‘Elsbeth’ Showrunner Jonathan Tolins Teases ‘Wonderful’ Guest Stars and Elsbeth ‘Finding Her Footing’ in Season 3 Premiere (Exclusive)

Elsbeth is back on CBS this Sunday, and showrunner Jonathan Tolins spoke to PopCulture.com about what’s coming up.

In the Season 3 premiere, “Yes, And..,” airing on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET, “Elsbeth dives into the world of late-night comedy when backstage tensions rise between a talk show host (Stephen Colbert), his head writer Laurel (Amy Sedaris), and her on-air sidekick husband, Mickey (Andy Richter).”

Additionally, “Elsbeth meets a new police officer (Lindsay Mendez) who is an aspiring stand-up comic when off the clock.” With the premiere being filled to the brim with guest stars on the heels of Season 2’s star-studded finale, Tolins shared what it was like having them all on set, especially Colbert following The Late Show’s cancellation.

“We are thrilled to have given Stephen Colbert a job,” Tolins jokingly expressed. “It was just a thrill for us to be back, and also just all of the guest stars, Stephen, Amy, and Andy Richter were exactly who I hoped they would be. They were just wonderful to work with and a delight to be around.”

They are some of the several guest stars lined up for Elsbeth’s third season, with others including David Cross, Julia Fox, William Jackson Harper, Annaleigh Ashford, and The Good Wife star Sarah Steele, who is reprising her role as Marissa Gold. Since Elsbeth is rarely ever predictable, there is no telling what will happen in these episodes, especially the premiere, but fans will want to tune in for these guest stars.

Meanwhile, Carrie Preston’s titular character is coming off of a rough Season 2. Between what went down with Judge Crawford, going to prison, and having to say goodbye to her best friend, she didn’t have it easy one bit. And unfortunately, it won’t get easier for Season 3.

“Season 3, she has just come back from a visit with Angus in Scotland, and we get the sense that it wasn’t a total dream, and we’ll hear more about that as we go on,” Tolins revealed. “But, so Kaya is off doing undercover work, and Elsbeth is a little bit unsettled and is cultivating new friendships. Characters coming in, including one played by Lindsay Mendez, who is wonderful in the premiere.”

“She’s finding her footing again,” he continued. “We have some more stuff with Teddy, so we get to see Elsbeth as mom, which is always fun. And she’s going to cross paths with some new characters and some longer arcs, including a politician whom she meets with whom she seems to have great chemistry, and that’s going to rock her world a little bit. And also bring in a character who is that character’s campaign manager, who turns out to be Marissa Gold from The Good Wife and The Good Fight.”

It all begins with the Season 3 premiere of Elsbeth at a special time on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The series will go back to its regular slot on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 10 p.m. ET with the second episode of the season.