Ethan Slater is coming in hot as a police officer during his Elsbeth debut.
In Us Weekly‘s exclusive first look at the Thursday, April 10, episode of the CBS series, Slater leaves quite an impression as Officer Chandler while introducing himself to Elsbeth (Carrie Preston).
“I got my Bachelors in criminal justice at John Jay [College of Criminal Justice] and then I went to the [police] academy where I got an award for excellence,” Slater’s character says in the clip. “Did I mention that I do CrossFit?”
Elsbeth doesn’t seem thrilled by the not-so-humble bragging. “You did! But you know what? The thing about funeral homes is they tend to be quiet spaces,” she notes, to which Officer Chandler replies, “Got it! Observe and report.”
Ethan Slater Is Playing a Cop on Carrie Preston’s CBS Show ‘Elsbeth’
Officer Chandler is the newest police liaison accompanying Elsbeth on a case after Kaya’s (Carra Patterson) promotion. This time around, Elsbeth is facing off against Arthur Greene Jr. (David Alan Grier), who is the owner of an elite funeral home.
According to the episode’s synopsis, Elsbeth visits the historic funeral home when Arthur’s “conspiracy-minded nephew goes missing. Meanwhile, Elsbeth continues to adjust to Kaya’s new role and works the case with a chatty new hire, Officer Chandler.”
After originally appearing on The Good Wife and The Good Fight, Preston was reintroduced as Elsbeth Tascioni, who became a de facto detective aiding the NYPD in their investigations. The titular character’s unconventional methods led her to make unique observations that help solve crimes.
Elsbeth, which premiered in 2024, also stars Wendell Pierce and Patterson. The procedural nature of the show brings new characters to each episode, with viewers usually knowing who is to blame for a crime from the beginning.
The hit CBS series has featured many familiar faces including Jane Krakowski, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Blair Underwood, Keegan-Michael Key, Laura Benanti and Vanessa Williams. Preston’s real-life husband, Michael Emerson, plays the villain on season 2.
Judge Crawford first crossed paths with Elsbeth earlier this season when she ended up on jury duty. Elsbeth initially tried her best to get out of sitting for the case but changed her mind once she started to question Judge Crawford’s intentions.
Did You Realize ‘Elsbeth’ on CBS Is Subtly Throwing the Best Celeb Shade?
“Elsbeth is on the jury in a murder trial where the proceedings seem questionable. Can she go head-to-head with the judge and bring order to the court?” Preston, 57, and Emerson, 70, said in an exclusive statement to Us in December 2024. “We’ve had so much fun waking up together and going off to work playing these courtroom adversaries on Elsbeth! It’s a tremendous battle of wits with life and death in the balance. Then we get to go back home and snuggle it off.”
The couple, who have worked together many times since getting married in 1998, hinted at the outcome of the case.
“She’s not going to jump to conclusions, but he is definitely involved,” Preston told TV Insider at the time about Elsbeth’s eventual reunion with the judge after he let a key detail of the murder slip. Emerson also weighed in, adding, “It’s a very small slip and it comes from hubris. He thinks he’s on top of it. So much so that he lets his guard down for a second. He’s careless just for a second.”
Elsbeth airs on CBS Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
