The quirky investigators at the NYPD faced one of their most unusual cases yet when a pop star’s plan to save a convent turned into a murder scene. Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 7, titled “And Then There Were Nuns,” brought an Oscar-winning legend to the small screen as the Mother Superior fighting to protect her home. The episode aired on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at a special time of 9:01 PM ET/PT on CBS and is now available for streaming .
This episode pitted Carrie Preston’s sharp but unorthodox attorney against a woman of the cloth with a hidden agenda. The casting of Dianne Wiest as the reverend mother added serious dramatic weight to a story that mixed faith, fame, and foul play. Here is a complete look at the actors and characters who brought this unique mystery to life.
Carrie Preston Returns as the Unforgettable Elsbeth Tascioni
Carrie Preston leads the series as Elsbeth Tascioni, the brilliant consent decree attorney who uses her unique perspective to help the NYPD catch criminals who think they are too smart to get caught. In this episode, Elsbeth found herself inside a crumbling convent, trying to figure out who turned a real estate deal into a homicide case. Preston, who won an Emmy Award for playing this character on The Good Wife, continues to make Elsbeth one of the most lovable and clever characters on television .
The Big Guest Star: Dianne Wiest as the Mother Superior
The biggest news for Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 7 was the appearance of two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest. She played Reverend Mother Constance Mary Cabot, the stern and determined leader of a convent that is running out of money. When a pop star buys the building, Mother Constance decides to take matters into her own hands. Wiest brought a quiet intensity to the role, making viewers wonder if this nun was a victim or something much more complicated .
Dianne Wiest is known for her incredible film career, including Academy Award wins for Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets over Broadway. She has also starred in shows like In Treatment, Parenthood, and recently joined the cast of Only Murders in the Building. For showrunner Jonathan Tolins, having Wiest on the show was a personal milestone. He met her 41 years ago when he was a theater apprentice, and calling her presence on Elsbeth a full-circle moment .
Lindsey Normington Joins as Pop Star Alaia Jade
Playing the pop star who buys the convent was Lindsey Normington. Her character, Alaia Jade, is a chart-topping musician who sees the old convent as the perfect spot to create a spiritual retreat for her fans. But her good intentions hit a wall when she meets the reverend mother, and things get worse when a dead body shows up on the property. Normington’s character brought a modern, flashy energy into the old-school world of the nuns .
Ben Levi Ross Digs Deeper as Teddy
While Elsbeth handled the convent chaos, her son Teddy, played by Ben Levi Ross, worked on his own investigation. In Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 7, Teddy looked into the past of Alec Bloom, played by Ivan Hernandez. Teddy is writing a feature story, and with some encouragement from Marissa Gold, he started finding details that could cause problems. This side story added another layer to the episode, showing that the truth about Alec Bloom might be worse than anyone expected .
The Regular Cast Keeping the Precinct Running
Wendell Pierce returned as Captain C.W. Wagner, Elsbeth’s boss at the NYPD. He runs the 11th Precinct and has to deal with the results of Elsbeth’s strange but effective methods. Carra Patterson, who played Detective Kaya Blanke as a series regular in the first two seasons, has shifted to a guest star role this season, but remains part of the show’s world .
Sarah Steele Reprises Her Role as Marissa Gold
Fans of The Good Wife and The Good Fight were happy to see Sarah Steele return as Marissa Gold. Marissa is the daughter of Elsbeth’s former boss and has a sharp mind of her own. In Season 3, she is working as the campaign manager for Alec Bloom, which puts her right in the middle of the drama that Teddy starts to uncover .
Why This Guest Star Lineup Mattered
Elsbeth has built a reputation for bringing in amazing guest stars, and Season 3 has been stacked with talent. Before Dianne Wiest showed up as the nun, the season already featured Tony Hale as a paranoid tech CEO in Episode 6 and Lois Smith as a poetry journal supporter in Episode 5. The season premiere even had Stephen Colbert playing a late-night talk show host .
For Episode 7, the choice of Dianne Wiest was perfect. The role required someone who could stand face-to-face with Carrie Preston and hold their own. Wiest’s character, the reverend mother, is not just a sweet old nun. She is a woman fighting to save her community, and the script hinted that she might do whatever it takes. The contrast between Alaia Jade’s celebrity lifestyle and the nuns’ simple life created the kind of smart, funny, and tense situation that Elsbeth does so well .
The Creative Team Behind the Episode
“And Then There Were Nuns” was written by Matthew K. Begbie and directed by Peter Sollett . The series is created by Robert King and Michelle King, the masterminds behind The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Jonathan Tolins serves as showrunner, and the series is produced by CBS Studios. The episode runs for about 60 minutes and is part of a season that continues to expand the world of Elsbeth Tascioni .
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Where to Watch Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 7
The episode first aired on CBS on November 20, 2025. For those who missed it, it is available for streaming on Paramount+. Subscribers with the Paramount+ Premium plan can watch it live or on-demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers can stream it the day after it airs .
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