‘Elsbeth’ channels ‘Columbo’ for mystery format

The typical design for a television procedural is that an event – most often a crime – occurs. A detective, mystery writer or snoopy neighbor then follows the clues to a solution.

“Elsbeth,” a new CBS mystery drama that launches 10 p.m. Feb. 29, follows the very different design established decades ago with the series “Columbo.” The audience got to see who was responsible in the opening moments and then watch the detective catch the culprit.

Carrie Preston’s character of Elsbeth Tascioni – who first appeared on “The Good Wife” – is a Columbo for the 21^st Century. The astute but unconventional attorney utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner criminals alongside the NYPD. She arrives in the Big Apple after leaving her successful legal career in Chicago.

Executive producer Robert King admits that the Peter Falk series was the inspiration for the new crime drama. He and co-executive producer Michelle King spent a lot of time during the pandemic watching “Columbo” episodes.

“That just got us thinking because we always wanted to work with Carrie again. That ‘Colombo’ build is a very witty build that it’s not about ‘who done it’ in that Agatha Christie way,” King says. “It’s a ‘how done it’ which seems just as fascinating – and even more fascinating – because it takes a wittier approach to puzzle solving or problem solving because the audience knows where this is headed.

“Then you could see the bad guy or bad woman, reverse and try to get back at Carrie Preston’s character before she can solve it. So, it seemed like it wasn’t explored enough.”

Executive producer Jonathan Toland was initially concerned coming up with the weekly mysteries – wherever they start or finish – would be overly demanding. What he found was that the process is a lot of fun.

Creating the opening sequence where the event occurs is called “the one-act play” in the writers’ room. The challenge is to make that sequence as interesting as possible to intrigue the audience.

“We play with what do we tell the audience. What do we not tell the audience? What clues do we establish that they can try to find? Which ones are we going to hide for Elsbeth to find? So, it’s a wonderful puzzle,” Toland says. “I think that’s one of the reasons why shows like this are so fun to watch.”

In the premiere, when a college theater student is mysteriously found dead in her high-rise New York City apartment, Elsbeth immediately suspects foul play and enters a game of wits against the victim’s popular theater director Alex Modarian (Stephen Moyer) who she believes is involved. Throughout the evolution of the murder investigation, Elsbeth must balance her consent decree role with the NYPD and her uncommon methods to make her case and uncover the real killer.

The “Columbo” style format is not the only key element for the producers. They love the idea that Elsebeth enters the very black-and-white world of the New York City police with her very colorful way of thinking and acting. They expect the clash of the dark police world with the light nature of the new police observer will create some very dramatic moments. At the same time, those moments will also be funny.

Adjusting to the different style was made easier for Preston after having played Elsbeth in two different series. Along with “The Good Wife,” she played the character on “The Good Fight.” Her other credits include “Claws,” “Brockmire,” “True Blood” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

Preston calls Elsbeth one of the most favorite characters she has played.

“I love her mind. This is a brilliant woman who is so mercurial so fast. So, she’s like quicksilver. She can be saying one thing thinking another while her body’s doing a third thing,” Preston says. “And so that is really fun to navigate, to map out to play. I spend more time in prep for this character than almost anything else I’ve ever played because of that.

“I really enjoy finding how facile she is with everything and figuring out what is what exactly. It is that she is thinking and why she’s saying a certain thing and what’s making her turn this way and that. The writing helps with that, of course. But that’s probably my favorite thing about her is her brain.”

Fans of the character from the previous two shows know Elsbeth has a child. The producers were well aware of that because they watched every episode of “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight” where Elsbeth made an appearance.

They did the math and decided her son – whom they named Teddy – would now be 20 years old. The mother-son relationship will be introduced into the new series.

Wendell Pierce and Carra Patterson also star.

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