In season 2, consent decree monitor Elsbeth Tascione (Carrie Preston) continues to help the New York police catch criminals.
The strength of the show is still Elsbeth. Even in weaker episodes she shines with her sheer enthusiasm, funny lines, and quirky personality.
The supporting cast also helps make this work. The rotating cast of detectives Elsbeth works with remain a fun and colorful bunch. The Arrangement's Carra Patterson as Elsbeth's friend Officer Kaya Blanke continues to have great chemistry with Preston. One of my biggest complaints about the last season is that Kaya was basically there just for someone for Elsbeth to talk to. Here, she gets some subplots and more screentime. Although there isn't as much of Captain Wagner (The Wire's Wendell Pierce) being the commanding one and the only one able to control Elsbeth's enthusiasm, but Pierce is so watchable and has some great understated comedy chops. We get a new Lieutenant: Steve Connor (Billions' Daniel K. Isaac), a very logic-based fellow. I feel his introduction storyline didn't really go anywhere, but he works pretty well as an oddball character, and the guy you need police to give police rule jargon from time to time.
Again we get a fine selection of guest actors as the killers, some of which will make you say "Oh, they got him/her." The show mostly has a Columbo "howcathem" formula where you know who did it. However, there are a handful of episodes that are more experimental than the last season, including a few actual mysteries.
If you feel that the show is a little optimistic, especially when compared to its parent shows The Good Wife and The Good Fight, what with Justice always prevailing in a neat little bow. Here Elsbeth has a couple storylines where she has to deal with the more unfair aspects of the world. We even get to know what caused Elsbeth to become disillusioned with being a practicing defense attorney.
Recommended. This remains one of the more entertaining crime shows out there.
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