Jury duty: Nobody wants it. But in the upcoming episode of Elsbeth, our eccentric legal eagle finds herself on the other side of the courtroom, trading her usual courtroom theatrics for the decidedly less glamorous role of juror. And as if civic duty wasn’t punishment enough, she’s saddled with Judge Milton Crawford, played by the always-excellent Michael Emerson, a man whose judicial temperament seems to run toward curmudgeonly.
This episode, “One Angry Woman,” looks to be a departure for Elsbeth. While our titular heroine usually relies on her uncanny ability to notice the unnoticed, here she’s forced to watch, listen, and, presumably, not interrupt. It’s a setup ripe with comedic potential. Picture Elsbeth, a woman whose mind operates on a different plane of existence, trapped in the stultifying tedium of jury deliberations. One can only imagine the looks she’ll give the other jurors.
The case itself, a murder trial, at least offers some intrigue. However, the real drama will likely come from Elsbeth’s inevitable clashes with Judge Crawford. Emerson has a knack for playing characters who are both intelligent and irritating, so the prospect of him going toe-to-toe with Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth is particularly appealing.
Will Elsbeth manage to maintain her composure in this unfamiliar territory? Or will her unconventional methods of deduction make an appearance, much to Judge Crawford’s chagrin? More importantly, will she manage to prove her New York bona fides while stuck in a jury box? Thursday night’s episode aims to answer these questions, and, hopefully, provide a few laughs along the way.
Elsbeth airs Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 10:00 PM ET/PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
