Actor Spotlight | Carrie Preston

At Broadway Stages, we are thrilled at the success of CBS's "Elsbeth" starring Carrie Preston. The show premiered in February and has been so well-received that the 10-episode first season is now available to watch in eight countries. The second season will expand to 20 episodes and premiere on Thursday, October 17. In this post we take a look at Preston's career, which includes a presence on our stages for nearly 15 years.

Quick Facts:
Birthday: June 21, 1967 in Macon, Georgia
Major Awards: Primetime Emmy Award
Broadway Stages Productions: "The Good Wife," "The Good Fight," "Elsbeth"

Preston began acting at a young age in theater productions in her hometown of Macon, Georgia. Shortly after graduating from Juilliard, she traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, to perform alongside her brother who was working at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. It was there that she met fellow actor Michael Emerson, who would later become her husband.

By the mid-'90s, the two were living in New York City and landing roles in shows on and off Broadway. In 1995, Preston secured her first Broadway gig as a standby for the part of Madeleine, a role originated by Cynthia Nixon, in the play "Indiscretions." Later that year she made her official Broadway debut as Miranda in a revival of "The Tempest" starring Patrick Stewart. Several years later she appeared on an episode of "Sex and the City" as an interior designer coincidentally named Madeline who was hired by Nixon's character – Miranda.

Preston's first mainstream film role came in 1997 when she played a bridesmaid in "My Best Friend's Wedding." Over the next decade she made guest appearances on various hit shows including "Spin City," "Arrested Development," "Desperate Housewives," and "Lost," playing the mother of her husband's character Benjamin Linus in a flashback.

In 2008 she landed her first role as a regular in a major series, playing waitress Arlene Fowler in HBO's hit vampire drama "True Blood." The cast was recognized with the Outstanding Television Ensemble award at the 2009 Satellite Awards.

In 2010 she began playing the quirky attorney Elsbeth Tascioni on CBS's "The Good Wife," appearing in two episodes of the first season. She returned for the third season in a recurring role and won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2013.

Around that time she also made several appearances on her husband's CBS show "Person of Interest," playing Grace Hendricks, the fiancée of Emerson's Harold Finch.

In 2017, she began playing a lead role on the TNT dramedy "Claws," which would go on to run for four seasons. That same year, "The Good Wife" spin-off series "The Good Fight" debuted, and Preston continued to play Tascioni on a recurring basis.

All seven seasons of "The Good Wife" and six seasons of "The Good Fight" were filmed at Broadway Stages facilities. In 2024, when Tascioni got her own spin-off, series creators Robert and Michelle King decided to stick with Broadway Stages. Outside of "The Good Wife" universe, another CBS original created by the Kings in 2019 was filmed at our facilities – the paranormal drama "Evil," featuring none other than Emerson in a leading role.

"Elsbeth" premiered this year to stellar reviews from critics and viewers alike. Several months before the show premiered, Preston found herself with another critically acclaimed hit, Alexander Payne's coming-of-age film "The Holdovers," which was nominated for five Oscars. She played Lydia Crane, the assistant to the school's headmaster who hosted a not-so-jolly Christmas party.

We are elated that Preston and Emerson have found so much success in the Big Apple and continue to support New York's film and television industry as part of the Broadway Stages family. We are also so proud of our 15+ years of collaboration with the Kings, a professional relationship that has produced, and continues to generate, acclaimed television programs filmed right here in New York City.