Robert & Michelle King are the talented writing duo responsible for some of the best network TV shows in recent years, including "The Good Wife" and "Evil." After ending "The Good Fight," 2024 brings us yet another such spinoff of "The Good Wife," one named for that show's kooky lawyer character named "Elsbeth." The Leap Day pilot episode sets up the show's clever premise: that her title character has been designated an impartial observer of the NYPD in a formal legal consent decree to hopefully ferret out any police corruption in the ranks. But in the meantime she cannot help but help those hapless officers solve their trickiest cases. Like Columbo's classic show, we are privy to the perpetrator's machinations, but get pleasure from observing the observer, Elsbeth, investigate and determine those guilty of the crime(s). Carrie Preston is outstanding in the lead role, and Wendell Pierce excels in the role of the NY Police Captain, who may or may not be on the straight and narrow himself. I'll revisit my rating of 8/10 stars as we proceed.
