'Elsbeth' Star Wendell Pierce Teases Betrayal in Season 1 Finale: 'I Can Get Rid of Elsbeth'

The 'Elsbeth' Season 1 finale airs on Thursday, May 23 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

By Megan Behnke

CBS' new series Elsbeth will be airing its Season 1 finale on May 23, and Wendell Pierce spoke to PopCulture.com about what to expect. With the D.O.J. investigation into Captain Wagner over and he is in the clear after it was found out that Lieutenant Noonan was behind the bribes and framing him, it won't be so easy for things to get back to normal.

One of the biggest fallouts from the investigation was the fact that Wagner's wife, Claudia, was left in the dark. It was mostly a concern for their foundation but also their relationship. When it comes to the impact the entire situation had on them, Pierce tells PopCulture that "that's where the repair comes. Whenever you hurt someone, whenever you jeopardize the relationship, you have to have the moment of mea culpa where you ask for forgiveness."

"And that's something that you can see in this episode, the love that they have for each other, and that's the thing that will be always the place where the repair will happen," Pierce continued. "When all else fails, trust in the love that you have for each other. And that's the thing that I love about the relationship between Gloria and I in the show, that Claudia means that much to Captain Wagner, that he's going to do everything possible to make sure that she does well."

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(Photo: Michael Parmelee/CBS)

As for Elsbeth, that's going to be a little complicated. Since the reason she was in New York and working with the NYPD in the first place was to help the D.O.J. with the investigation into Wagner, he is going to be as eager as ever to be done with her. However, with Season 2 of Elsbeth on the way, there's a few different directions with how this could go. Pierce teased, "I can get rid of Elsbeth. I'm going to get rid of Elsbeth. She betrayed me also. And now that I've taken care of Noonan, now I'm going to take care of Elsbeth. And the show is going to go on, but that does not mean she has to be working directly with us. So the tease is the fact that Wagner may possibly succeed in getting rid of Elsbeth, that thorn in his side, and so he will do everything possible to make that happen. And now we're going to have to see whether it does or not. Even with the second season coming, doesn't mean she has to be working with us."

The investigation and not knowing whether Wagner was a dirty cop took a toll on a lot of the characters and their relationships. Wendell Pierce says that the whole situation will make Wagner "reevaluate all of his relationships. One with his wife to make sure that there's repair there. She did everything possible to create this foundation and he wanted to make sure that it is protected as she is protected."

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(Photo: Michael Parmelee/CBS)

"And then when it comes to Kaya, whether or not she was dutiful and loyal within the ranks and whether she is a good officer and that she adhered to protocol, adhered to my directives as her boss and as her commander, and I make the decision of whether or not she has jeopardized her position within the ranks," Pierce explained. "Just like I'm going to make a decision with Elsbeth, I have to make a decision with Kaya as well. And so, this last episode is Wagner getting to a place where, because he got burned, he's going to reevaluate all of his relationships to make sure he doesn't get burned again."

It's going to be an intense finale, which is fittingly titled "A Fitting Finale," and fans won't want to miss a single second of it. The Elsbeth Season 1 finale airs Thursday, May 23 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. All episodes are streaming on Paramount+. Season 2 of Elsbeth comes to CBS this fall.

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