Since debuting in a 2010 episode of The good wifeElsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) sang the praises of her son, Teddy, to anyone willing to listen, as well as everyone else in her neighborhood. Now, fourteen years and two spin-offs later, Teddy finally made his debut in the flesh at the end of the December 5th episode of Elsbeth on CBS, played by Ben Levi Ross.
While he's a relatively new face to TV enthusiasts, Broadway fans may be more familiar with the young actor. He served as a stand-in for the title character in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway before taking on the role during its first US tour. Other theater credits include Ragtime in downtown New York City, and Gatsby: an American myth at the American Repertory Theatre. He made his film debut in 2021 Tick, Tick… Boom!and Elsbeth marks his first regular television gig.
TelaRant interviewed Ben Levi Ross about his role in Elsbeth. He talked about acting alongside Carrie Preston, shared how his presence shakes up the show's status quo, and teased what audiences can expect from his future appearances throughout season two. Elsbeth Compares the Broadway schedule and shares some of your favorite Broadway shows in 2024.
Elsbeth's Ben Levi Ross Talks Bringing Teddy to Life After All These Years
“He’s really a catalyst for us to see Elsbeth as a mother and learn a little more about why she left Chicago.”
ScreenRant: When I started watching this show, I thought, “Why wasn't I watching this already?” Nobody told me there was a new Columbo!
Ben Levi Ross: Totally. Yes, truly!
And this shouldn't be reductive at all. But we need this kind of show. There must always be a Columbo variant on the air.
Ben Levi Ross: I think everyone involved in the show would consider that a huge compliment.
You're on the list for season two. Tell me a little about Teddy and his dynamic with his mother.
Ben Levi Ross: Well, we've heard a little about Teddy over the years. She talked about him. I think he was first mentioned, actually, in one of the earlier shows that this is a spinoff of. But yes, it arrives at the end of this week's episode.
I think we had a lot of fun exploring how he fits into this world and how it can be a bit overwhelming when his mother brings him to the police station and everyone already knows everything about him, in classic Elsbeth fashion. But yeah, it's honestly a blast. I feel like we're building this relationship as we go along, with each other, feeling like Carrie and I are with each other. Our showrunner, Jonathan Tolins, is watching this and seeing, “How can we build this relationship?”
Can you talk about how you shake up the show, for fans of Elsbeth?
Ben Levi Ross: I don't think we've seen Elsbeth in a family dynamic yet on this show. So that's really, I think, what's exciting when you're doing a more procedural series and then it veers left and becomes a little more character-driven. So I think that's what Teddy offers.
Besides just being a new character that people can live with and grow with and see what's going on with him, he's really a catalyst for us to see Elsbeth as a mother and learn a little more about why she left Chicago and why she is staying in New York. I think this is something exciting that differs from the first season and any other time we've seen her on previous shows.
The show is only in its second season. But Carrie has played Elsbeth since 2010. Is she pretty much on autopilot now? When you're the new person working alongside a seasoned veteran, what's your vibe?
Ben Levi Ross: Oh, the dynamic with Carrie is so lively and warm and fun. I think what's most impressive is that she's not on autopilot. She feels so involved, honestly, all the time. She really feels like the captain of the ship on set. And she cares a lot about the show. I think she's constantly thinking about who they can bring in as the next guest star. She's thinking about what she most wants to see in the family dynamics we're exploring now.
She's really like “Mommy” to me on set, at least. She really feels so caring. And also, yes, when you work as much as she does, because it's five days a week, 4am departures every morning doing this show, you would expect that at some point you would get a little tired, but that wasn't my experience with Carrie! She is so positive and feels like she really wants to play with all the actors and find out the truth about this mother/son dynamic.
You are brought in at the end of the episode. And then in the next episode on December 12th, you have a parallel storyline to her story. I don't want you to give too much away, but will we see you investigating alongside Elsbeth?
Ben Levi Ross: Well, honestly, I was just saying this would be like a dream! That's the reason we loved the show in the first place. You know, these murders happen every week, and these investigations are very well constructed. And so for me, as just a fan of the show, I would love it! (Laughter) I don't know about investigation, but just, in some way, she leans on her son or tries to get ideas or more information about what she's doing. This sounds so fun to me. So who knows? Right.
