‘Elsbeth’ Showrunner on What That Bombshell Revelation Means

JONATHAN TOLINS: Elsbeth now has two challenges. First, she needs to clear her name of wrongdoing in the Van Ness divorce case. And second, she needs to go up against Judge Crawford, whom she suspects is a murderer. Both of these matters will require creative thinking and help from her friends and colleagues.

How Will Elsbeth and Kaya’s Friendship Be Affected by This Big Revelation?

The fallout from this revelation leads to this new tension between Elsbeth and Kaya. Can you talk about rocking the foundations of one of the show’s most stable friendships?

TOLINS: Elsbeth and Kaya have become very close friends despite their different generations, backgrounds, and financial status. Kaya is younger and still pretty idealistic, whereas Elsbeth spent a lot of time working in the gray areas of the law in Chicago. We thought it would be interesting if something from Elsbeth’s past legal career, something difficult to explain, created a wedge between them. They’re both sensitive, intelligent women with strong moral convictions, so it’s interesting for them to work through the issue, without forgetting what they’ve come to mean to each other.

TOLINS: We started without having everything figured out, just a basic map of where we wanted to go. I think it’s important to leave room for surprises in the writing process, otherwise, things could feel too pat. We originally saw the Van Ness divorce and the Judge Crawford story as completely separate, but then they merged, with one taking over the other. That was very exciting to us because it seemed to happen organically. We also found natural ways for our other characters to be pulled into the story, because they care about Elsbeth and about right and wrong.
As a very niche, selfish question: Captain Wagner, played by Wendell Pierce, makes a throwaway comment about the public accusing poor Meghan Markle of murdering this week’s victim. Is this a callback to their Suits days together, or is it a coincidence?

TOLINS: Gosh, I wish we were that smart. Maybe somebody in the writers’ room made that connection, but if so, we didn’t talk about it. We just thought about how Meghan is often blamed for stuff. We wish her well!

The Back Half of ‘Elsbeth’ Season 2 Will Be More Emotional

With the back half of the season starting now, is there anything you can tease about the episodes coming up? Maybe something that you’ve been excited to see on-screen?

TOLINS: As we’ve worked on the show over more episodes, we’ve discovered more emotional places for Elsbeth and the series to go to, which has been very exciting. I think people will be surprised by how dark and moving the show can be, without ever losing the sense of fun that has defined the character and the series. I hope people will keep watching and go on the ride.