Elsbeth: Is A Terrific Comedy Crime Drama?

Elsbeth series continues to entertain us with a nonconformist female protagonist, Elsbeth Tascioni. Not only is she working with the New York Police Department (NYPD), but she is also one of the most colourful and smart heroines.

After airing 10 episodes in its 3rd season, the series from the USA has taken a much-needed and fairly-lengthy mid-season break recently. So, we decided to share our FM review of this crime drama series.

Series-Review [Spoiler-Free]: Elsbeth (Seasons 1, 2, 3/2024-ongoing) English

In FOCUS: Elsbeth Tascioni, Who Becomes a Legal Observer of the NYPD And…

Series Synopsis

Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston), the astute but unconventional attorney, works with the NYPD to catch New York’s most well-heeled murderers, utilising her unique point of view. After leaving her successful legal career for a new investigative role, she finds herself jockeying with NYPD Captain C.W. Wagner (Wendell Pierce). Working alongside her are Officer Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson) and others.

[The name Elsbeth is derived from Germanic origins, while the more recognised Elspeth comes from Scottish heritage. Both names are forms of Elizabeth.]

The Storylines

This American police procedural comedy crime drama revolves around the bright and free-spirited legal observer, Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston), as seen in the above posters. In this drama series, she has moved from Chicago (The Good Wife & The Good Fight series) to work as a court-mandated legal observer of the New York Police Department (NYPD), along with her huge collection of jazzy tote bags.

However, in this new show, she is not only a part of the New York Police Department, officially functioning as an insightful yet unconventional attorney, but she also acts as a keen and sharp police detective unofficially. Therefore, she accompanies the police detectives to the crime scenes, talks to the prime suspects, offers her own version of investigative theories into the crimes and helps catch the real criminals. And as you can see from the above posters, she is really loving her job in NYPD.

Series Posters

[This show is based on the character Elsbeth Tascioni featured in "The Good Wife" (2009-2016) and "The Good Fight" (2017-2022) series, previously.]

Positive Points

➕ The show creators, Michelle King and Robert King, have plucked a memorable character from the past and made a good quality (terrific) comedy crime drama. We liked watching this entertaining show.

➕ As we have mentioned above, Elsbeth Tascioni was originally a recurring character from the series. Moreover, the actress Carrie Preston has previously played memorable roles in the two popular American series, ‘The Good Wife’ (2009-2016) and ‘The Good Fight’ (2017-2022). The lead actress, Carrie Preston, has once again portrayed Elsbeth Tascioni almost perfectly. How can we forget her one-of-a-kind dressing style (unlike the NYPD uniform) in this standalone cop drama?

➕ And to be honest, we rarely see a flamboyant female lead character like Elsbeth, who is unconventional, yet she has a very sharp and bright legal brain. And her clever mind always manages to work out and find a way to catch the Machiavellian criminals. In a certain way, she reminds us of the famous Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) character in the ‘Legally Blonde‘ (2001) movie.

➕ In addition, we get to watch new crimes being committed in most of the episodes aired so far. And then we get to watch how Elsbeth uses her own unique and unusual ways to catch all kinds of criminals. Moreover, in her single-minded pursuit to solve even the most complicated crimes, she is backed by Captain C.W. Wagner (Wendell Pierce), Detective Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson), etc.

➕ One of the good things about this series is that we really loved its wacky sense of humour. Most of the episodes boast of both the verbal and the nonverbal comedic content to humour us.

Seasons & Episodes

Negative Points

➖ In this comedy crime drama, a bunch of the episodes are terrific. On the other hand, some of them fall in the good quality and/or mediocre category. However, it is as expected, from a series with so many episodes.

➖ Also, most of the crimes in the show do not belong to the intense and gripping variety. So, this show is not targeted at the serious and hardcore crime-aficionado viewers.

Series Ratings

Conclusion

The setting of New York seemed perfect, as Elsbeth fit right in, as it seems she ❤ NY. For us, the Elsbeth show has been a breezy and easy comedy crime drama show, as it is fun and delightful to watch.

Series Trailer

[Also, check the YouTube Video link to Elsbeth Season 3 Trailer | The Good Wife spinoff | TV Promos]

Key Details

Bonus Trailers

Awards Won [News Updated]

[Lastly, read the Spoiler-Free Review of A Man On The Inside (Season 2/USA/2025) Series in our Focus Magazine.]

Poster & Featured Image of the Elsbeth (Seasons 1, 2, 3/USA/2024-ongoing) Series | Pictures Credit: CBS.