There are several characters from The Good Wife and The Good Fight that should appear in best legal dramas on television. Elsbeth was a recurring character onThe Good Wife who annoyed everyone with her quirkiness but almost always won her cases. She also appeared several times on The Good Fight as the same tough but quirky attorney.
Elsbeth is a more lighthearted series than either The Good Wife or The Good Fight. However, there is no reason that characters from its parent series couldn't visit. All three shows are produced by the same team, and critics widely praised The Good Fight's likable characters. Additionally, it would be a fun Easter egg for that segment of the audience that has watched the previous shows if some characters from The Good Wife or The Good Fight came to New York and interacted with Elsbeth during one of her investigations.
7 Cary Agos
Matt Czuchry
Cary Agos is the most logical choice for a crossover appearance because he was mentioned in Elsbeth's first episode. When the title character was originally tapped to secretly investigate Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce), the Department of Justice attorneys questioned whether she was up to the task and suggested Cary take the assignment instead. Thus, Cary clearly is still working as a lawyer in Chicago and has ties to the DOJ, which makes him a strong contender to visit Elsbeth.
Elsbeth is set in New York rather than Chicago, so all the writers need is an explanation for why Cary is visiting Manhattan. In Cary's last appearance in The Good Wife, he was a guest lecturer at a college in Chicago. Thus, he could appear in Elsbeth as a visiting professor who is accused of murder when a student is found dead in his classroom. This would be a fun way for Elsbeth to come face-to-face with her one-time adversary in the courtroom.
6 Alicia Florrick
Julianna Marguiles
Alicia Florrick got a mention toward the end of The Good Fight that revealed she was now living in New York. Thus, it would be natural for her and Elsbeth to cross paths. Alicia could be a lawyer working for someone that Elsbeth is trying to investigate, or could be working for a firm that appears to be involved in a murder. This would be a fun way to recreate the characters' dynamic from The Good Wife, as Alicia always found Elsbeth's quirks annoying, yet was impressed with her formidable legal skills.
Unfortunately, this crossover is one of the least likely to happen, despite Alicia's supposed proximity to Elsbeth. Julianna Margulies declined to return to The Good Fight as a guest star because she felt that it was insulting not to be paid her regular fee, given that there would be no franchise without her character (via Deadline). Thus, she may not be interested in appearing as Alicia on Elsbeth for the same reason.
5 Diane Lockhart
Christine Barinski
Diane's fate was an open The Good Fight, with the high-powered attorney debating between accepting a job offer to run a female-led firm in Washington, D.C. or retiring to . Assuming that Diane took the D.C. job, it would not be difficult for her to travel to New York to participate in a story on Elsbeth, though it would be important to give her a legitimate reason to be there.
Christine Barinski is a powerhouse of an actor who has both comedic and dramatic chops, so she could seamlessly transition from Diane's more serious storylines to the comedic ones on Elsbeth.
If Diane does work in D.C., she might travel to New York to represent a visiting politician or other high-profile person who Elsbeth suspects of murdering someone while in New York. This would be a natural opening for Diane and Elsbeth to meet. Christine Barinski is a powerhouse of an actor who has both comedic and dramatic chops, so she could seamlessly transition from Diane's more serious storylines to the comedic ones on Elsbeth.
4 Kalinda Sharma
Archie Panjabi
Kalinda was one of the best characters on The Good Wife and deserved a better ending than she got. At the end of season 6, Kalinda ran away, disappearing to parts unknown after being forced to turn state's evidence against a powerful drug dealer who could easily have had her killed. She left for her safety, but failed to say goodbye to Alicia or Cary, both of whom she was close with. Appearing on Elsbeth could help make up for that disappointing exit story, especially if Kalinda mentions being in touch with the others.
Since Kalinda's whereabouts were never revealed after she disappeared, it's not a big stretch to establish that she's been living in Manhattan for the past decade. She might be unnerved if she runs into Elsbeth since Elsbeth could recognize her, and she's been trying to stay off the grid. It would also be fun if Kalinda were a rival investigator who kept getting in Elsbeth's way because she was trying to solve the case before Elsbeth could.
