9 Shows Like Elsbeth to Watch Next

Drawing inspiration from the iconic crime drama Columbo, Elsbeth offers a lighthearted twist on the whodunit genre: a "howcatchem," where we already know who the murderer is, and the fun lies in watching the investigator prove their guilt. Its elaborate episodic crimes feature a wealth of famous guest stars, but above all, Elsbeth's appeal hinges on Elsbeth herself.

Working alongside the NYPD, our titular protagonist is an eccentric lawyer played by Carrie Preston. Ridiculously perky yet deceptively shrewd, she picks up on clues that the police overlook, facing down a series of obnoxious perpetrators from New York's elite. It's a winning formula for crime TV, and if you're looking to watch something similar, you're in luck. We've got plenty of recommendations for offbeat detective shows in a similar vein, ranging from long-running procedurals to fresh remixes of the classic whodunit.

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Poker Face

Like Elsbeth, Poker Face takes a lot of cues from Columbo. Created by murder mystery aficionado Rian Johnson (Knives Out), it stars the wonderful Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a former casino worker with a unique power: She's a human lie detector. Each episode sees Charlie investigate a different quirky murder as she drives around the United States, co-starring a roster of famous guests including Adrien Brody, Chloë Sevigny, and Tim Blake Nelson. If you enjoy Elsbeth's light-but-clever mysteries but aren't so keen on the law enforcement stuff, Poker Face is the way to go.

The Good Wife and The Good Fight

While they aren't detective shows, these are still no-brainers for fans of Elsbeth Tascioni as a character. Preston made her debut in the role when she guest starred in The Good Wife Season 1, acting as a comedic foil for the show's more conventional cast of ambitious, fast-thinking lawyers. Soon making her mark in the supporting cast, she returned for a recurring role throughout The Good Wife's critically acclaimed run — and then in its brilliant (and more overtly political) spin-off The Good Fight.

As legal dramas that thrive on long-form story arcs and workplace tensions, The Good Wife and The Good Fight are a bit more serious than Elsbeth. However, they still have plenty of wit, personality, and episodic crime storytelling, along with occasional forays into Ms. Tascioni's earlier years.

Psych

An old fav for fans of zany crime procedurals, Psych remixes the Sherlock Holmes formula with two detective BFFs in Santa Barbara. Freelance investigator Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) markets himself as a psychic crime-solver, when in reality he just has really impressive observational skills. Meanwhile, his long-suffering friend Gus (Dulé Hill) tries to rein in Shawn's antics while secretly enjoying a chance to share his bizarre career. Consistently funny and imaginative, Psych's charm stems from the interplay between Shawn's big personality and the more buttoned-up supporting cast, with police detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) perpetually on the brink of rage due to Shawn's outlandish "psychic" behavior.

Death and Other Details

Following the recent trend for class-conscious crime dramas taking aim at the super rich, this series takes place on a luxury cruise ship. Running for one season, it stars Mandy Patinkin as a disgraced former detective named Rufus Cotesworth. When one of the passengers shows up dead, he must figure out who did the deed while navigating the ship's messy class divides. As an obvious modern-day copycat of whodunit legend Agatha Christie, Death and Other Details is (like Elsbeth!) designed for easy viewing. 

The Afterparty

The first season of this comedic whodunit takes place at a millennial high school reunion, with a detective (Tiffany Haddish) and a party guest (Sam Richardson) investigating a murder with an ingenious twist: Each episode takes place from a different character's perspective, giving radically different angles on the same events. Boasting an ensemble cast of familiar faces (Ben Schwartz, Ilana Glazer, Dave Franco), it's a hilariously original blend of sitcom and crime investigation.

Only Murders in the Building

As the most popular cozy mystery series of our time, Only Murders has a lot of overlap with Elsbeth. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez star as three neighbors in a wealthy New York apartment building, brought together by their shared obsession with true crime podcasts. Surrounded by an increasingly wild array of famous guest stars (Paul Rudd, Nathan Lane, and of course Meryl Streep), they start investigating a series of murders in (you guessed it) their building, as the show pokes fun at the true crime genre while making the most of the lead actors' comedic talents.

White Collar 

Riffing on the tried-and-true concept of pairing an eccentric investigator with conventional law enforcement, White Collar stars Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey, a charismatic con artist who helps the FBI solve white collar crimes.

Leaning into Ocean's Eleven-style heist capers, this show offers a welcome change from the many crime shows that focus on violence and murder. And like all great crime procedurals, it puts a lot of emphasis on character-based storytelling. Neal and his sensible FBI handler, Peter Burke (Tim DeKay), make for a lovable odd-couple partnership — or maybe it's more of an odd throuple, because Burke's wife Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) plays a significant role. They're also set to return soon for a revival series, so you have more White Collar to look forward to if you get through the original six seasons. 

Columbo

This list wouldn't be complete without Elsbeth's original inspiration! Airing 69 feature-length episodes across the 1970s and '80s, Columbo stars Peter Falk as the unassuming LAPD detective Lieutenant Columbo, a brilliant student of human nature. Each episode opens with a depiction of the crime itself, revealing the perpetrator before Columbo arrives to investigate. Then the story is all about how Columbo outwits an obviously guilty opponent — either by leaning on the criminal's hubris, or manipulating them to confess outright. Still unmatched by most modern murder mysteries, Columbo shines thanks to its distinctive protagonist, its impressive roster of vintage guest stars, and its convoluted brand of homicide.