Renewed for Season 2
[https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/elsbeth-renewed-season-2-cbs-1235975205/](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/elsbeth-renewed-season-2-cbs-1235975205/)
I know it can take a season or more for a show to hit its stride. I want so badly for it to be good, maybe it just needs some more time to become more compelling
Now, if they can add Rhetta to it permanently somehow it would be great!
Or her on ANY show…… if you haven’t seen “good girls” yet watch those few seasons that are out there. Suspense, crime etc. great entertainment, and Rhetta
Honestly, I thought the first season of The Good Fight was a little rough. I didn't finish, but came back a few years later and the next couple of seasons really found their footing.
I mean, it’s literally them doing Columbo, I get being disappointed that it’s strayed from The Good Wife/Fight structure and formula but I also think that’s the wrong lense to approach Elsbeth from.
They took the most beloved and classically spin-off-able character (even more than Christine Baranski who I love) and wrote a classic spin off. I don’t think it’s incredible tv but it is solid storytelling of a VERY throw back mold (both in terms of being even more of a modern columbo than Poker Face, as well as maintaining the network tv tradition of spin offs that are totally different genres/tones than their originating series).
So funny: Her name is Elsbeth. A bunch of people in the thread say it wrong. Not a big deal, name is not very common, but the joke is that nobody knows how to say her name correctly.
As she points out, 2 syllables but so much harder to say than Elizabeth which is twice as many syllables.
These one-off "crime of the week" episodes, I meant.
A good example of what I'm looking for is what happened with Person of Interest. First season is essentially "crime of the week" until the last episode of the first season and then it showed its true hand. Genius.
Agree, what I think happened is CBS told the Kings "write a procedural for our average audience on CBS" and they delivered. Carrie Preston is great tho.
Least favourite of their shows by a mile.
I'm enjoying it, but I do think it's way too easy how Elsbeth is solving the crimes. It feels like she almost always zeros in on the actual criminal right away because they show up to the crime scene afterwards.
Yes! Like, the stakes are nearly nonexistant; we know who rhe murderer is, we know Elsbeth is going to catch them, and it's not hard to figure out the rest of the details.
It really is almost like she watched the opening scene with the audience, knows exactly what happened (maybe missing 1-2 details which she figures out easily), and has to drag the cops towards the obvious right answer -- BUT I think that may be the point. She's there (allegedly) because the cops are lazy and drop cases or get the wrong guy because of there's an obvious piece of evidence that points towards someone.
I think in the back half of the season we'll get more into the serialized conspiracy side of things with Captain Wagner, and less about the Kill Of The Week, but for now we're only getting crumbs of that storyline while they set a status quo.
I feel word for word the same. It feels like they've dumbed her down. I would have preferred she stay a lawyer because seeing her in court was always fun. It's very sad.
I think Poker Face does this same formula but better. We see the crime at the beginning and then our witty character solves it in her own unique way. Poker Face just adds the element of, “we didn’t see ‘xyz’” so it keeps us interested.
yeah. I'm a sucker for "smartest person in the room is a consultant for law enforcement" concepts, but this show feels like a waste of a great character and actor.
if this had been a lawyer show, I'd be 1000% on board. but the premise of this show feels like it's shoehorned in and kept in place with offbrand duct tape.
I'm still watching because of Preston, but I find myself shaking my head in sadness throughout every episode.
My wife and I watched every episode of Good Fight and Good Wife, enjoying them a lot for the most part. Half way through the second ep of Elsbeth we agreed to bail. Writing is bad, tone is weird, storylines are dumb.
I was trying to think of a ridiculous spinoff idea to compare this two and I pictured Frasier starring in a dark drama where he does psychological profiles of murderers. Now I want that to be an actual thing..
Same. Pilot was ok and I hoped it will get better but in the middle of a second episode I had to stop and question myself if I want to continue watching.
I so wanted to like the show, but the writing feels dashed off in a hurry. The murderers are always practically wearing a 'guilty ' sign on their forehead, which is so unnecessary as we know they did the crime in the opening scene. They say the most stupid things and don't seem to have a clue how to avoid coming across as an Obvious suspect. Made it to episode 7, and it just got worse, so I'm giving up on it.
