‘Elsbeth’ Finally Reveals What Happened in Chicago in ‘Most Emotional Scene We’ve Ever Done’ — What to Expect

The truth comes out in Elsbeth‘s midseason premiere. Following the major cliffhanger in December that revealed the legal scandal that made Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) flee Chicago at the start of the series, the midseason premiere will tell the whole story. There’s a heavy-hitting moment that showrunner Jonathan Tolins says is the “most emotional scene we’ve ever done.”

Elsbeth returns with Eric McCormack as guest star on Thursday, January 30 on CBS. In the episode, titled “Unalive and Well,” a young man is found dead in his car, and Elsbeth visits the holistic wellness center he’d just left. She begins to suspect its charismatic founder, Tom Murphey (McCormack), but she also gets some unexpected TLC after a tough few days at work. See an exclusive clip of the Will & Grace star in the video above. Tom and Elsbeth’s vibes couldn’t be more different, making for some great comedy.

Tom’s wellness center helps Elsbeth more than she expected. She arrived to investigate a murder, but she’ll leave having investigated her feelings more deeply. As revealed in the December midseason finale, Elsbeth was roped into a high-profile divorce case in Chicago during which documents that would’ve helped a struggling woman were hidden. The Van Ness divorce scandal was leaked to the press with the help of Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson, Preston’s husband) as part of their ongoing bitter feud.

The scandal has shocked Elsbeth’s work colleagues, who are now questioning the morals of a woman known among the bureau for her morality.

“She checks into the wellness center partly to get away from the scandal because it just gives her a chance to not be in people’s faces at the precinct,” Tolins tells TV Insider about Elsbeth‘s return. “And also, she ends up paired with a journey partner, played by Marcia Debonis, who is one of my favorite actresses, and who is so open and emotionally available that she becomes the perfect person for Elsbeth to talk to and unburden herself and really reveal what happened in Chicago. I think people are going to really like that.”

Marcia Debonis as Sheryl and Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni in Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 9, ‘Unalive and Well’ (Michael Parmelee / CBS)

Expect emotions to run deep in a scene by a campfire at the retreat. “Carrie and Marcia have a scene by a campfire. It’s beautifully written by Leah Nanako Winkler and directed by Nancy Hower, and it is one of the most emotional scenes we’ve ever done, if not the most emotional scene we’ve ever done. It is so beautiful. I can’t wait for people to see it,” says Tolins.

What makes it pack such a punch? “Well, we get to hear the pain and the anger that Elsbeth had about what happened in Chicago,” Tolins reveals, “which is the reason she left her whole life, she left the law and decided to move to New York and take this job working with the police.”

He’s also eager for viewers to see McCormack as the celebrity health nut who will bring the laughs while taking his job very, very seriously. McCormack’s Tom “exploits his power over people with his charm and his seductive qualities, but he’s not a conman,” Tolins reveals. “He does have gifts, but he is also very protective of what he’s built.”

Tolins notes that one specific practice at the center was based on real-life. “The plot involves this ceremony using a secretion from a frog that is actually a real thing,” he explains. “If you look it up, there are these centers where people do — it’s called the combo ceremony. It seems like we made it up. We didn’t make it up. It’s a bizarre thing that gives the episode an air of mystery and sort of other worldliness that is kind of cool.”

Elsbeth, Season 2 Midseason Premiere, Thursday, January 30, 10/9c, CBS