‘Elsbeth’ Exclusive: Vanessa Bayer & Dan Bucatinsky to Guest Star in Christmas Episode

Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer and Scandal‘s Dan Bucatinsky are joining Elsbeth Season 2. TV Insider can exclusively announce that the actors will guest star in the CBS procedural’s first Christmas-themed episode. Season 2 of The Good Wife spinoff premieres October 17.

Bayer and Bucatinsky’s characters will cross paths in the episode, set to premiere later this year, with Bayer set to play the killer of the week.

Bayer will guest star as Deedee. On the surface, Deedee puts on the act of the doting, supportive, crazy-for-Christmas wife so that she and her husband, Dick, can keep selling their Christmas goods and keep the image of holiday cheer going. But behind the scenes, Deedee is tired of playing a supporting role in her own marriage. When Dick sidelines her request for a divorce, Deedee takes matters into her own hands. No one is going to stand in the way of Deedee and the life she wants for herself. Not her husband, or the holiday season.

Bucatinsky plays Kidder Hawes, super agent and branding expert for the Dashers’ Christmas empire. Kidder has definite ideas about Deedee’s life as a Christmas widow.

We here on #Elsbeth wish you a very merry Christmas (in September). ‍ Season 2 premieres Thursday, October 17th on @CBS! pic.twitter.com/Ywt0L6u8iw

— Carrie Preston (@carriepreston) September 18, 2024

Leading lady Carrie Preston shared a video from the set of the Elsbeth Christmas episode on September 18 (see above).

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'Elsbeth' Season 2: Cast, Premiere Date, Trailer, Plot

Bayer was most recently seen in the Showtimes series I Love That For You, which she also co-created, wrote, and executive produced. She’s also known for her seven seasons on SNL, which earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination. Bayer has also had notable roles in Barry, What We Do in the Shadows, I Think You Should Leave, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Will & Grace, among others.

Emmy-winner Bucatinsky, best known for starring on series like Scandal and The Comeback, will next be seen in the Netflix Christmas movie Our Little Secret opposite Lindsay Lohan and Kristin Chenoweth. He is also an executive producer on 25 Words or Less, which is now in its sixth season, and a consulting producer on Hulu‘s Mid-Century Modern.

Other guest stars in Elsbeth Season 2 include Nathan Lane (who will also star in Mid-Century Modern) and Daniel Davis in the premiere, Vanessa Williams, Pamela Adlon, Rob Riggle, and Brittany O’Grady. Returning series regulars are Wendell Pierce and Carra Patterson. Joining as a director for one episode this season is Criminal Minds: Evolution‘s Aisha Tyler.