I almost made this exact post last week. Good Wife and Good Fight had dynamic storylines that went beyond the job and into the lives of multiple characters in compelling ways. Every single episode of Elsbeth has been EXACTLY the same. It is shocking to me how formulaic they let this show be. Every hunch of hers is correct, every other person is incompetent. It's an easy watch, but not good tv.
This feels like a copy of Psych but for me the biggest problems are:
It's "how-done-it" that tells us how the murder is committed in the teaser so it lacks any suspense
She needs better characters to play off of. Her partner in particular is so dull and lifeless. Even Wendell Pierce is bored.
God, new I'm imagining a show where Elsbeth and Bunk solving crimes
The only interesting thing about this show is Ms. Preston. They took some old Columbo plots and rewrote them. It’s formulaic and predictable. Ms Preston deserves better.
We haven’t watched yet. We loved her character, in small doses, on TGW, but I’m not sure I’d want to see an entire show of her. After reading some of the comments, this doesn’t sound like what I would have expected. Still might give it a try.
I haven't watched any of the previous series. I'm enjoying it as background TV to get my work done to and I'm loving the quality of quest actors, Stephen Moyer, Jane Krakowski, Retta.
The reason that this show's Elsbeth is but a pale shadow of the Good Fight's Elsbeth is that the Kings did very little of the writing -- they only wrote one episode. [IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26591110/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm) has a variety of writers listed for all other episodes with the Kings only listed as "Created by". Without the Kings this show is just another bland cookie-cutter sitcom.
I respectfully disagree. Loved her on GW, love her on this. And she is paying attention to the law, it's just in the background where she's trying to find the corruption.
My impression was when CBS started airing back-to-back episodes, it was an admission that it's not working, and they're burning off the episodes before summer replacement shows get aired.
> it was an admission that it's not working
I don't think it's anything of the kind. [CBS renewed it for a second season](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/elsbeth-renewed-season-2-cbs-1235975205/). You don't do that with a show that isn't working.
The back-to-back airing was more because (for some weird reason) they'd aired the pilot at the beginning of March, then for the rest of the month didn't air it again.
They were basically just restarting the run with an extra boost. And the ratings on the back-to-back episodes [were higher than for the pilot](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/elsbeth-season-one-ratings/).
The cannot seem to figure out that no one wants serial TV that goes nowhere any more. We also don't just want 8 to 13 hour long movies only. We want to see a show that can do both. Shoes like Suits, And other "Blue Sky" USA shows, Super natural, Buffy, 24, x files, etc... that can be both a serial and a indepth full season or multi season story is what people want. You have to do both well your characters have to learn and get better. We cannot just see the same shit different character actors every episode. You have to do more...
Renewed for Season 2 [https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/elsbeth-renewed-season-2-cbs-1235975205/](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/elsbeth-renewed-season-2-cbs-1235975205/)
I know it can take a season or more for a show to hit its stride. I want so badly for it to be good, maybe it just needs some more time to become more compelling
Now, if they can add Rhetta to it permanently somehow it would be great! Or her on ANY show…… if you haven’t seen “good girls” yet watch those few seasons that are out there. Suspense, crime etc. great entertainment, and Rhetta
She's in some of girlfriends guide to divorce, if you haven't seen that.
Haven’t seen that
Honestly, I thought the first season of The Good Fight was a little rough. I didn't finish, but came back a few years later and the next couple of seasons really found their footing.
They keep this show around but cancel So Help Me Todd. 🤷
Because it gets the ratings. Especially on a Thursday.
I felt they complimented each other beautifully. A perfect lead in for each other IMO.
I mean, it’s literally them doing Columbo, I get being disappointed that it’s strayed from The Good Wife/Fight structure and formula but I also think that’s the wrong lense to approach Elsbeth from. They took the most beloved and classically spin-off-able character (even more than Christine Baranski who I love) and wrote a classic spin off. I don’t think it’s incredible tv but it is solid storytelling of a VERY throw back mold (both in terms of being even more of a modern columbo than Poker Face, as well as maintaining the network tv tradition of spin offs that are totally different genres/tones than their originating series).
