There are several characters fromThe Good WifeandThe Good Fightthat should appear inElsbethseason 2. Elsbeth is a new spinoff ofThe Good Wifestarring Carrie Preston as a quirky attorney-turned-detective. Its parent show wasa popular series which is widely considered to have been one of thebest legal dramas on television. Elsbeth was a recurring character onThe Good Wifewho annoyed everyone with her quirkiness but almost always won her cases. She also appeared several times onThe Good Fightas the same tough but quirky attorney.
Elsbethis a more lighthearted series than eitherThe Good WifeorThe Good Fight. However, there is no reason that characters from its parent series couldn’t visit. All three shows are produced by the same team, and critics widely praisedThe Good Fight’s likable characters.Additionally, it would be a fun Easter egg for that segment of the audience that has watched the previous showsif some characters fromThe Good WifeorThe Good Fightcame to New York andinteracted with Elsbeth during one of her investigations.
7Cary Agos
Matt Czuchry
Cary Agos is the most logical choice for a crossover appearance because he was mentioned inElsbeth’s first episode. When the title character was originally tapped to secretly investigate Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce), the Department of Justice attorneys questioned whether she was up to the task and suggested Cary take the assignment instead. Thus,Cary clearly is still working as a lawyer in Chicago and has ties to the DOJ, which makes him a strong contender to visitElsbeth.
Elsbethis set in New York rather than Chicago, so all the writers need is an explanation for why Cary is visiting Manhattan. In Cary’s last appearance inThe Good Wife, he was a guest lecturer at a college in Chicago. Thus,he could appear inElsbethas a visiting professor who is accused of murder when a student is found dead in his classroom. This would be a fun way for Elsbeth to come face-to-face with her one-time adversary in the courtroom.
6Alicia Florrick
Julianna Marguiles
Alicia Florrick got a mention toward the end ofThe Good Fightthat revealed she was now living in New York. Thus, it would be natural for her and Elsbeth to cross paths. Alicia could be a lawyer working for someone that Elsbeth is trying to investigate, or could be working for a firm that appears to be involved in a murder. This would be a fun way to recreate the characters' dynamic fromThe Good Wife,as Alicia always found Elsbeth’s quirks annoying, yet was impressed with her formidable legal skills.
Unfortunately, this crossover is one of the least likely to happen, despite Alicia’s supposed proximity to Elsbeth. Julianna Margulies declined to return toThe Good Fightas a guest star because she felt that it was insulting not to be paid her regular fee, given that there would be no franchise without her character (viaDeadline). Thus, she may not be interested in appearing as Alicia onElsbethfor the same reason.
5Diane Lockhart
Christine Barinski
Diane’s fate was an openquestion at the end ofThe Good Fight,with the high-powered attorney debating between accepting a job offer to run a female-led firm in Washington, D.C. or retiring to France.Assuming that Diane took the D.C. job, it would not be difficult for her to travel to New York to participate in a story onElsbeth,though it would be important to give her a legitimate reason to be there.
Christine Barinski is a powerhouse of an actor who has both comedic and dramatic chops, so she could seamlessly transition from Diane’s more serious storylines to the comedic ones on Elsbeth.
If Diane does work in D.C., she might travel to New York to represent a visiting politician or other high-profile person who Elsbeth suspects of murdering someone while in New York. This would be a natural opening for Diane and Elsbeth to meet. Christine Barinski is a powerhouse of an actor who has both comedic and dramatic chops, so she could seamlessly transition from Diane’s more serious storylines to the comedic ones on Elsbeth.
4Kalinda Sharma
Archie Panjabi
Kalinda was one of thebest characters onThe Good Wifeand deserved a better ending than she got. At the end of season 6, Kalinda ran away, disappearing to parts unknown after being forced to turn state’s evidence against a powerful drug dealer who could easily have had her killed. She left for her safety, but failed to say goodbye to Alicia or Cary, both of whom she was close with.Appearing onElsbethcould help make up for that disappointing exit story,especially if Kalinda mentions being in touch with the others.
Since Kalinda’s whereabouts were never revealed after she disappeared, it’s not a big stretch to establish that she’s been living in Manhattan for the past decade. She might be unnerved if she runs into Elsbeth since Elsbeth could recognize her, and she’s been trying to stay off the grid. It would also be fun if Kalinda were a rival investigator who kept getting in Elsbeth’s way because she was trying to solve the case before Elsbeth could.
