‘Elsbeth’: Michael Emerson Joins Season 2 as a Special Guest Star in Recurring Role

A special guest star is officially coming to Elsbeth. Announced during the CBS dramedy’s panel at New York Comic Con on Sunday, Emmy winner Michael Emerson has joined the second season of Elsbeth in a recurring role beginning with the Dec. 12 episode. Emerson joins wife, lead Carrie Preston, Wendell Pierce, and Carra Patterson.

Emerson is set to play Judge Milton Crawford, Elsbeth Tascioni’s wife. He’s a “haughty, soft-spoken and bespectacled man from an old New England family of public servants who sees his place in the nation’s elite as a birthright.” As of now, it’s unknown how many episodes Emerson will be appearing in, but additional episode dates will be announced at a later date.

The Elsbeth panel at NYCC featured a sneak peek at the upcoming Halloween episode and an exclusive conversation with co-creators and executive producer Robert and Michelle King, showrunner and executive producer Jonathan Tolins, and cast members Preston and Pierce. Emerson joined everyone on stage to deliver the exciting news himself.

Michael Emerson is best known for his roles in Evil, Person of Interest, and Lost. Other credits include My Adventures with Superman, Arrow, The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements, Saw, Unfaithful, The Laramie Project, The Practice, and more. In August, the actor expressed interest in appearing on Elsbeth while speaking to Collider, saying, “It’s always fun and a little weird to work with Carrie in front of the camera. We both have the same reaction. It makes us a bit shy. This is the person I woke up with in bed this morning, and now we have to play some other set of dynamics or relationships. It kind of makes me want to giggle.”

While at the time, his one condition was to not play a villain, citing it would be “too obvious” due to his other villainous roles, it sounds like Judge Crawford will be an interesting character. It will also be fun to see Emerson and Carrie Preston together on screen again. Be sure to watch Emerson’s Elsbeth debut on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. New episodes of Elsbeth air on Thursdays. Season 2 only just kicked off and there is already a lot to look forward to, and another big list of incredible guest stars. There is no telling what will go down between Elsbeth and Judge Crawford, and fans won’t want to miss it.