Guests stars are Elsbeth‘s bread and butter. The Columbo-inspired spinoff of The Good Wife and The Good Fight racked up another star-studded list of actors to play its killers of the week in Season 2, which culminated in a slew of guest stars from both seasons reprising their roles after Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) sent them to the clinker. And in that Season 2 finale, Elsbeth joined them behind bars!
The lawyer-turned-NYPD consultant was released from jail for her misdemeanor charge in the finale, and the series will return to its regularly scheduled programming of bringing wealthy criminals to justice in Elsbeth Season 3. But who would be the most exciting guest stars for this next rendition of the CBS procedural?
Elsbeth‘s casting director, Findley Davidson, recently revealed one famous face she’s hoping to get on the call sheet for the third season, which is set to air Thursdays this fall. “Phoebe Waller-Bridge is someone who I think would be interesting and a little bit of a departure from what we’ve seen,” Davidson told Variety.
Indeed, the Fleabag creator and star would be a unique addition to the fold. And since the series has been able to pull some of TV and film’s biggest names, such as Laurie Metcalf, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, and more in Season 2 alone, it’s not a far-off goal to try and get Waller-Bridge on set. But we have our own ideas for who could make some primo Elsbeth Season 3 guest stars. We list our dream cast in the gallery below. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Elsbeth, Season 3 Premiere, Sunday, October 12, 9:30/8:30c, Regular Time Period Premiere, Thursday, October 16, 10/9c, CBS
Anna Paquin
Preston’s True Blood costar, Stephen Moyer (pictured above, right, with wife Anna Paquin), was Elsbeth‘s very first killer of the week in Season 1. He came back in the Season 2 finale as the victim of the week while Elsbeth was in jail with the people she previously locked up. Let’s keep the True Blood reunions going by having Paquin join the fold in Elsbeth Season 3. It would be fun to see Paquin in a role that doubles as a loving reference to Sookie and Arlene’s jobs at Merlotte’s Bar & Grill. Perhaps she’s a successful restaurateur who has to kill to protect some dirty secrets.
Rutina Wesley
Next up on our True Blood actors on Elsbeth wishlist is Rutina Wesley. The actor was recently seen in The Last of Us Season 2 on HBO, and we’d love to see her share the screen with Preston again. We picture her as a high-powered entrepreneur who goes to nefarious lengths to keep her business successful. Bonus points if it’s in a Halloween episode as a nod to Wesley’s roles in shows full of vampires and zombies.
Joe Manganiello
One more True Blood star for the list is Joe Manganiello, who we think could get a rare comedic turn as an Elsbeth baddie. We’re envisioning a character who’s big in stature but puny in spirit, which Manganiello could have some fun with.
Harold Perrineau
If we’re staging cast reunions for Preston, we’ve got to get some of her Claws costars in there. More Harold Perrineau on TV is always a good thing. The From, Lost, and Romeo + Juliet actor (the best onscreen Mercutio, thank you very much) could take on a meta role as a vengeful Shakespearean actor like Laurie Metcalf was a murderous TV star in Season 2.
Mia Sara
Elsbeth Season 2 had Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck as guest stars. The series should add Mia Sara for Season 3 to complete the Ferris Bueller‘s Day Off trinity. Plus, Sara just made her acting return in The Life of Chuck after a 14-year hiatus. Hopefully that means she’s open to more new roles.
Naveen Andrews
Here’s another Lost alum to add to the Elsbeth fold. Viewers saw Naveen Andrews play a classic villain in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, and as seen in The Dropout and The Cleaning Lady, he’s also great in bad-guy roles where the character is more nuanced and complicated. We’d love to see Andrews lean into this again as an Elsbeth perp of the week.
Daniel Dae Kim
One last Lost alum for this roundup. Daniel Dae Kim would be a smooth criminal on the procedural, one Elsbeth may not suspect at first due to his suave nature.
