Review: Elsbeth, “Ol' Man Liver” | Season 3, Episode 11 / Matlock, "Collateral" | Season 2, Episode 9

“Studies show there is power in routine.”

If I had the chance to interview Robert and Michelle King about Elsbeth, I know exactly the key question I’d want to ask, even if I doubt the answer would be immensely clarifying. How do they decide which actors from the universe of The Good Wife are worth re-using? I noted in an earlier review that Nathan Lane had played the killer in a past episode of Elsbeth, in spite of the fact that he also played Clarke Hayden on The Good Wife, having been a relatively important character for a couple seasons. Now, if you haven’t watched The Good Wife in a while, you may figure that while Hayden was a key part of the show midway through its run, he may not have come across the spitfire that is Elsbeth Tascioni. If their paths didn’t cross there, what’s the harm?

Well, fun fact: Hayden and Elsbeth did cross paths on The Good Wife, even if it was brief and mostly for laughs. (Though Clarke Hayden was a more serious and hemmed-in character than other roles you associate with Nathan Lane, it felt like a sly in-joke for him to have to listen to Elsbeth’s very bad singing of "High Hopes" during the season-five episode "A Few Words.") But, sure, fine. It’s a small connection. I kept thinking about this question during “Ol’ Man Liver,” though, because Hamish Linklater was a part of The Good Wife, and specifically in relation to Elsbeth. You may recall that for a time on that show, Elsbeth had to use Will Gardner as her legal counsel when she was being strong-armed by the feds, in the form of two agents. One was Josh Perotti, played by the delightful and quirky Kyle MacLachlan (as an agent who was absolutely charmed by Elsbeth), and the other…was played by Hamish Linklater.