Who plays Captain Wagner's wife Claudia on Elsbeth?

Elsbeth has been clicking on CBS as a fun new crime show and this week’s episode promises to give more focus on Captain Wagner’s wife, Claudia. Just who plays the character and what does she bring to the show?

Elsbeth is a spin-off of The Good Wife, with Carrie Preston reprising her Emmy-winning role as Elsbeth Tascioni. The eccentric attorney has moved to New York City, where she’s part of a “consent decree” overseeing police conduct. 

It’s not long before Elsbeth starts getting involved in murder cases where her quirky mind allows her to figure out the truth behind the deaths. The show is interesting in being a “reverse whodunnit” where the audience sees from the start who the killer is and the episode then focuses on how Elsbeth proves the guilty party.

However, a subplot is that Elsbeth’s real reason for being in New York is to investigate Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce), the gruff head of the department. He’s being suspected of corruption, which is tied to a private company he has a stake in. Elsbeth doesn’t want to believe it but is being pushed by her superiors to keep it up.

Elsbeth and Wagner clash a bit about Elsbeth being part of the cases, but they seem to respect each other. The upcoming episodes will have Elsbeth trying to get closer to Wagner’s wife for more insight into the man with a veteran actress in the role.

Who is playing Claudia Wagner?

Playing Claudia is Gloria Reuben, a familiar face to TV viewers. She had her breakout role as Jeanie Boulet in ER, which earned her two Emmy nominations. Since then, Reuben has been a familiar TV face with roles in The Agency, Falling Skies, Mr. Robot, Cloak & Dagger and several of the Tom Selleck-led Jesse Stone movies. She's also appeared in movies such as Lincoln.

Claudia is described as a major face in the New York society scene, and she and Elsbeth seem to get along well. Reuben talked to New York Live about the role and what it could mean.

"She is very much a participant in life and very generous and runs a foundation and very much in love with her husband…If she was up to something that could get her in trouble, I can’t tell ya."

Reuben’s line there is very interesting as it might hint that it’s not Wagner tied to corruption, it’s Claudia through her charity work. After all, who would suspect a police captain’s wife of being involved in criminal activity?

Elsbeth might, as the woman is a genius spotting what others don’t. So while Claudia may appear the supportive wife, it’s possible there’s more to the role than meets the eye and makes Elsbeth even more watchable for episodes to come.

Elsbeth airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.