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle MacLachlan‘s villain role in the ’90s Flintstones movie is one of our favorite roles from the actor. Imagine him leaning back into that energy for a deliciously evil turn opposite Preston. Plus, playing Trey in Sex and the City gives MacLachlan the air of being of New York, so he’d fit right in with the setting.
Brenda Song
Imagine Brenda Song being a murderous London Tipton from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and you basically get my vision for having the Running Point star on Elsbeth.
Niecy Nash-Betts
Another of Preston’s Claws alums, Niecy Nash-Betts has had recent success in playing characters who hunt down criminals, like her Emmy-winning turn in Monster, the short-lived Rookie: Feds, and 2025’s Grotesquerie. It would be fun to see Nash-Betts play the bad guy for a change.
Ali Wong
She chewed up the scenery with her raging anger issues in Beef, winning the comedian an Emmy. Now, we’d like to see Ali Wong direct that high-intensity energy (and comedy) into Elsbeth.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
The New York-based series casts its share of Broadway actors, making Lin-Manuel Miranda a perfect fit for this crew. We saw how engaging Miranda can be as a morally grey guest star in Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1, and we’d like to see him play a full-on villain here.
Jeff Probst & Phil Keoghan
Hear me out: Survivor‘s Jeff Probst and The Amazing Race‘s Phil Keoghan guest star in the same episode. One of them is the victim, and one of them is the killer. It would be wildly entertaining to see two of CBS’s biggest names — hosts who are known for shows about solving puzzles and trying to stay “alive” (in a game) — appear together on a procedural on their network. Survivor and Amazing Race air on Wednesdays, with Elsbeth on Thursdays. The cross-promotion for this double whammy could be great.
Parminder Nagra
Between ER and The Blacklist, Parminder Nagra used to be on our screens all the time. We want her on Elsbeth simply because we want her back on network TV! And because playing a killer would be a fun change for the star. Plus, she currently stars as a detective in her own crime drama, D.I. Ray, on PBS, so she’s already currently involved in the crime genre.
RuPaul
Another reality TV host within the Paramount family, RuPaul could be the one guest star to rival Elsbeth’s boldly colorful fashion, regardless of whether he appears in drag or not. A RuPaul and Elsbeth faceoff could bring the energy of Enrique and Elle Woods from Legally Blonde.
Felicia Day
Felicia Day and Preston look so much alike, people get the actors mixed up. With the Supernatural alum as a guest star, Elsbeth could be considered a suspect in a crime that was actually committed by this lookalike.
Laura Harrier
Following her recent stint on Doctor Odyssey, Laura Harrier could set her sights on Elsbeth next. We could see her playing a model or influencer or actor who kills to get ahead. She also played a young starlet in Hollywood, so she already fits that ingenue mold.
Rita Moreno
A guest-star appearance from the legendary actor would get lots of people tuning in. Rita Moreno could bring a charm and humor to her killer-of-the-week role that, when combined with her age, would make her far from someone’s first suspect — the perfect cover.
Kim Cattrall
There’s a twisted comedy to some of the deaths on Elsbeth, and Kim Cattrall would lean into the campy nature of that to sublime effect. Plus, we can’t lie: We think it would be really fun to see a Samantha Jones-esque character be a killer.
George Lopez
George Lopez is another actor who could bring out some of the underlying comedy in this show, but we think he’d also be intriguing in a more dramatic turn. Maybe he’s a crooked politician trying to cover his tracks after killing a political rival?
Marcia Cross
It’s been far too long since we’ve seen Marcia Cross on TV, and a Desperate Housewives alum would be a delicious addition to the Elsbeth guest star list. Imagine Cross playing a Real Housewives-inspired character, or even a Martha Stewart type on the procedural, someone who’s sweet on the outside but has dark secrets on the inside. The Desperate Housewives star is perhaps too perfect for such a role.
Skyler Gisondo
Skyler Gisondo can now be seen as Jimmy Olsen in the new Superman movie from DC Studios. His boss at The Daily Planet, Perry White, is played by Elsbeth‘s own Wendell Pierce. We’d love to see the Superman stars cross paths during a murder investigation on the CBS series.
