth's new friends see her in a fun light. 

Elsbeth Season 1 streaming on Paramount+.