# The Good Wife

> 2009 American legal drama television series

**Wikidata**: [Q19570](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19570)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Wife)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/the-good-wife

## Summary
The Good Wife is a 2009 American legal drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. Created by Robert and Michelle King, the show follows Alicia Florrick as she returns to her career as a defense attorney after her husband's political corruption scandal.

## Key Facts
- Premiered on September 22, 2009, and concluded on May 8, 2016, running for 7 seasons
- Created by Robert King and Michelle King, who served as showrunners and executive producers
- Produced by CBS Studios and Scott Free Productions
- Original network was CBS, with 43-minute episodes
- Received 43 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning 5 awards
- Starred Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, who won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- Featured guest appearances by Kyle MacLachlan and Sonequa Martin-Green
- Has 156 episodes across 7 seasons, with each season averaging 22 episodes
- Available on multiple platforms including IMDb (ID: tt1442462) and TV.com (ID: 70143857)
- Genre classified as legal drama with elements of political drama
- Set and primarily filmed in New York City, standing in for Chicago
- Original language is English
- Licensed under standard television distribution agreements

## FAQs
**What is the premise of The Good Wife?**
The series follows Alicia Florrick, a former lawyer who returns to her career after her husband, a state's attorney, is imprisoned following a sex and corruption scandal. She must navigate the professional and personal challenges of being a defense attorney while managing her family and public image.

**Who created The Good Wife and what other shows have they made?**
The Good Wife was created by Robert King and Michelle King, the married writing and producing team who also created the spin-off series The Good Fight (2017) and the political satire BrainDead (2016). They previously worked on shows like In Justice and directed the feature film The Pink Conspiracy.

**What awards did The Good Wife win?**
The series won 5 Primetime Emmy Awards from 43 nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Julianna Margulies, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Archie Panjabi, and multiple awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for various performers.

**Where can I watch The Good Wife?**
The Good Wife is available on multiple streaming platforms and digital retailers. It has been distributed internationally and maintains an active presence on social media through its official Twitter account @TheGoodWife_CBS.

**What is the connection between The Good Wife and The Good Fight?**
The Good Fight is a direct spin-off series that premiered in 2017, following the character Diane Lockhart (played by Christine Baranski) as she navigates a new law firm after losing her savings in a financial scam. Several characters from The Good Wife, including Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo) and Marissa Gold (Sarah Steele), transitioned to the spin-off.

## Why It Matters
The Good Wife matters as a critically acclaimed legal drama that redefined the genre by blending courtroom procedural elements with complex character development and political intrigue. The series broke new ground by centering on a female protagonist in her 40s navigating career reinvention after personal scandal, offering a nuanced portrayal of work-life balance, professional ambition, and moral compromise. Its sophisticated writing tackled contemporary issues including political corruption, privacy rights, surveillance technology, and social media's impact on law and politics. The show's success demonstrated the commercial viability of intelligent, serialized storytelling for adult audiences on broadcast television during an era increasingly dominated by cable and streaming platforms. The Good Wife also launched the careers of several actors who became prominent in the industry and established Robert and Michelle King as influential showrunners capable of sustaining long-form narrative complexity while maintaining procedural accessibility.

## Notable For
- Critically acclaimed legal drama that ran for 7 successful seasons on CBS
- Won 5 Primetime Emmy Awards from 43 nominations, including multiple acting categories
- Launched the successful spin-off series The Good Wife, which continued the narrative universe
- Featured sophisticated writing that blended legal procedural with political and personal drama
- Starred Julianna Margulies in an Emmy-winning performance as Alicia Florrick
- Tackled contemporary issues including technology, privacy, and political corruption
- Created by the influential writing/producing team of Robert and Michelle King
- Maintained high viewership throughout its run, demonstrating broadcast television's continued relevance
- Featured guest appearances by notable actors including Kyle MacLachlan and Sonequa Martin-Green
- Set new standards for female-led dramas in the legal genre

## Body
### Creation and Development
The Good Wife was created by Robert King and Michelle King, a married writing and producing team who had previously collaborated on projects including the feature film The Pink Conspiracy and television series such as In Justice. The Kings served as showrunners, head writers, and executive producers throughout the series' seven-season run, maintaining creative control and narrative consistency. The series was developed for CBS, premiering on September 22, 2009, as a replacement for the network's long-running series Without a Trace.

### Production Details
The series was produced by CBS Studios in association with Scott Free Productions, the British-American film and television production company founded by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. Production took place primarily in New York City, which served as a stand-in for Chicago, where the series was set. Each episode ran approximately 43 minutes, standard for commercial television dramas, and the series maintained a consistent production schedule of 22 episodes per season for most of its run.

### Creative Team
Beyond the Kings, the series employed a robust writing staff that included experienced television writers such as Ted Humphrey, who served as executive producer and writer for multiple seasons. The directing team featured both television veterans and feature film directors, with regular directors including Brooke Kennedy and Fred Toye. The series maintained a consistent visual style characterized by handheld camera work and natural lighting, contributing to its documentary-like realism.

### Cast and Characters
Julianna Margulies starred as Alicia Florrick, the titular "good wife" who returns to her career as a defense attorney. The principal cast included Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, Josh Charles as Will Gardner, Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, and Matt Czuchry as Cary Agos. The series featured extensive guest casting, with notable performers including Kyle MacLachlan in multiple guest roles and Sonequa Martin-Green in recurring appearances. The show was particularly noted for its strong ensemble cast and character development over time.

### Narrative Structure
The Good Wife employed a hybrid narrative structure combining episodic legal cases with serialized character arcs and political storylines. Each episode typically featured a self-contained legal case while advancing ongoing storylines involving Alicia's career development, her marriage, and the political machinations surrounding her husband Peter Florrick (played by Chris Noth). This structure allowed the series to appeal to both casual viewers and dedicated fans following long-term plot developments.

### Legal and Political Themes
The series distinguished itself through its sophisticated treatment of legal and political themes. Cases often involved contemporary issues such as technology privacy, intellectual property disputes, and constitutional law. The political storyline, centered on Peter Florrick's career and the corruption scandal that launched the series, provided a framework for exploring themes of power, ethics, and public perception. The show's legal consultants ensured accuracy in courtroom procedures and legal arguments, lending authenticity to the dramatic proceedings.

### Critical Reception and Impact
The Good Wife received widespread critical acclaim throughout its run, praised for its intelligent writing, strong performances, and willingness to take narrative risks. The series was particularly noted for its complex female characters and its exploration of moral ambiguity in both personal and professional contexts. Critics frequently compared it favorably to premium cable dramas, noting that it achieved similar narrative sophistication within the constraints of broadcast television.

### Awards and Recognition
The series garnered significant industry recognition, receiving 43 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and winning 5 awards. Julianna Margulies won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2014. Archie Panjabi won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2010. The series also received multiple nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, reflecting its strength in casting and character work.

### Distribution and Legacy
The Good Wife has been distributed internationally through CBS's global partnerships and maintains availability on multiple streaming platforms. The series' success led directly to the creation of The Good Fight, which premiered on CBS's streaming platform CBS All Access (later Paramount+) in 2017. The spin-off allowed the creators to explore more mature themes and complex storylines without broadcast television's content restrictions. The original series continues to be studied in television writing courses and is frequently cited as an example of successful long-form narrative structure in the legal drama genre.

## References

1. Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. [Source](http://awards.bafta.org/award/2016/television)
4. Google Knowledge Graph
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6. Kinopoisk
7. Online-Filmdatenbank
8. The Movie Database
9. FilmVandaag.nl