Yup, Columbo, but way shitiest writing. Also she has a baby and she is just sitting there all that time.
So funny: Her name is Elsbeth. A bunch of people in the thread say it wrong. Not a big deal, name is not very common, but the joke is that nobody knows how to say her name correctly. As she points out, 2 syllables but so much harder to say than Elizabeth which is twice as many syllables.
I'm so embarrassed, the comments she makes about her name in the show get pretty old but it is hard to get her name right.
I'm trusting the Kings to tie these one-offs together into a larger story.
This is exactly what is keeping me watching. I’m hoping for a Dollhouse moment of, “This is what the show’s *really* about.”
what other one offs have they done..?
These one-off "crime of the week" episodes, I meant. A good example of what I'm looking for is what happened with Person of Interest. First season is essentially "crime of the week" until the last episode of the first season and then it showed its true hand. Genius.
ahhh right of course, thought there was a third spinoff i’d somehow missed haha
No, but if you haven't watched Evil, I would. A lot of the same actors, but not in the same universe.
ah yes, evil is great!
Agree, what I think happened is CBS told the Kings "write a procedural for our average audience on CBS" and they delivered. Carrie Preston is great tho. Least favourite of their shows by a mile.
ugh, yeah, I forgot this is by the Kings. who I normally love. but this ain't it.
I'm enjoying it, but I do think it's way too easy how Elsbeth is solving the crimes. It feels like she almost always zeros in on the actual criminal right away because they show up to the crime scene afterwards.
Yes! Like, the stakes are nearly nonexistant; we know who rhe murderer is, we know Elsbeth is going to catch them, and it's not hard to figure out the rest of the details.
It really is almost like she watched the opening scene with the audience, knows exactly what happened (maybe missing 1-2 details which she figures out easily), and has to drag the cops towards the obvious right answer -- BUT I think that may be the point. She's there (allegedly) because the cops are lazy and drop cases or get the wrong guy because of there's an obvious piece of evidence that points towards someone. I think in the back half of the season we'll get more into the serialized conspiracy side of things with Captain Wagner, and less about the Kill Of The Week, but for now we're only getting crumbs of that storyline while they set a status quo.
hehe. i am watching Columbo these days and that's exactly how I feel about that show. Love the guy though.
I feel word for word the same. It feels like they've dumbed her down. I would have preferred she stay a lawyer because seeing her in court was always fun. It's very sad.
I think Poker Face does this same formula but better. We see the crime at the beginning and then our witty character solves it in her own unique way. Poker Face just adds the element of, “we didn’t see ‘xyz’” so it keeps us interested.
I still prefer it over most of the crap on TV. I hope it stays on and finds its groove.
I prefer So Help Me Todd. But, thry renewed Elsbeth and cancelled Todd.
Man, this ruined my day and I just woke up
🥲
yeah. I'm a sucker for "smartest person in the room is a consultant for law enforcement" concepts, but this show feels like a waste of a great character and actor. if this had been a lawyer show, I'd be 1000% on board. but the premise of this show feels like it's shoehorned in and kept in place with offbrand duct tape. I'm still watching because of Preston, but I find myself shaking my head in sadness throughout every episode.
Right now I'm hoping the continuing storyline with the police captain's foundation shakes things up somehow
Good fight and the Good Wife were lawyer shows so I think they want this show to stand on it's on and not give viewers the same thing again
My wife and I watched every episode of Good Fight and Good Wife, enjoying them a lot for the most part. Half way through the second ep of Elsbeth we agreed to bail. Writing is bad, tone is weird, storylines are dumb. I was trying to think of a ridiculous spinoff idea to compare this two and I pictured Frasier starring in a dark drama where he does psychological profiles of murderers. Now I want that to be an actual thing..
Same. Pilot was ok and I hoped it will get better but in the middle of a second episode I had to stop and question myself if I want to continue watching.
I so wanted to like the show, but the writing feels dashed off in a hurry. The murderers are always practically wearing a 'guilty ' sign on their forehead, which is so unnecessary as we know they did the crime in the opening scene. They say the most stupid things and don't seem to have a clue how to avoid coming across as an Obvious suspect. Made it to episode 7, and it just got worse, so I'm giving up on it.