3Marissa Gold
Sarah Steele
Although Marissa is best known as Eli Gold’s daughter and Alicia’s bubbly personal assistant fromThe Good Wife, she also appeared onThe Good Fightas an investigator working for Diane’s firm. Her excitement and positive personality often led to comic relief onThe Good Wife, so she would fit in well on the more lightheartedElsbethif the writers could come up with a strong reason for her to visit New York. This would not be difficult to do, considering the number of careers Marissa has tried out and her generally flighty nature.
Marissa has done everything from work on a dairy farm to joining the Israeli Defense Force, so she could come to New York for yet another attempted career. Alternatively, she could take classes at a New York university where a murder happens to take place. Since Marissa has experience as an investigator, she could also offer to help Elsbeth solve the case or accidentally interfere by trying to identify the killer herself.
Elsbeth Season 2’s First Killing Guest Creates A The Good Wife Plot Hole
The first killing guest cast for Elsbeth season 2 is a massive oversight considering Carrie Preston’s connection to The Good Wife universe.
One of the best things about Marissa visitingElsbethis that she could interact with several otherThe Good WIfe/The Good Fightcharacters. She could be attending a class Cary is giving as a guest lecturer, be in New York as Diane’s assistant or investigator, or be traveling with her father while between jobs. This would allow for a bigger crossover event featuring one or more of these other characters.
2Eli Gold
Alan Cummings
Eli Gold was often a more lighthearted character, but he got a serious send-off onThe Good Fight. After years of working for Alicia, Eli came to Diane’s new law firm for help after he was accused of stealing someThe Apprenticetapes from Mark Burnett. Although this episode could have ended tragically, Marissa was able to help clear her father’s name, and he headed back to D.C. at the end of his guest appearance. Thus, he could easily return toElsbeth.
Eli’s ability to be both a serious and comedic character would make him a good fit for an episode ofElsbeth.If he were to return, it would likely be in the context of working for the DOJ or some other government association, although he could also accompany Diane or Marissaon a trip from D.C., the latter of which would lead to double comedy as the two interacted with Elsbeth. However, since Eli was already cleared of a crime inThe Good Fight, it’s unlikely he would be accused of murder, as that would seem somewhat redundant.
1Robyn Burdine
Jess Weixler
Robyn was a loyal employee who disappeared fromThe Good Wifewithout explanation. After six seasons, she simply stopped appearing on-screen after getting trapped in a closet at work, although the writers claim she freed herself and is still working for the same firm. Thus, her appearance onElsbethwould offer closure to that segment of the audience that wants to know what happened to her. However, she would need a good reason to come to New York if she is still employed in Chicago.
Elsbeth
Cast
Elsbeth follows Elsbeth Tascioni, an astute attorney with a unique perspective, as she collaborates with the NYPD to tackle elusive criminals after a successful career in Chicago. Released in 2024, this series explores her unconventional methods in solving intricate cases.
Robyn is an investigator, so the most likely reason for her visit would be to look into a murder connected to a case in Chicago. She could become a rival not only to Elsbeth but to Kalinda if both the former investigators fromThe Good Wifewere looking into a case in New York. That would be a fun mini-reunion since they both leftThe Good Wifein season 6 for different reasons.
If Robyn were to appear onElsbeth,it would offer an opportunity to make fun of the way her character simply disappeared from sight, which would add to the comedic value of her appearance. Robyn could have a throwaway line about how long it took her to free herself from a closet or be involved in investigating a murder in which someone was found dead in one. This in-joke would serve as an Easter egg for that segment of the audience that watchedThe Good Wifewithout being confusing for those audience members that did not.
The Good Fight
The Good Fight was created for the streaming service CBS All Access and was created by Michelle King, Robert King, and Phil Alden Robinson. The series ran for six seasons between 2017 and 2022. As a direct sequel to The Good Wife, the series follows the trials and tribulations of lawyer Maia Rindell.
The Good Wife
After being a stay-at-home mother for thirteen years, Alicia Florrick resumes her law career after her husband is imprisoned following a political corruption and sex scandal.
