Carrie Preston Can't Get Enough of Elsbeth's Feel-Good Attitude Either

Elsbeth Tascioni isn’t your typical law enforcement official. Regularly clad in bright pink and patterned outfits, hoisting no less than three tote bags around N.Y.C., and donning a perpetually sunny attitude, Carrie Preston plays the title character—who first appeared on CBS’s The Good Wife before landing her own eponymous spin-off—as a breath of fresh air in the typical police procedural format.

In each episode of Elsbeth, the former lawyer turned NYPD consultant uses her quirky personality and excellent attention to detail to sniff out the killer behind the case-of-the-week. With season 2 of the CBS show now back on the air, following a midseason hiatus, Elsbeth will have to problem-solve her way out of two dynamite situations that could make or break her: a high-profile legal case she worked on in Chicago being publicly relitigated, and a powerful (and evil) judge is keeping a close watch on her after she nearly identified him as the real killer in a case he oversaw.

Preston is no stranger to playing Elsbeth—the character was first seen in 2010 at the end of The Good Wife’s first season as the attorney to one of the main characters and appeared on and off throughout its seven-season run. In 2013, Preston won an Emmy for Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Elsbeth, but she’s found that dedicating even more time to the role has taught her new things about the character. “I'm learning how she behaves as a detective, about her maternal side with her son Teddy, and how she behaves in friendships,” Preston tells Marie Claire over the phone before the midseason premiere. “I’m learning about her warmth and her giving nature, and it's been really wonderful to deepen her in that way.”

Elsbeth first premiered in February 2024 to rave reviews and high ratings—the series reaches over four million viewers per episode, which is no small feat in today’s disparate TV environment. The feel-good show clearly resonates with fans, many of whom have taken to the internet to praise how it’s “perfect for people who love murder-mysteries but hate dark themes, trauma, and violence.” Others, meanwhile, have already started their social media campaigns for another Emmy nomination for Preston’s quirky, heartwarming performance.

As Elsbeth enters the back half of its second season, we spoke to Preston about Elsbeth’s impending face-off with the murderous judge (Emerson), being a female lead during the network TV renaissance, and how she feels about fans shipping #KayaBeth.

Marie Claire: It’s refreshing to see a woman over 40 leading a primetime drama. How do you feel about being a face of that, especially with Hollywood’s standards for women?

Carrie Preston: I take it very seriously—it's something that I've been trusted with. I want to honor smart, capable women who are underestimated and really bring them to the forefront. I think that's what the writers understand as well, and we all have the same mission to elevate women like Elsbeth who might not have, say, 10 or 15 years ago, certainly not 20 years ago, been at the center of a show. So the moment is not lost on me, and I feel incredibly fortunate and blessed and honored to be doing that and representing women like her.

MC: Speaking of network television, these formats are becoming more popular. What do you think about the current chatter in the industry about network TV’s so-called comeback?

CP: I love it. When streaming started happening, I remember thinking, how is this going to sustain itself? Like, what is the business model? You know what a great business model is? Network TV. We had the major streaming boom and now we're seeing that the network business model continues to thrive and that these stories are what young people are craving. People like to say that network is for older people, but I have a very young fan base watching Elsbeth and they want those procedurals.

I think it has something to do with people wanting a beginning, middle, and end, and a cathartic, joyful, intelligent experience, and then they can go to sleep and not have nightmares. In our show, you know the murderer. So you don't have the stress of figuring it out, and you get the delight of watching this woman who approaches things in such an unconventional way piece it together. It's a throwback to another time: Colombo, Murder, She Wrote, Agatha Christie. Things from a different time period that have a familiar structure, but with a fresh breath of air.

MC: Let’s talk fashion. Between the hats, the tote bags, and the bright colors, Elsbeth has a signature look. How would you describe her style?

CP: I always say that she is expressing her emotions, joy, curiosity, and singularity through her clothes. She dresses to please herself. It makes her feel good to put on a shirt with a pink bow and pair it with a jacket that has polka dots or plaid, and carry three totes that have everything she might need for her day in them. Putting those different colors together brings her joy. But she also does know that it throws people off. In a way, it's a tool because people will think that she's not as smart or think that she's silly by the way she dresses, and then she will end up using that as a bit of a weapon to solve her case or to throw one of her adversaries off their game.

