Elsbeth Is Making Its Strongest Connection To The Good Wife Yet, And I’m So Here For How They’re Doing It

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Generally, you wouldn’t realize *Elsbeth* is connected to *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight*. While the show occasionally references Elsbeth’s past or her legal work in Chicago, you don’t need to have watched those earlier series to enjoy it. However, with Season 3 coming in 2025, a new guest star will create the strongest link yet to the show’s origins.

Last season, Christian Borle’s character Carter Schmidt visited Elsbeth in New York. This season, Sarah Steele is returning as Marissa Gold, according to EW. Marissa first appeared on *The Good Wife* in Season 2 (available on Paramount+), and later appeared in Seasons 3, 6, and 7. She was in a total of 22 episodes of the original series before becoming a main character on *The Good Fight*.

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As I previously noted, Sarah Steele was a consistent presence on *The Good Fight*, starting with the second episode of the first season. She played the firm’s private investigator in 58 out of the show’s 60 episodes. Now, in *Elsbeth*, we’ll see her take on a new role: she’s the campaign manager for Alec Bloom, who’s running for mayor of New York City.

Looking at his previous roles, Wallace Shawn’s participation in *Elsbeth* is the show’s strongest link to *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight*. He appeared in five episodes of *The Good Wife* and three of *The Good Fight*.

Besides the occasional guest star, Cary Agos (played by Matt Czuchry) was mentioned very early and frequently throughout *The Good Wife*. He appeared in every episode, making him the most referenced character. Elsbeth has also talked about her ex-husband, who was portrayed by Will Patton in the original series, but because they haven’t actually appeared on screen, that connection isn’t as strong.

You can watch all shows related to *The Good Wife* on Paramount+, starting at $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year. A subscription lets you stream *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight*, plus new episodes of *Elsbeth* as soon as they’re available after airing on CBS. See the deal here.

Several actors have appeared in both *Elsbeth* and *The Good Wife*, but they’ve played different roles each time. For instance, Nathan Lane was in the first episode of Season 2 of Carrie Preston’s show, but he wasn’t Clarke Hayden, the lawyer and accountant. Instead, he played Phillip Cross, a man with a dangerous obsession with opera.

Sarah Steele’s role as Marissa Gold on *Elsbeth* is a significant development. Her character is memorable, and her appearance creates opportunities for other beloved characters to return, like Alan Cumming’s Eli Gold. While it’s a long shot, it would be fantastic to see him play a quirky villain on the show as well.

It’ll be really interesting to see how Marissa’s character develops and what role she plays. It seems she’s following in her father’s footsteps by entering the world of politics and working on a campaign. I’m also excited to see how she interacts with Elsbeth and whether their past experiences from *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight* will be referenced.

I’m really excited to hear that along with Steele, William Jackson Harper – you probably know him as Chidi from *The Good Place* – and Ivan Hernandez will be guest starring in the next episode! It’s called “Poetic Justice,” and I can’t wait to see them in it.

We’re not sure exactly which episode this will be, but it’s likely to be one of the first in the season. Don’t miss the third season of *Elsbeth*, premiering Sunday, October 12th at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS. After the premiere, the show will move to its regular night and air weekly on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET.

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2025-09-16 19:53