3 Marissa Gold
Sarah Steele
Although Marissa is best known as Eli Gold's daughter and Alicia's bubbly personal assistant from The Good Wife, she also appeared on The Good Fight as an investigator working for Diane's firm. Her excitement and positive personality often led to comic relief on The Good Wife, so she would fit in well on the more lighthearted Elsbeth if the writers could come up with a strong reason for her to visit New York. This would not be difficult to do, considering the number of careers Marissa has tried out and her generally flighty nature.
Marissa has done everything from work on a dairy farm to ing the Israeli Defense Force, so she could come to New York for yet another attempted career. Alternatively, she could take classes at a New York university where a murder happens to take place. Since Marissa has experience as an investigator, she could also offer to help Elsbeth solve the case or accidentally interfere by trying to identify the killer herself.
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One of the best things about Marissa visiting Elsbeth is that she could interact with several other The Good WIfe/The Good Fight characters. She could be attending a class Cary is giving as a guest lecturer, be in New York as Diane's assistant or investigator, or be traveling with her father while between jobs. This would allow for a bigger crossover event featuring one or more of these other characters.
2 Eli Gold
Alan Cummings
Eli Gold was often a more lighthearted character, but he got a serious send-off on The Good Fight. After years of working for Alicia, Eli came to Diane's new law firm for help after he was accused of stealing some The Apprentice tapes from Mark Burnett. Although this episode could have ended tragically, Marissa was able to help clear her father's name, and he headed back to D.C. at the end of his guest appearance. Thus, he could easily return to Elsbeth.
Eli's ability to be both a serious and comedic character would make him a good fit for an episode of Elsbeth. If he were to return, it would likely be in the context of working for the DOJ or some other government association, although he could also accompany Diane or Marissa on a trip from D.C., the latter of which would lead to double comedy as the two interacted with Elsbeth. However, since Eli was already cleared of a crime in The Good Fight, it's unlikely he would be accused of murder, as that would seem somewhat redundant.
1 Robyn Burdine
Jess Weixler
Robyn was a loyal employee who disappeared from The Good Wife without explanation. After six seasons, she simply stopped appearing on-screen after getting trapped in a closet at work, although the writers claim she freed herself and is still working for the same firm. Thus, her appearance on Elsbeth would offer closure to that segment of the audience that wants to know what happened to her. However, she would need a good reason to come to New York if she is still employed in Chicago.
Elsbeth is a crime drama series that began airing in 2024 on CBS and Paramount+. The series follows attorney Elsbeth Tascioni, who leaves her career behind to the NYPD and become an investigator, using her unique skills to catch criminal masterminds. Elsbeth is also a spinoff of the original television series The Good Wife.
- Writers
- Michelle King, Robert King
- Seasons
- 1
- Main Genre
- Crime
- Creator(s)
- Michelle King, Robert King
Robyn is an investigator, so the most likely reason for her visit would be to look into a murder connected to a case in Chicago. She could become a rival not only to Elsbeth but to Kalinda if both the former investigators from The Good Wife were looking into a case in New York. That would be a fun mini-reunion since they both left The Good Wife in season 6 for different reasons.
If Robyn were to appear on Elsbeth, it would offer an opportunity to make fun of the way her character simply disappeared from sight, which would add to the comedic value of her appearance. Robyn could have a throwaway line about how long it took her to free herself from a closet or be involved in investigating a murder in which someone was found dead in one. This in-joke would serve as an Easter egg for that segment of the audience that watched The Good Wife without being confusing for those audience that did not.
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The Good Fight
- Release Date
- 2017 - 2022-00-00
- Network
- Paramount
- Showrunner
- Robert King
Cast
Cush Jumbo
WHERE TO WATCH
The Good Fight was created for the streaming service CBS All Access and was created by Michelle King, Robert King, and Phil Alden Robinson. The series ran for six seasons between 2017 and 2022. As a direct sequel to The Good Wife, the series follows the trials and tribulations of lawyer Maia Rindell.
- Directors
- Robert King
- Writers
- Robert King
- Seasons
- 6
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The Good Wife
- Release Date
- 2009 - 2016-00-00
- Network
- CBS
- Showrunner
- Robert King
Cast
Julianna MarguliesDiane Lockhart
Alicia Florrick
WHERE TO WATCH
After being a stay-at-home mother for thirteen years, Alicia Florrick resumes her law career after her husband is imprisoned following a political corruption and sex scandal.
- Directors
- Robert King
- Writers
- Robert King
- Seasons
- 7
Source: Deadline
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