MC: Do you have a favorite outfit or accessory from the series?

CP: Every piece of outerwear that I've worn on the show. I want to take every coat home. Every time we have a fitting for a new episode, I ask Dan Lawson, our brilliant costume designer, “Can I have this for my life? I want this for my life now.” I haven’t been able to keep any of it because it's the property of CBS, but a girl can dream. In [the forthcoming episode 15, airing in March] I'm wearing this Loewe coat that I would just die to have.

MC: What do you connect to most about Elsbeth?

CP: She's so infectious. She is so curious and so present—even if it appears that she's scatterbrained, she's incredibly focused on where she is and who she's talking to. She gives such love, curiosity, [and] joy to everybody. That is something that I love to connect into because I can show up at work and I might not be having a good day, but if I start playing Elsbeth, I can't help but feel good, because she goes out of her way to find the good in life. It's a wonderful thing to play, and I hope it's a wonderful thing to watch.

MC: One of the most exciting developments in this season is Elsbeth facing off with the corrupt judge, played by your husband Michael Emerson. You two have worked together quite a bit over the years. What’s it like to work with your partner?

CP: We feel fortunate whenever something like that comes along where we get to play together. The writers wanted to find a way to get Michael on Elsbeth. They tailor-made this role for him, and you can certainly tell. He was ready to dive into it with relish. People ask, “Did you work on it at home together? Did you rehearse together?” And the answer is, no, we don’t. We didn't even really talk about it. He's a consummate professional and this is the show that I'm playing the lead on, so I feel like I know the character pretty well. We just showed up and worked on it together like we would with any other guest actor, and that makes it fresh and fun. He and I already have a history together, obviously, so there's that level of trust that we didn't need to talk much. We just let each other do what they do best and then play together like we were playing in a jazz group or something.

MC: What can you tell us about the storyline between Elsbeth and Judge Milton Crawford that will play out in the upcoming episodes?

CP: At the end of episode 7, we see that Elsbeth knows he's done something, but she doesn't know how she's going to be able to catch somebody this powerful. They're going to be the thorns in each other's sides because he's on to her, as well. As soon as she starts asking questions, he's going to be able to have an answer because he has a very big reach. So you're going to see how that plays out, and you're going to see the weapons that he pulls out in his own defense once Elsbeth gets on his case.

MC: This storyline feels prescient given the current state of the world, where people at the top are misusing their power. How does it feel playing a character so steeped in honesty and justice in a time like this?

CP: It's a necessary presence culturally—and in general—to have somebody who can weather storms and also is really doing everything she can to find and bring justice to the world. It's a really wonderful tonic to some of the more unappetizing things that might be happening in the world right now, and so I feel very lucky that it has come at this time. I think it’s the time for Elsbeth.

MC: I love the running gag of firemen falling in love with Elsbeth because of her hair color. Is a love interest something you’d be interested in exploring for the character?

CP: You might want to tune into the Valentine's Day episode.

MC: Relatedly, have you seen the fans online shipping Kaya and Elsbeth? You even have a ship name: #KayaBeth. How would you feel about a storyline there?

CP: I haven’t seen anything about #KayaBeth, but I’ve heard about it. The way Elsbeth has been written with her past and everything, I don't know if she would do that. But she's very open to things and I find that we're in a very fluid world. I like that people would think this in the same way that they thought about it with Glinda and Elphaba [in Wicked]. It's a friendship and that's the love story there, and I really treasure that. I'm glad that the fans are picking up on the love between them, and then I'll leave any of the other fantasizing to them. But I am grateful that people are responding so much to our characters and our affection and respect for each other.

MC: Is there anything else that you'd want to explore as the character of Elsbeth in future seasons?

CP: People keep saying, when's Elsbeth: The Musical coming? I mean, wouldn't that be hilarious? We have nothing but a parade of Broadway stars coming through our show, so I think an original musical could be really fun as one of those bottle episodes. Maybe it's a dream!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.