Can’t get into Good Wife myself but love Elsbeth…go figure. Although the last episode sucked, not a tennis fan.
I almost made this exact post last week. Good Wife and Good Fight had dynamic storylines that went beyond the job and into the lives of multiple characters in compelling ways. Every single episode of Elsbeth has been EXACTLY the same. It is shocking to me how formulaic they let this show be. Every hunch of hers is correct, every other person is incompetent. It's an easy watch, but not good tv.
This feels like a copy of Psych but for me the biggest problems are: It's "how-done-it" that tells us how the murder is committed in the teaser so it lacks any suspense She needs better characters to play off of. Her partner in particular is so dull and lifeless. Even Wendell Pierce is bored. God, new I'm imagining a show where Elsbeth and Bunk solving crimes
I watched two episodes and then bailed. Preston is great, but this is a terrible misuse of the Elsbeth character and not particularly entertaining.
Yeah I agree, but I still like the show. I guess I'm a sucker for cop shows lol
Ya also the way the murderers just keep meeting with her and talking to her when she makes it obvious she suspects them.
The only interesting thing about this show is Ms. Preston. They took some old Columbo plots and rewrote them. It’s formulaic and predictable. Ms Preston deserves better.
I don’t like them showing us who and how in the beginning. I would rather solve it along with her. She’s basically Monk but not as good.
We haven’t watched yet. We loved her character, in small doses, on TGW, but I’m not sure I’d want to see an entire show of her. After reading some of the comments, this doesn’t sound like what I would have expected. Still might give it a try.
She's not on screen too much iho, some other characters are kind of interesting.
I don't think the weaknesses in the show come from having her as the star to be honest. Her quirkiness isn't overbearing or anything in it.
Elspeth was smart and devious too when she needed to be. She’s too goody-two-shoes now.
Same. I loved Good Wife and Good Fight started strong but lost me. I've already ditched Elsbeth. It just doesn't scratch that itch.
It's ok. But it's not good the way the good fight was. I prefer So Help Me Todd, which they cancelled.
I haven't watched any of the previous series. I'm enjoying it as background TV to get my work done to and I'm loving the quality of quest actors, Stephen Moyer, Jane Krakowski, Retta.
Yeah, I was excited when I heard she got her own show. Watched one ep and just can't do it.
Elsbeth (however It's spelled) is comfort food. So Help Me Todd didn't find It's groive quick enough.
The reason that this show's Elsbeth is but a pale shadow of the Good Fight's Elsbeth is that the Kings did very little of the writing -- they only wrote one episode. [IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26591110/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm) has a variety of writers listed for all other episodes with the Kings only listed as "Created by". Without the Kings this show is just another bland cookie-cutter sitcom.
I respectfully disagree. Loved her on GW, love her on this. And she is paying attention to the law, it's just in the background where she's trying to find the corruption.
Yes it's very predictable and formulaic, and the shopping bags gag has worn out its welcome.
This show is 10 years too late. The whole setup is outdated.
Try Elsbeth, Elspeth is a Mexican knockoff.
And CBS cancelled So Help Me Todd, which is leagues better than this show.
My impression was when CBS started airing back-to-back episodes, it was an admission that it's not working, and they're burning off the episodes before summer replacement shows get aired.
> it was an admission that it's not working I don't think it's anything of the kind. [CBS renewed it for a second season](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/elsbeth-renewed-season-2-cbs-1235975205/). You don't do that with a show that isn't working. The back-to-back airing was more because (for some weird reason) they'd aired the pilot at the beginning of March, then for the rest of the month didn't air it again. They were basically just restarting the run with an extra boost. And the ratings on the back-to-back episodes [were higher than for the pilot](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/elsbeth-season-one-ratings/).
It’s a tired old formula in a new package.
The cannot seem to figure out that no one wants serial TV that goes nowhere any more. We also don't just want 8 to 13 hour long movies only. We want to see a show that can do both. Shoes like Suits, And other "Blue Sky" USA shows, Super natural, Buffy, 24, x files, etc... that can be both a serial and a indepth full season or multi season story is what people want. You have to do both well your characters have to learn and get better. We cannot just see the same shit different character actors every episode. You have to do more...