Elsbeth Episode 8 Cast, Characters & Actors (Photos) | The Direct

Full Cast of Elsbeth Episode 8 - Every Main Character & Actor Who Appears (Photos)

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Posted:
Elsbeth series main characters and actors

Elsbeth Episode 8 adds Five Nights at Freddy's and You star Elizabeth Lail to its stellar cast of actors. 

Episode 8, "Artificial Genius," pits Elsbeth Tascioni against an up-and-coming CEO who serves as the suspect behind the gruesome death of a journalist. Meanwhile, Captain Wagner starts a plan to defend himself against the D.O.J. Investigation. 

Elsbeth Episode 8 premiered on CBS on May 9.

Elsbeth Episode 8: Full List of Main Cast Members

Carrie Preston - Elsbeth Tascioni

Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni in Elsbeth Episode 8
Carrie Preston

Carrie Preston leads the cast of Episode 8 as Elsbeth Tascioni, an intuitive lawyer who helps the New York Police Department (NYPD) crack some of its high-profile cases. 

The latest episode sees Elsbeth mentally sparring with a highly manipulative tech CEO who is the suspect behind killing an investigative journalist. 

Preston is known for her roles in True Blood and The Holdovers. In the series, the actress also reprises her character Elsbeth Tascioni from The Good Wife and The Good Fight

Wendell Pierce - Captain Wagner

Wendell Pierce as Captain Wagner in Elsbeth Episode 8
Wendell Pierce

Wendell Pierce reprises his role as Captain Wagner of the NYPD, a strict and somewhat manipulative commanding officer who might be pulling some shady strings behind the scenes. 

Captain Wagner is slowly pulling the threads to try and outsmart the D.O.J.'s investigation against him and he even asks Elsbeth for an assist.

Elsewhere, Wagner helps Elsbeth and Officer Blanke's investigation behind the journalist's death. 

Pierce can be seen in The Wire, Horrible Bosses, Selma, and The Money Pit.

Carra Patterson - Kaya Blanke

Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke in Elsbeth Episode 8
Carra Patterson

Carra Patterson stars as Kaya Blanke, an NYPD officer who works in tandem with Elsbeth in solving some of the precinct's complicated cases. 

In Episode 8, the aspiring detective continues to help Elsbeth in her day-to-day investigations while her loyalty to Captain Wagner is tested amid his potential heel turn. 

Officer Blanke's knowledge about encyclopedias also comes in handy during Elsbeth's case of the week.

Fans may recognize Patterson for her roles in The Arrangement, Straight Outta Compton, and Evil

Elizabeth Lail - Quinn Powers

Elizabeth Lail as Quinn Powers in Elsbeth Episode 8
Elizabeth Lail

Elsbeth's notable guest star of the week is Elizabeth Lail as Quinn Powers.

Quinn is the up-and-coming CEO of a huge tech company and the one responsible for building a crime-foiling app known as Cerberus. 

She has a feisty personality and a driven mindset. For many, Quinn is poised to have a successful career. 

However, one wrong decision changes the trajectory of her life after being involved in a brutal murder. 

Lail has an impressive list of acting credits, with roles as Vanessa in Five Nights at Freddy's, Guinevere Beck in You, and Princess Anna in Once Upon a Time.

Eric William Morris - Josh Johnson

Eric William Morris as Josh Johnson in Elsbeth Episode 8
Eric William Morris

Eric William Morris joins the cast of Elsbeth Episode 8 as Josh Johnson, an investigative journalist from the New York View. 

Josh confronts Quinn after her pitch meeting about Cerberus, pointing out to her that she knows every little dark secret that she has and he is ready to expose her via an investigative piece that he will share online. 

Josh's initial confrontation with Quinn eventually cost him his life.

Morris' notable credits include playing Todd Leffer in Fleishman Is in Trouble, Officer Doug Cruise in I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Trevor Prince in The Blacklist.

