After Elsbeth Shouted Out A Good Wife Fan Favorite, Here’s What Carrie Preston Told Me About The ‘Big Get’ For An Upcoming Reunion

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Be warned: this contains spoilers for Episode 2 of *Elsbeth* Season 3, titled “Doll Day Afternoon.” The episode is available to stream the day after it airs with a Paramount+ subscription.

The show *Elsbeth* came back for its fall 2025 season with an episode called “Doll Day Afternoon.” The episode featured David Cross, known from *Arrested Development*, as the weekly killer, and it was full of humor. The story took place during a hostage situation in a toy store, with the killer comically messing things up. The episode also included a playful reference to the shows *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight*.

Although *Elsbeth* is quite different, Carrie Preston’s character originally appeared in *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight* before getting her own show. It makes sense that a popular character was highlighted, especially with another *Good Fight* star joining the cast later this season. Preston discussed the new addition, but first, let’s talk about the little nod to fans of the earlier shows!

Elsbeth Has A Client Recommendation For Diane

In the “Doll Day Afternoon” episode, Elsbeth used her legal expertise to connect with Nolan (David Cross), and she was so successful in reaching him that he asked her to represent him. She explained that wasn’t possible, but she offered to connect him with a lawyer she knew who worked in both Washington, D.C. and New York City and could potentially take his case.

She later mentioned a friend who didn’t have a specific area of expertise, and surprisingly mentioned the name “Diane.” This was likely a reference to Diane Lockhart, the character played by Christine Baranski on both *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight*.

Despite being set in the same universe as *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight*, the show *Elsbeth* hasn’t featured many characters from those series. Over its three seasons, only Carrie Preston has returned to play a character she originated in the other two shows, with Christian Borle making a guest appearance as Carter Schmidt in season two. You don’t need to have watched *The Good Wife* or *The Good Fight* to enjoy *Elsbeth*.

Whether Diane will actually appear in person remains uncertain, but a reunion featuring the show’s main actress is officially happening.

Carrie Preston Previewed Sarah Steele’s Arrival

Just before the third season premiered (hosted by Stephen Colbert), it was announced that Sarah Steele would be returning to the universe of *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight* as her character, Marissa Gold. She originally appeared in 22 episodes of *The Good Wife* and later became a regular cast member on *The Good Fight*. I recently spoke with Carrie Preston about how Carra Patterson’s character, Kaya, would be involved in the new season, and she also shared her thoughts on Sarah Steele joining the returning cast from both previous shows.

I’m really excited about Sarah joining the cast – she’s a fantastic actress and a real coup for us. Her character, Marissa, is just brilliant; she’s incredibly quick-witted and sharp, and has a great dynamic with Elizabeth – they really click. Honestly, I’ve been a fan of Sarah’s for ages, going back to her days on those other shows. I’ve loved working with her on *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight*, and I even had the chance to direct her on *The Good Fight*. She’s one of those actors who’s always up for anything, always brings fresh ideas to the table, and comes completely prepared. She’s just a dream to work with.

This isn’t like when a past cast member joined as a new character, such as Nathan Lane’s role in the Season 2 premiere. Sarah Steele will definitely return as Marissa Gold, and Carrie Preston also revealed another exciting piece of news:

It was really exciting for fans of the original shows to see someone return and interact with our world. Sarah, in particular, said it felt strange being back in that universe – though it’s not *exactly* the same universe, more like a parallel one! It honestly surprised me too, since Christian Borle was the only actor from that original series we’d had on the show before, so it was great to have her join us.

According to Carrie Preston, the show *Elsbeth* takes place in the same universe as *The Good Wife* and *The Good Fight*, but it has a completely different style and structure. Fans will soon get a glimpse of what her character, Marissa, is like within the world of *Elsbeth*.

We’ll have to wait and see when Sarah Steele appears in *Elsbeth*, but be sure to watch new episodes of Season 3 on CBS Thursdays at 10 p.m. Eastern. The next episode will feature Carra Patterson returning as Kaya, and Julia Fox will be making a guest appearance. You can stream *The Good Wife*, *The Good Fight*, and the first two seasons of *Elsbeth* on Paramount+ right now.

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2025-10-17 06:09