Elsbeth's showrunner and Carrie Preston told me the story behind the A Good Wife actor's return and why filming her scene was surprisingly chaotic

Kathleen William October 28, 2024

Spoilers for Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 2 is almost upon us! To stay updated, you can stream the series with a Paramount+ subscriptionand then watch new episodes as they air on the TV program 2024 every Thursday at 10 p.m. on CBS.

Elsbeth's past rolled towards her in a black car during the second season premiere, and in episode 2 it quickly becomes clear that it is Christian Borle's Carter Schmidt is the man behind the window. So, with this direct connection to The good woman I asked Carrie Preston and Jonathan Tolins about filming this sequence and its significance Elsbeth go forward.

In response, I learned why they had decided to bring Carter back now and the surprisingly Catholic story behind the filming of the scene with the title character's Chicago lawyer colleague.

Why they decided to bring back Christian Borle's The Good Wife character

So, Elsbeth brought a back Good woman Actor playing a new character last week with Nathan Lane. This week a cast member returned to actually play his established character The good Universe. Yes, they brought in Christian Borle and his devious lawyer Carter to figure out why the title character moved from Chicago to New York, as showrunner Jonathan Tolins told me during New York Comic-Con:

We were looking for someone who was from the Good Universe from a legal standpoint, and preferably someone we saw Elsbeth interacting with. And there were actually episodes where they worked together. But (we) also wanted someone who was a little threatening…Carter always had an edge. And so it worked well for what we now call what we in the writers' room call “the black car plot.”

As a refresher, the episode – which also contains features Rob Riggle and John Behlmann guest star – begins with Carter driving to Elsbeth. Then she gets in the vehicle and he drops a bombshell about a case they were working on. This takes the lawyer-turned-detective right back to her past, and as Carrie Preston told me, it adds a new “darkness” to the series:

Well, he obviously brings that darkness from my past into the brightness of my present. So that's alarming for Elsbeth… and his character is like that – sneering is a good word for it. And (he) gets under Elsbeth's skin a little and vice versa.

Elsbeth and Carter's last appearance together was in Season 2, Episode 4 – “Day 429” – of The good fight. This scene marked their tense reunion, as Borle's character informed Preston that their confidentiality was necessary because a case they were working on at the time had resurfaced in a problematic way.

Tolins told me that this “black car plot” will also play a role in Season 2. “But before we learn more about this in the series, I need to tell you about the logistical challenges of adapting this plot in Black Car.”

The story behind the filming of Elsbeth and Carter's meeting

Even though Borle only appears in a few minutes of the episode, it's very memorable as it makes it clear that the divorce her former client Mark VanNess is going through is going to be a big problem. The car scene is also generally impressive and very dramatic, as it takes place in… well… a dark car. And the way BTS filmed it adds to all of that, as Preston told me:

(Borle) came to shoot this scene on a day when we were shooting in another recording studio that we don't normally shoot in and there was a huge thunderstorm. And so we were supposed to shoot this scene outside in the car. However, due to the weather, this was not possible, so the car had to be turned around and taken to a parking garage. And logistically it was a big challenge.

That sounds really challenging, and as mentioned in the episode, it's a little strange having this conversation in a car in a parking lot. However, I liked everything and so did Preston. She told me that although they had to work quickly and her character's dog, Gonzo, added even more complexity to the moment, overall she and Borle had a great time together:

We were late and had to do it very quickly. And if you have the level of actor Christian Borle, you don't have to worry because he will achieve his goal and provide the material. But then you add a dog in the middle. So we faced a lot of challenges shooting this scene. But once you get in there and do it with someone like Christian, it will sing.

“It sings” is such a good way to put it, and now I can’t wait to see this situation come back to haunt me Elsbeth as season 2 continues.

It's so much fun to witness such direct connections The good woman And The good fightand I look forward to seeing how this problem from Elsbeth's past plays out in her present. She has a whole new life in New York, so it will certainly be interesting that the ghosts of Chicago come back to haunt her. Hopefully they'll also lead to more funny and chaotic behind-the-scenes moments like this one.

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Elsbeth's showrunner and Carrie Preston told me the story behind the A Good Wife actor's return and why filming her scene was surprisingly chaotic

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Elsbeth's showrunner and Carrie Preston told me the story behind the A Good Wife actor's return and why filming her scene was surprisingly chaotic

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