Micaela Diamond - Detective Edwards 

Micaela Diamond as Detective Edwards in Elsbeth Episode 8
Micaela Diamond

Micaela Diamond returns to play Detective Edwards after helping Elsbeth and Officer Blanke crack the case of the dead plastic surgeon in Episode 6. 

Detective Edwards is a huge fan of Quinn's crime detection app, Cerberus, mainly due to her love for technology. 

Edwards' bias toward the app and Quinn as a person doesn't help Elsbeth and Kaya's investigation. 

Diamond is best known for her roles as Peggy in Tick, Tick... Boom! and the Girl from Anthro in Up Here.

Madeline Seidman - Mimi 

Madeline Seidman as Mimi in Elsbeth Episode 8
Madeline Seidman

Madeline Seidman appears as Mimi, a dogwalker who tells the police that there is something sus about the dognapper of Park Slope, mainly because Gonzo (Josh's dog) is the only one that is missing and not a whole bunch of dogs.

Mimi also happens to be the one who found Quinn's murder weapon. 

Seidman previously appeared in A League of Their Own, CRAM, and Music for the Requiem Mass

Ajay Naidu - Wally 

Ajay Naidu as Wally in Elsbeth Episode 8
Ajay Naidu

Ajay Naidu is back as Wally, a key witness who appeared in Episode 6 and is the one solely responsible for pushing Agent Celentano to investigate Captain Wagner.

Wally appears in Elsbeth Episode 8 in a meeting with Captain Wagner. The pair talk about the allegations against Wagner and the conversation ends with Wally fully trusting the NYPD Captain since he appears to be innocent. 

Naidu has credits in Dr. Death, Blindspot, and Billions.

Fredric Lehne - Lieutenant Dave Noonan

Fredric Lehne as Lieutenant Dave Noonan in Elsbeth Episode 8
Fredric Lehne

Fredric Lehne returns to portray Lieutenant Dave Noonan, Captain Wagner's friend in the NYPD precinct and a presumed traitor. 

Captain Wagner continues to become suspicious of Lieutenant Noonan after he discovers that he has documents that have signatures of him despite not signing them. 

Lehne can be seen in Westworld, Dexter: New Blood, and Dr. Death.

Rodd Cyrus - Toby

Rodd Cyrus as Toby in Elsbeth Episode 8
Rodd Cyrus

Toby (played by Rodd Cyrus) is Cerberus' investment coordinator who speaks with Elsbeth about the company's potential opportunities in Chicago.

Cyrus is known for his roles in Apocalypse Goals and Hide and Seek.

Ayana Workman - Ellen Davis

Ayana Workman as Ellen Davis in Elsbeth Episode 8
Ayana Workman

Ayana Workman brings Ellen Davis to life in Elsbeth Episode 8. 

Ellen is Quinn's former best friend, and now archenemy, who tells Elsbeth and Kaya about a flaw in Cerberus' system since its data system is not equipped to tell which crimes are fake and real. 

Workman's major credits include roles in Person of Interest and Jessica Jones.

Allison McKay - Agnes

Allison McKay as Agnes in Elsbeth Episode 8
Allison McKay

 Allison McKay plays a brief yet important character named Agnes in Elsbeth Episode 8.

Agnes is a librarian who helps Elsbeth and Kaya find a way to contact Quinn's former best friend, Ellen Davis.

McKay recently appeared as Ms. Mikowski in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. The actress also starred in Matinee, Lonely Hearts, and Adam Bloom.


New episodes of Elsbeth premiere every Thursday on CBS at 9 p.m. ET.  The episodes can also be streamed on Paramount+ with Showtime.

Read more about Elsbeth and other CBS shows: 

Who Is Carra Patterson? 5 Things to Know About Elsbeth's Kaya Blanke Actress

Elsbeth Episode 7 Cast, Characters & Actors (Photos)

Is Agent Knight Leaving NCIS 2024? Katrina Law's Future Teased by Showrunner

- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.