Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 2 of Elsbeth Season 3, called “Doll Day Afternoon” and available streaming next day with a Paramount+ subscription.
Elsbeth returned to its usual time slot in the fall 2025 TV schedule with “Doll Day Afternoon,” featuring Arrested Development‘s David Cross as the guest star killer of the week. The episode had plenty of laughs thanks to the hostage situation going down in a toy store and the killer bumbling his way through the crisis, but also inlcuded a fun shout out to The Good Wife and The Good Fight.
While Elsbeth is a very different show, Carrie Preston’s character did start out in those series before getting her own spinoff, and it’s fitting that a fan-favorite got a mention ahead of another Good Fight star coming on board later this season. Preston opened up about the upcoming arrival, but let’s start with the Easter egg for fans of the previous two shows in the franchise!
Elsbeth Has A Client Recommendation For Diane
Elsbeth leaned on her legal skills while trying to get through to Nolan (David Cross) in “Doll Day Afternoon,” and was making such headway that he wanted her to be his lawyer. She said that wouldn’t be possible, but she did know somebody who worked in both Washington, D.C. and New York City and might be a good fit to take on his case.
Later, she vaguely said that this friend of hers didn’t really specialize in any field in particular, but name-dropped none other than “Diane.” It could only be a reference to Diane Lockhart, played by Christine Baranski in every season of The Good Wife as well as The Good Fight.
Crossovers between Elsbeth and the wider Good Wife/Good Fight world have been rare over the three season so far, since the original two shows aren’t required viewing for Carrie Preston’s series. Other than Christian Borle as Carter Schmidt in Season 2, only Preston has appeared to reprise a character from the original two shows.
It remains to be seen if Diane ever appears in the flesh and gets more than just a mention, but there’s an upcoming Good Wife reunion for the leading lady that’s officially on the way.
Carrie Preston Previewed Sarah Steele’s Arrival
News broke ahead of the Season 3 premiere (with Stephen Colbert) that none other than Sarah Steele was set as a guest star to reprise her Good Wife and Good Fight role of Marissa Gold. The actress appeared in 22 episodes of the original series, then had a larger role in The Good Fight as a series regular. When I spoke with Carrie Preston ahead of Season 3 about how Carra Patterson’s Kaya will be involved, she also weighed in on the arrival of Sarah Steele among the vets of The Good Wife and Good Fight:
So far we just have Sarah, but that’s a big get. We’re very happy to have her. And her character is so fun. Marissa is so smart and snappy, talks fast, thinks faster. She and Elizabeth kind of operate on a similar frequency, and so it was nice to have her character there. But also, I adore Sarah. She’s always been one of my faves from those shows. I loved working with her in Good Wife, and then in Good Fight, and then I also got to direct her in The Good Fight. She’s just really one of those actors that’s very game. Always says yes, always wants to try something, always has fresh ideas, comes prepared, just all those things that you want in a guest player.
This isn’t a case of a former actor from the franchise coming on board to play a new character like what happened with Nathan Lane as the Season 2 premiere killer. Sarah Steele is confirmed to be back as Marissa Gold, and Carrie Preston went on to share another perk:
Also, just for the fans who watched those first two shows, to have somebody from that world come back and then collide. And I know, for Sarah, it was trippy for her to be back in that universe. But it’s not that universe. It’s like the upside down universe. [laughs] It freaked me out, too, to have her there, because I have only had Christian Borle from that universe there, so it was wonderful to welcome somebody back.
As Carrie Preston said, Elsbeth is technically set in the same world as the original two shows, but everything from the tone to the format are very different. It’s just a matter of time before fans see what Marissa is like in the Elsbeth corner of the world.
For now, we can only wait to see when Sarah Steele will appear in Elsbeth, but keep tuning in to CBS on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET for the newest episodes of Season 3. The next will bring back Carra Patterson as Kaya, as well as feature Julia Fox as a guest star. You can also find The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and the first two seasons of Elsbeth streaming on Paramount+ now.
