‘He’s Actually Very Chilling’: Elsbeth Boss Talks Casting Will And Grace Star Eric McCormack As The Next Bad Guy, And I’m So Ready

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As a movie aficionado eagerly anticipating the return of Elsbeth to our television screens, mark your calendars! The winter premiere of Season 2 is just around the corner on the 2025 TV schedule. Just as the season opener featured Nathan Lane, CBS’ successful drama has brought in a comedic heavyweight to portray a sinister character. Eric McCormack, known for his nearly 250 episodes over more than two decades in the beloved sitcom “Will & Grace,” has joined our ranks as a villain. Showrunner Jonathan Tolins recently shared with TopMob why he believed McCormack was the ideal candidate for this role.

I’m excitedly looking forward to McCormack’s guest appearance in the Season 2 winter premiere of CBS’s “Elsbeth” on Thursday, January 30 at 10 p.m. ET. In this episode titled “Unalive and Well,” he plays Tom Murphey, a captivating wellness guru who manages to catch Elsbeth Tascioni’s attention during an investigation into a young man’s death – but not in the flattering way that a typical villain on “Elsbeth” would want! (Firefighters, however, might find themselves appreciating his charm…)

After “Unalive and Well” served as the first episode following the mid-season break, featuring Laurie Metcalf of “The Conners” playing a murderer, viewers can feel confident that Tolins has a knack for selecting sitcom actors for more dramatic roles. (You can catch her episode on Paramount+ right now.) The showrunner elaborated on why Eric McCormack was the ideal choice for the winter premiere, stating:

Eric McCormack showcases exceptional acting skills, making him a strong candidate for roles in the wellness industry given his fitness, charm, and allure. His comedic talent on television is unparalleled, and he delivers depth and unexpected menace in one particular episode. This duality – his ability to be both captivating and chilling – is what makes him successful and endearing to fans. They will undoubtedly be amazed by his performance in this new role.

Despite primarily being recognized as a sitcom actor due to his work on “Will & Grace,” Eric McCormack has also ventured into other genres. He delved into science fiction for streaming platforms, appearing in all three seasons of “Travelers” on Netflix until its cancellation in 2019. Additionally, he played a significant role in TNT’s series “Perception” for all three seasons and more recently, he had a prominent part in Hulu’s production titled “The Other Black Girl.

Additionally, Elsbeth may not be in the jovial spirit during the winter premiere, as the fall finale concluded with her past from Chicago being unearthed. She has worked hard to ensure that those in her new life remain unaware of any unsavory details, even deflecting questions from her cherished son following Teddy’s unexpected arrival. To address whether fans of Elsbeth require any background knowledge from ‘The Good Wife’ or ‘The Good Fight’ for this storyline concerning her past, Jonathan Tolins confirmed that the narrative will not skip ahead to 2025 via a time jump.

In essence, our show isn’t overly concerned with maintaining absolute accuracy regarding the timeframe between episodes. For instance, our Christmas episode was set during SantaCon, which is around three weeks before Christmas, yet we have a Valentine’s Day episode coming up. We aim to be logical, but sometimes the storyline flexibility is necessary to keep things manageable. [laughs] It’s quite challenging to maintain consistency and clarity in this complex endeavor. [laughs]

Elsbeth’s show, you understand, has its recurring characters – Noonan in Season 1 and now Michael Emerson as Judge Crawford, who seems to play the role of Moriarty to Elsbeth’s Sherlock. However, despite these serialized elements, Elsbeth remains primarily a procedural series, meaning that the sequence of events doesn’t significantly impact the storyline. It’s likely that some of Elsbeth’s secrets being exposed will greatly influence the second half of the season. As for Eric McCormack‘s character, we’re yet to understand his role in it all.

Absolutely, the showrunner hasn’t explicitly stated that McCormack will portray a villain, but fans of Elsbeth well know to stay alert for any notable guest stars involved in a case. Remember to catch the winter premiere on January 30th!

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2025-01-30 05:38