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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Strong performances from guest stars carry 'The Good Wife' in final season

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Robert King, left, and his wife, Michelle, co-creators and producers of the CBS series "The Good Wife" are photographed on the grounds of Culver Studios in Culver City, California, Feb. 24, 2011. This is where the writing is done for the show.

On Super Bowl Sunday, fans of “The Good Wife” (2009-present) were greeted with some bad news: the critically acclaimed CBS drama, a TV spot declared, would be airing its final episode this spring. Though announcing a series finale by way of Super Bowl commercial is highly unusual, the decision to end “The Good Wife” was less unexpected. In January, series creators Robert and Michelle King told TVLine that they would not return as showrunners if CBS were to renew the drama for an eighth season, and the show’s star, Julianna Margulies, joked at a Hollywood event that she would be out of a job come April. So while the end of “The Good Wife” might not have been a surprise, it certainly is a shame. When the show signs off this May, network TV will lose its best drama — as well as its role as a relevant producer of high-quality television programming.

All this, however, is of no importance to “The Good Wife” cast and crew. In its seventh and now final season, the drama continues to produce the kind of well-crafted episodes that made it a favorite among critics and Emmy voters alike. Margulies still delivers meticulous, complex and occasionally show-stopping performances as Alicia Florrick, while the cases of the week remain as inventive and intricate as ever. There are scenes of shady Chicago politicians engaged in less-than-honorable behavior, and of course everyone’s favorite top-tier law firm has once again been renamed (this season rechristened Lockhart, Agos and Lee).

“The Good Wife” has also always been known for giving its exceptional guest stars meaty parts (Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth Tascioni, anyone?) and this season has been no different, with its first half in particular seeing an influx of new faces. The ever magnificent Margo Martindale popped up for a delicious role as campaign manager Ruth Eastman, a formidable opponent for Eli Gold (Alan Cumming) as they vied for the attentions of their boss, Governor Peter Florrick (Chris Noth). Christopher McDonald starred as a corrupt judge with a grudge against Alicia, and Mo Rocca had a delightful bit part as a stunningly incompetent reporter.Tufts alumnus Peter Gallagher (LA ‘77) even showed up to play the right-hand man of a very rich and very Republican Lockhart, Agos and Lee client.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Jason Crouse, meanwhile, has nicely filled the investigator-sized shoes left by Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi), who exited the show last season. He’s an enigma with a mysterious past, but he's one handsome, charming enigma. His good looks and easy-going manner are not lost on Alicia, and though it’s not likely the two will have a fairy tale romance (love is complicated for Mrs. Florrick), that doesn’t mean they can’t share a few steamy elevator make-out scenes. Whether Jason and Alicia have any real chemistry, however, is hard to determine — Morgan’s character seems to share sexual tension with everyone he interacts with, regardless of gender. He could probably flirt with a blank piece of paper and still make the whole endeavor sexy.

The role of Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo) has probably been the most meaningful and important addition to “The Good Wife.” Alicia has been essentially friendless since her relationship with Kalinda crumbled early in the show’s run, and with the broken friendship went one of the best relationships on the show. Brassy young lawyer Lucca, however, has slowly become Alicia’s friend and ally, breathing a breath of feminist air into the legal drama. It doesn’t hurt that Jumbo is an extraordinarily talented actress, whose dynamic presence on screen is particularly engaging to watch.



The introduction of Lucca and another young black lawyer Monica (Nikki M. James) the only two women of color at the firm — has given “The Good Wife” an opportunity to slyly poke fun at Lockhart, Agos and Lee, as well as the show itself, for its relative lack of workplace diversity. The humor in the interactions these women have with their often tone-deaf white colleagues is clever, fresh and relevant — a reminder that “The Good Wife” has not lost its razor-edged sense of humor.

By far the season’s weakest point has been the Peter-runs-for-president storyline, which is wholly unsurprising given that “The Good Wife” has always done a poor job handling election plotlines. It might usually be a sharp and tightly written show, but when an election comes around, forget about all that. Any level-headedness goes right out the door, and we are instead treated to storylines that have entirely lost touch with reality. Thankfully, campaign subplots seem to have been wrapped up for now, and hopefully they will stay that way.

“The Good Wife” deserves to go off the air on a high note, and without a messy election plotline to mar its last episodes, it is poised to take its final bow on the heels of another prodigious season. When Alicia and co. say their goodbye this spring, they will leave a hard-to-fill hole in CBS's Sunday night lineup. 

Summary In its final season, "The Good Wife" remains as smart and sharp as ever, continuing to boast strong performances from series regulars and guest stars alike.
4 Stars