When a larger-than-life reality TV star is found dead in her bathtub, Elsbeth and Kaya investigate the circumstances around her death to determine if it was an accident or murder. As they get deeper into the events surrounding her demise, they meet Skip Mason, the mercurial producer behind the popular, guilty-pleasure reality series “Lavish Ladies,” who becomes a prime suspect after he is accused of going to dangerous lengths to concoct “good TV.”
After hearing his favorite patron talk about being bullied mercilessly in college, the charismatic owner of an exclusive cocktail bar decides to seek revenge on her behalf, but his desire for justice leads to a deadly mistake, leaving Elsbeth and Kaya to connect the dots. Meanwhile, after learning that the DOJ investigation is close to an indictment, Elsbeth and Captain Wagner join forces to expose the real criminal.
When a womanizing finance executive is found stabbed to death after a night at the opera, Elsbeth suspects an obsessed opera lover was driven to murder because of a ringing cell phone. Meanwhile, Elsbeth, Captain Wagner and Kaya must adjust to changes in the precinct as the consequences of Noonan’s wrongdoing continue to loom.
When a former child star turned party girl Mac wakes up on Halloween after a wild night on the town with no recollection of her whereabouts and afraid she may have committed murder, Elsbeth and the team retrace her steps to find the truth. Meanwhile, Captain Wagner must address low morale at the precinct.
Elsbeth takes a step further to becoming a real New Yorker when she’s selected for jury duty on a murder trial, where she reunites with her law past and ends up facing off against the unusually difficult Judge Milton Crawford. Meanwhile, Kaya tries to improve Teddy’s image of New York through a demonstration of the city.
Elsbeth finds herself in the spotlight when a murder occurs on a police procedural TV show set and she faces a new adversary, actress Regina Coburn, who longs for creative control in her career. Meanwhile, difficulties concerning judge Milton Crawford persist, interfering with Elsbeth’s investigation.