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Is Elsbeth a spin-off of The Good Wife? (Technically it is)

We've met Elsbeth Tascioni before. She was a character in The Good Wife. However, Elsbeth the series isn't technically a spin-off, according to the creators.

By Alexandria Ingham

Carrie Preston stars as Elsbeth Tascioni and Wendell Pierce stars as Captain C.W. Wagner in ELSBETH, a new drama based on the character featured in THE GOOD WIFE and THE GOOD FIGHT. The show follows Elsbeth Tascioni, an astute but unconventional attorney who, after her successful career in Chicago, utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner brilliant criminals alongside the NYPD. ELSBETH premiers in the 2023-2024 season on the CBS Television Network, and available
Carrie Preston stars as Elsbeth Tascioni and Wendell Pierce stars as Captain C.W. Wagner in ELSBETH, a new drama based on the character featured in THE GOOD WIFE and THE GOOD FIGHT. The show follows Elsbeth Tascioni, an astute but unconventional attorney who, after her successful career in Chicago, utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner brilliant criminals alongside the NYPD. ELSBETH premiers in the 2023-2024 season on the CBS Television Network, and available /
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When Elsbeth was first mentioned as a new series, it was clear that this show was bringing a character from the world of The Good Wife to New York City. We’ve met Elsbeth Tascioni before, and we immediately fell in love with her. Of course we wanted more of her story.

So, technically, the series is a spin-off of The Good Wife. It’s the story of a character we’ve already met. There is room for other characters in both The Good Wife and The Good Fight to appear in the future.

That being said, creator Robert King doesn’t view it as a spin-off. It’s a show in its own right, and it’s all to do with tone.

Why Elsbeth isn’t quite a spin-off of The Good Wife

King shares that he doesn’t view Elsbeth as a spin-off in the way that he did with The Good Fight. This is all to do with tonal differences in the series. The new CBS series is much more lighter and fun with our titular character in the lead.

The Good Wife was a lot more serious. That’s not to say that there aren’t serious elements to the new series on CBS, but tonally, there is more room for comedic moments. That comes naturally with Carrie Preston’s character.

However, there has been a concern from the start that the character could be too much—too annoying for the audience as a main character. It was something showrunner Jonathan Tolins shared. Fortunately, they’re in good hands with Preston in that role. She has this.

The formatting of the show is also different. This new series follows more of a Poker Face layout with the “howcatchem” style programming. It brings a completely different feel to the show compared to The Good Wife.

It is worth noting that a few spin-offs can end up being tonally different, though. We just have to look at how Angel came across as darker and slightly more adult compared to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ghostfacers had a webseries that was nothing like Supernatural. Sometimes the tones change, but with the same characters, it technically makes them a spin-off.

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Elsbeth airs on Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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