Elsbeth is moving on in the 2024 TV schedule after recruiting Nathan Lane to play the first killer of Season 2. While there are still months left before Michael Emerson joins real-life wife Carrie Preston on CBS' hit, Rob Riggle debuts this week as somebody who could cause problems for the leading lady, especially when the good kind of sparks start flying between Elsbeth and the charming fire marshal – played by Riverdale's John Behlmann – she encounters as part of the case of the week. Check out the clip featuring the introduction above!
Technically, more than one kind of sparks will be flying in the second episode of Season 2, called "The Wrong Stuff," since the victim of the week evidently died in a fire started by his vaping habit. Considering this is Elsbeth we're talking about, it's a safe bet that there's a lot more to the story than what Rob Riggle's character says about the death. With everything else facing Elsbeth after the premiere, she could probably use a slight distraction in this form of a charming fire marshal... if that's all he is, anyway.
The clip is certainly a fun peek into what to expect from the episode, not least because of Elsbeth's reactions as it becomes increasingly clear that Fire Marshal Jake Turling is definitely interested in her. It's also great to see some of Kaya's reactions to the interaction, as the friendship between Kaya and Elsbeth survived the deception of Season 1 and carried over to Season 2. (You can revisit Season 1 streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.)
Check out CBS' description for "The Wrong Stuff" below:
When a billionaire dies in a freak accident during a space training simulation, Elsbeth suspects a fellow magnate and wannabe astronaut with a grudge named Neal (Robert Riggle) is responsible. Also, Elsbeth’s day is turned upside down when she is reunited with a former colleague from Chicago.
I hope I'm not the only one crossing my fingers for a Neil Armstrong-related joke since Rob Riggle's wannabe astronaut character is named Neal! With Christian Borle of The Good Wife and The Good Fight set as another "The Wrong Stuff" guest star, is it any wonder that her day is going to be "turned upside down" with him back in her life, no matter the reason?
Given that both Carrie Preston and Wendell Pierce shared ahead of the first season that The Good Wife and The Good Fight aren't required viewing for Elsbeth, it should be interesting to see how Borle as Carter Schmidt is incorporated.
Fortunately, the wait to find out isn't too much longer, although I might be more invested in seeing what's next for Elsbeth and the fire marshal in the next episode. See what's next for Carrie Preston's character with the next new episode of Elsbeth on Thursday, October 24 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
The second season directly follows new episodes of Kathy Bates' Matlock, and Preston shared her thoughts on Matlock replacing So Help Me Todd to air ahead of Elsbeth.