Elsbeth is currently on a mini break in the 2025 TV schedule, but CBS dropped some exciting news to tide fans over until the next new episode in early April. The primetime drama with a knack for recruiting celebrities to play killers is bringing back a bunch of them for the Season 2 finale in May. I'm already excited to see them again, but I also can't help but wonder if the in-universe reasoning for all these killers coming back is because Elsbeth herself is in trouble.
The Season 2 finale is called "Ramen Holiday" and will air on Thursday, May 8 at a special time earlier than usual on CBS. I already got a kick out of the title, since it's presumably a play on words for the classic Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, after Elsbeth went full Breakfast at Tiffany's for Halloween. The network's description of the finale doesn't give much away, though. It reads:
When Elsbeth tries to solve a murder, she comes face to face with many familiar suspects.
The episode was written by showrunner and executive producer Jonathan Tolins, and fans won't have to wait more than a month for details of which familiar suspects will appear in the finale. Fans can count on the return of the True Blood star who was Elsbeth's very first killer as well as some much more recent guests. Check out the list:
- Stephen Moyer – theater director Alex Modarian
- Retta – matchmaker Margo Clarke
- Gina Gershon – plastic surgeon Dr. Vanessa Holmes
- Elizabeth Lail – tech CEO Quinn Powell
- Arian Moayed – bar owner Joe Dillon
- André De Shields – fashion designer Matteo Hart
- Alyssa Milano – mafia princess Pupetta Del Ponte
The episodes that introduced all of those characters are available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription now, and the finale will also bring back two guest stars who haven't yet made their Elsbeth debuts. Weeds alum Mary-Louise Parker arrives in the new Season 2 episode on April 3 and Wicked's Ethan Slater appears in the April 10 episode, before both return for the finale in May. Jonathan Tolins previewed what's to come, complete with crediting the former guest stars going above and beyond to return:
We have always tried to make Elsbeth a place for the best actors to come and play. We must be doing something right since so many of our special guest stars managed to clear their schedules and join us again. We couldn’t be more excited for this wild reunion between Elsbeth and some of her favorite suspects.
Elsbeth has a knack for endearing herself even to the murderers of the week, so I normally wouldn't think there's much risk in her encountering any of them again. In light of Judge Milton Crawford as her Season 2 nemesis, though, I can't help but wonder if Michael Emerson's character has a scheme to use the killers against her in a court that he controls. Elsbeth certainly has unconventional methods, and if anybody on this show could – or would – exploit that for their own gains, it would have to be Crawford.
All of this said, I'm excited in particular to see the guest stars from early Season 1 who will be returning. Elsbeth has become a major hit for CBS, and it could be fun to look back at some of the show's first killers when Carrie Preston's character was still the new kid on the block.
And fortunately, Elsbeth was renewed for Season 3 weeks before the news broke about the finale's stacked guest lineup, so fans haven't had to worry about whether or not the end is nigh. There are still a number of episodes left before the finale on May 8, though, and you can look forward to the next new installment on Thursday, April 3 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
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