Can you say how many episodes you are in this season?
Ben Levi Ross: Since we haven't finished filming yet, I don't have a number, but I can say that you'll probably see more Teddy in Season 2, yes.
Elsbeth's Ben Levi Ross on Moving From Theater to Television
“I really love theater. And now I love TV too.”
Tell me about the TV schedule. Is this your first TV job? I know that theater scheduling is probably the most brutal of all fields. Tell me how TV programming compares to this.
Ben Levi Ross: Yes, this is actually my first consistent episodic work like this. I've done film and a lot of theater and it's a totally different kind of chaos because mostly it's like you're… I'm kind of nocturnal when I'm doing theater. Like, my days are all based on the night and with this it's totally the opposite. It's like I went to bed at 8pm to wake up at 4am and do the show. But I'm not as bad as Carrie or any of the regulars who do this every day. But it's a different beast.
More than anything, I think it's because when you're working on something, that's just the difference between TV and theater, you're working on something in theater, you have your product that you do over and over again, every night. So you keep all these words alive in your mind and body all the time. And that's like, I'll hyperfocus on a scene for about an hour and a half when we shoot it, and then it can leave my brain to make room for the next moment. And I really like working like this because you really move forward, like, moment by moment, and we usually shoot in order. So it's fun to hyperfocus on whatever we're doing that day, even if I'm exhausted. (laughter)
It must also be nice to mess up a line and not get fired.
Ben Levi Ross: Of course. Fully. We just did another take!
I've never seen a Broadway show where someone paused and said, “Line?” But that happens, right?
Ben Levi Ross: I feel like if a line gets interrupted, there's usually an uncomfortably long silence, and then we kind of… Someone picks up somewhere at that point. I've definitely been on stage when this happened and it's not very comfortable.
I guess I was lucky enough, I suppose, that at least if it happened, I didn't notice it.
Ben Levi Ross: Yes, yes. I mean, you know, it's the best of the best when you go to Broadway shows. So you would hope that wouldn't be the case!
Are you a TV guy now? Or will you still return to the stage at some point?
Ben Levi Ross: Who knows? Do you know what I am? I'm a working guy! I love all of it. And whatever is offered to me at that moment, whatever door is open, I will accept whatever seems exciting and inspiring. I love theater very much. And now I also love TV.
It's so great to see so many shows filming in New York. You know, there's a little bit of sadness where you're like, hey, remember when Hollywood used to be a thing?
Ben Levi Ross: Truly. And I grew up in Los Angeles! So I was very involved with that. And when I was a kid, I thought, oh, this is going to be my future as an actor. I go to the lots, you know, the Paramount lot or the Fox lot. But no, I'm actually following in the footsteps of my father, who grew up in Brooklyn. And I'm living in Brooklyn and working in Brooklyn.
Since you're a Broadway star, can you tell me a little about what you saw? What were your favorites this year?
Ben Levi Ross: Ooh, what have I seen this year? Well, my good friend Sarah Pidgeon was starring in Stereophonic, so I actually saw that four times off-Broadway and on-Broadway because I was obsessed with that show and obsessed with her and that cast. I think it was an exquisite narrative. And I also just saw a play that's about to close on Broadway called The Hills of California, which transferred from the West End and which I thought was amazing.
I'm so sad it won't last any longer, but it will play until December 22nd. And this is the best acting I've seen on a Broadway stage in years. And everyone is getting annoyed with how much I've been talking about it, but it was amazing! So if you want to catch another show before it closes, The Hills of California was just brilliant. Truly brilliant.
More about Elsbeth Season 2 on CBS
Based on the character featured in The Good Wife and The Good Fight
Emmy Winner Carrie Preston is back as Elsbeth Tascioni, the cunning but unconventional lawyer who works with the New York Police Department to capture New York's wealthiest killers using her unique point of view. The second season of the critically acclaimed series brings new cases and challenges as past mistakes come back to haunt Elsbeth, her boss Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce), and detective-in-training Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson).
Check out our others Elsbeth season 2 interviews here:
Elsbeth Season 2 airs Thursdays at 10pm ET on CBS and is available to stream the next day on Paramount+.