Elsbeth season 2 finale served as an epilogue for departing cast member Carra Patterson. The actor, who plays Officer Kaya Blanke, will recur in season 3 after her character receives a big promotion in the penultimate episode.

In a post-finale interview with Deadline, Preston responded to Patterson's departure ahead of the already-confirmed season 3. The Emmy winner talked about the fact that Kaya is leaving after achieving a big dream. She mentions how, because of the procedural structure, Elsbeth doesn't work with the same detective every week. Still, in the quote below, Preston underlines that viewers will see Patterson again:

“I love Carra with all my heart, and she’s brought such value to Elsbeth and the show. But we wanted the character Kaya to achieve her dream, which is to be a detective. And the way our show works, how it’s structured, Elsbeth doesn’t work with the same detective for all the cases, so we’re sending her on a big adventure. Carra is going on a life adventure, and we’re going to welcome her back every chance we get, because we love her.”

What Preston's Comments Mean For Elsbeth

The Show Will Change

Elsbeth season 2, episode 19, "I've Got A Little List", prepares to say goodbye to Kaya. She is ing a special task force in Washington, D.C., which will require her to undergo training almost right away. She does manage to hang around long enough to help the titular Tascioni out of a jam. But, moving forward, the light police drama will be in a bit of a transition period.

The creative team, including showrunner and executive producer Jonathan Tolins, has already introduced new ing players for the main character to share scenes with. That includes the fresh-faced cop Reese Chandler (played by Wicked actor Ethan Slater) and Officer Nikki Reynolds (played by YOU alum b), plus there's the fact that Elsbeth's son Teddy (played by Ben Levi Ross) could show up more often in Elsbeth season 3.

Our Take On Kaya's Exit

She's Still Around For Now

To this point, Elsbeth's cast has only included three main actors. Along with Preston and Patterson, Wendell Pierce portrays Chief Wagner. That small lead cast means that a change will take some getting used to. But on the whole, the hit spinoff of The Good Wife and The Good Fight will still have a lot of the same ingredients to bring it success.

Source: Deadline