Elsbeth Season 3 Premiere: The Heartfelt Jeff Christiano Tribute You Might Have Missed

The Season 3 premiere of Elsbeth ends with an in memoriam for Jeff Christiano, prompting fans to ask who he was and how he was connected to the CBS series. Here’s the story behind the name that closed the premiere.
If you watched the Elsbeth Season 3 premiere on CBS and caught the closing card that read 'In memory of Jeff Christiano,' you probably wondered who he was and why the show paused to honor him. Short answer: a veteran greensman whose work you have definitely seen, even if you never knew his name.
Who Jeff Christiano was
Christiano worked on Elsbeth Season 3 as a greensman and greens coordinator. Translation: he was one of the people responsible for everything green on camera — plants, trees, gardens, the natural bits that make sets feel lived-in. It is not flashy work, but it is the kind of quiet craft that separates a sterile stage from a believable world.
What he worked on
He had a long list of credits across film and TV, including big features and a lot of New York-based series. Highlights:
- Films: I Am Legend, John Wick: Chapter 2, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
- TV: The Good Fight, Evil, and other shows in The Good Wife orbit
- Recent work: The Gilded Age, Daredevil: Born Again, You, and And Just Like That...
Why Elsbeth honored him
Christiano was part of the Season 3 crew on Elsbeth, and he passed away in June 2025 at age 51. The premiere dedication was the production's way of acknowledging his contribution to the look and feel of the show. He was also remembered by colleagues on And Just Like That... on July 8, 2025, when production designer Miguel Lopez-Castillo shared a tribute to the crew veteran on Instagram.
"A sad and tragic personal note in our crew. The garden in Carrie's Home was the work of Greensman Jeff Christiano. The set undergoes several changes during the season, as Carrie develops a new relationship with the space, and her new home in general."
"Jeff built that with his team, with care and dedication every step of the way. Jeff passed away suddenly, just last week, aged 51. He was a good family man and an incredibly valuable collaborator. I'll think of him with much respect and gratitude."
So that card at the end of Elsbeth was not random. It was a nod to the person who literally helped grow the worlds these shows live in. You may not clock the greenery on first watch, but you feel it when it is done right — and Christiano did it right.