Elsbeth: A Mystery Procedural To Watch

The art of the comical mystery series has been rising in popularity in shows such as So Help Me Todd, Only Murders in the Building, The Flight Attendant, and Resident Alien, to name a few, and one of CBS' latest additions, Elsbeth, is a bright and witty series to add to the growing list.

From the minds who created The Good Wife, Elsbeth follows Elsbeth Tascioni, an attorney taking up the role of the police's overseeing eyes. Her job is to ensure that the police are doing their jobs properly after too many cases ended in arresting the wrong person. But, there is more to the story as part of Elsbeth's responsibility involves her questioning if Captain Wagner is actually a corrupt officer.

While Elsbeth's spy role is the show's stronger subplot that continues in the background of each plot line, the show's episodic nature of allowing Elsbeth to tackle new and interesting cases keeps the show fun and interesting while inviting new audiences who may not have caught the previous installment.

Although Elsbeth is not far into its first season, the series is already developing a strong start in its quirky and witty main character.

Carrie Preston delivers a performance that easily allows her to carry the individual episodes and season, as the show's leading protagonist.

She is surrounded by supporting actors and characters, including Carra Patterson as Officer Kaya Blanke, a member of the police force who grows fond of Elsbeth's untraditional detective methods and has an interesting love for reality television.

Elsbeth's upbeat positivity always stands on the enjoyable side of the line, rather than coming across as frustratingly optimistic, and allowing the show's central character to have her own quirks allows her to feel more relatable.

Elsbeth is a welcome addition to CBS' Thursday night line-up.