The Good Wife

Did You Know?

• The Good Wife was the first TV show to feature Bitcoin, with an episode broadcast in January 2012.
• The series has been described by Wired as 'the most tech-savvy show on TV'.
• A spinoff titled The Good Fight, centered on Diane Lockhart and Lucca Quinn, premiered in February 2017.

Production

Michelle and Robert King conceived the series after observing prominent American sex scandals, including those involving President Bill Clinton and Senator John Edwards. They were struck by the clichéd image of a wife standing silently beside her husband as he admitted misconduct, and wondered what happened afterward. Many such wives were lawyers who had paused their careers for their husbands' ambitions. The idea crystallized in the weeks following the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal of 2008. The Kings, who had previously created the short-lived legal drama In Justice, serve as executive producers and showrunners. Scott Free Productions helped finance the series, with Ridley Scott, Tony Scott (until his death), and David W. Zucker credited as executive producers. Executive producer Dee Johnson added television writing experience. Charles McDougall directed the pilot and served as an executive producer, having previously directed the pilot for Desperate Housewives. All seven executive producers returned for the full series, joined by Brooke Kennedy. McDougall left after directing and executive producing the second episode. Bernadette Caulfield, who worked on Big Love, produced the series; co-producer Ron Binkowski contributed post-production experience to the pilot and returned for the first season.

Cast and characters

Alicia returns to work as a junior litigator at Stern, Lockhart & Gardner, aided by her old law school friend Will Gardner, for whom she has feelings. She balances home and professional life amid her husband's scandal, with two children, Zach and Grace. Alicia graduated top of her class from Georgetown University Law Center in the mid-1990s and worked at Crozier, Abrams & Abbott for about two years before leaving to focus on her family. Her struggles with the 'mommy gap' reflect real working women's work–life challenges. She has a loving relationship with her gay younger brother, Owen. In Season 3, Alicia is a third-year associate; she and Peter are separated, and she has an affair with Will but breaks it off. She still loves Peter despite her hurt. In Season 4, she becomes an equity partner and plans a new firm with Cary. After Will dies in Season 5, Alicia mourns and separates from Peter, maintaining the marriage for their careers. In Season 6, she runs for State's Attorney and befriends prosecutor Finn Polmar. After winning, she is caught in an electoral fraud scandal and resigns, then works as a bond court lawyer before starting a small private practice in her apartment.

Episodes

Alicia Florrick joins her friend Will Gardner as a junior associate at a Chicago law firm. Alicia beats out Cary Agos, who takes a job in the state's attorney's office and becomes bitter. Alicia allies with Kalinda, the firm's investigator. She transforms from a scorned wife to a resilient career woman, providing a stable home for her children, 14-year-old Zach and 13-year-old Grace. With Peter back home and planning to run for office with help from consultant Eli Gold, Alicia redefines her role. Season two begins with Will confessing his affection for Alicia, but Eli Gold deletes a pivotal voicemail from Alicia's phone. Alicia, thinking Will lost interest, suppresses her feelings. As a second-year associate, Alicia often battles Cary in court, now a Deputy State's Attorney. Peter, released from prison and cleared, campaigns for State's Attorney against Glenn Childs. New partner Derrick Bond joins the firm, now Lockhart Gardner & Bond. A feud arises between Diane and Will when Will sides with Bond. Diane asks Kalinda to investigate Will and Bond's past, discovering a connection from Will's old Baltimore firm. Will and Diane work together to remove Bond after learning he deceived them, but wait until Bond brings in a 'super PAC' client worth $100 million a year.

Reception

The New York Times stated that The Good Wife 'stands out among newer fall shows' and is 'miles ahead of anything else that's on at the moment'. The Chicago Tribune noted that one of the show's best aspects is Alicia's complicated relationship with her husband. The New York Daily News remarked that Margulies 'puts a powerful combination of cold fury, bewilderment and tenacity into Alicia Florrick'. The Baltimore Sun predicted that with the actors bringing their 'A' games, CBS could have another winning drama. The San Francisco Chronicle expressed reservations, concluding that the series is a legal drama with too many predictable moments. Time Magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 TV Series of 2010 and 2011. The Salt Lake Tribune ranked The Good Wife No. 3 on its list of the Top 10 series of 2011, citing the mix of legal and personal drama as superb.