Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 premiere of Elsbeth, called "Subscription to Murder."
The long wait for Elsbeth to return in the fall 2024 TV schedule following the emotional Season 1 finale ended on October 17, with a Season 2 premiere that featured Nathan Lane as the killer of the week, moved to murder due to one man's very poor theater etiquette. The kicker came at the very end after the case had been closed, however, as Elsbeth was approached by a car. The scene didn't show the face of the person inside, but he said "Get in, Miss Tascioni" and she looked shocked to see him. When I spoke with showrunner Jonathan Tolins and star Carrie Preston, I got their thoughts on the cliffhanger.
It seemed likely that this mysterious ending wasn't tied to the serialized story from Season 1 (available streaming via Paramount+ subscription), since Elsbeth and Co. guaranteed the downfall of Noonan. After showrunner Jonathan Tolins explained why Nathan Lane was the first choice to play the "Subscription to Murder" killer, he shared:
It's a new story, but it's something that is from her past in Chicago. I would say, if people watch the opening credits closely, they'll have a better sense of who that voice was at the end.
The story with the man in the car is new to Elsbeth, but – based on Tolins' mention of Chicago – seems tied to the character's time on The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Since those two shows aren't required viewing to enjoy Elsbeth, it seems like a safe bet that not everybody who tuned into the second season premiere following Matlock could immediately guess who it was. Even for fans of the two original shows, a rewatch might be necessary to catch the clue in the opening credits.
Because the name from The Good Fight and The Good Wife that appeared in the credits? Christian Borle, who played Carter Schmidt in the two shows and isn't debuting on Elsbeth in a different role like Nathan Lane did. Carrie Preston also addressed the Season 2 premiere cliffhanger, saying:
Well, we don't really fully know why Elsbeth left Chicago, the specifics of what it was that happened. This person in the car is going to bring something up from her past, and so we will be able to get a little bit more specific about what it is that she was perhaps fleeing from.
This also isn't a storyline that Elsbeth is going to drop ASAP. Not only does the Episode 2 description courtesy of CBS preview that "Elsbeth’s day is turned upside down when she is reunited with a former colleague from Chicago" next week, but Carrie Preston went on in our interview to say this when I asked if there would be serialized elements of Season 2 to go along with the cases of the week:
Yes, yes! There's some things from each of our pasts that are going to come up, and then we're going to have some characters that are going to maybe show up more than just one episode, that are going to stir up some conflict within the the world of Elsbeth.
Well, it seems that we'll have at least two episodes with Christian Borle this season, if the voice cameo at the end of "Subscription to Murder" counts! For his part, Jonathan Tolins clarified how the Elsbeth team is approaching serialization for Season 2 compared to the 10-episode first season, saying:
Since we have a season that's twice as long, we actually will have more than one [serialized story].
Elsbeth had to find the right balance between serialization and cases of the week in Season 1, not least because there tended to be more shenanigans with Elsbeth's weekly investigation than in the ongoing storyline, which led to Wagner feeling deeply betrayed by her. I asked the showrunner, an opera lover who also wrote the Season 2 premiere, if it's fun for him to combine the two, and he shared:
It is. It's not easy, because we only have so much real estate in 43 minutes, and trying to keep all the balls in the air is a challenge. It's a challenge, but we're enjoying it, and we've added a few characters that we love and some new complications. I think it's going very well. I'm very, very happy with the episodes so far.
Season 2 may be going well for the showrunner, but is it going "very well" for Elsbeth herself after the premiere cliffhanger? Keep tuning in to find out! New episodes of Elsbeth will continue airing on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, following Kathy Bates' Matlock Season 1. You can also revisit the full first season of Elsbeth as well as The Good Wife and The Good Fight streaming on Paramount+.
