The Good Fight is an American legal drama produced for CBS's streaming service CBS All Access (later Paramount+). It is the platform's first original scripted series. The series, created by Robert King, Michelle King, and Phil Alden Robinson, is a spin-off and standalone sequel to The Good Wife, which was created by the Kings. The first season consists of 10 episodes and premiered on February 19, 2017, with the first episode airing on CBS and the following nine episodes on CBS All Access and has concluded on November 10, 2022. The series was initially scheduled to air in May 2017 but was moved up after production delays forced CBS to postpone the premiere of the new series Star Trek: Discovery.
Plot[]
An enormous financial scam has destroyed the reputation of a young lawyer, Maia Rindell, while simultaneously wiping out her mentor and godmother Diane Lockhart's savings. Forced out of Lockhart & Lee, they join Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago’s pre-eminent law firms Reddick, Boseman & Kolstad. The series, from The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Main article: Cast
- Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, who loses her savings after an enormous financial scam and must join Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago's pre-eminent law firms. (Seasons 1–6)
- Rose Leslie as Maia Rindell, Diane's goddaughter who joins Diane's firm just after passing the bar. Maia and her parents are the unofficial First Family of Chicago. She is Amy's girlfriend. (Seasons 1–3)
- Erica Tazel as Barbara Kolstad, founding partner at Reddick, Boseman, & Kolstad, the law firm Diane and Maia move to after the financial scandal. (Season 1; Guest: Season 2)
- Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold, who begins as Diane Lockhart's secretary, but finds she has a knack for investigating. (Seasons 1–6)
- Cush Jumbo as Lucca Quinn, who begins to work with Diane at one of Chicago's pre-eminent law firms. (Seasons 1–3; Guest: Season 5)
- Delroy Lindo as Adrian Boseman, an attorney who starts poaching Diane Lockhart's associates and clients when she gets into financial trouble and threatens her ability to stay in business. (Seasons 1–4, Guest: Season 5)
- Justin Bartha as Colin Morrello, a successful lawyer in the State Attorney's office and rival/potential love interest of Lucca. (Seasons 1–2)
- Nyambi Nyambi as Jay Dipersia, the effective lead investigator for Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart. His storylines include his immigration status, and later suffering from Long Covid and hallucinations. (Seasons 2–6; Recurring: Season 1)
- Michael Boatman as Julius Cain, a managing partner for Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart, and Diane's former partner at Lockhart/Gardner. He later becomes a federal judge. After being pardoned following a wrongful conviction for bribery, he returns to the firm as of counsel. (Seasons 2–6; Recurring; Season 1)
- Audra McDonald as Liz Reddick, a former United States Attorney and the ex-wife of name partner Adrian Boseman, who comes to the firm as name partner following her father's death (Seasons 2–6)
- Michael Sheen as Roland Blum, a new attorney working with Maia on a murder trial. The character purports to be a protégé of Roy Cohn and is inspired by Cohn and his acolyte, Roger Stone. Sheen describes him as "devilish," saying "he wants to eat and disrupt and fuck, and poke people." (Season 3)
- Zach Grenier as David Lee, the sardonic former head of family law at Diane's previous firm, Lockhart Gardner. He is now a partner at STR Laurie, an international firm that has bought Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart. (Seasons 4–5; Guest: Seasons 1 & 6)
- John Larroquette as Gavin Firth, a top partner at STR Laurie. (Season 4)
- Charmaine Bingwa as Carmen Moyo, a new associate at Reddick Lockhart. (Season 5–6)
- Mandy Patinkin as Hal Wackner, a layman with no legal training who opens a court in the back of a copy shop. (Season 5)
- John Slattery as Dr. Lyle Bettencourt, a physician who provides medical therapy to help Diane to relax. (Season 6)
- Andre Braugher as Ri'Chard Lane, a new name partner installed at the firm by STR Laurie. (Season 6)
Recurring Cast[]
- Paul Guilfoyle as Henry Rindell (seasons 1–2)
- Bernadette Peters as Lenore Rindell (seasons 1–2)
- Gary Cole as Kurt McVeigh
- Corey Cott as Tom C. Duncan (seasons 1–2)
- William M. Finkelstein as Simon Kassovitz (seasons 1–3)
- Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni (seasons 1–2 & 6)
- Heléne Yorke as Amy Breslin
- Adam Heller as Wilbur Dincon (seasons 1–2 & 4)
- Chalia La Tour as Yesha Mancini (season 1)
- Fisher Stevens as Gabriel Kovac (seasons 1–2 & 4)
- Matthew Perry as Mike Kresteva (season 1)
- Jane Lynch as Madeline Starkey (seasons 1–2 & 5)
- Andrea Martin as Francesca Lovatelli (seasons 1–3)
- Tom McGowan as Jax Rindell (season 1)
- Tyrone Mitchell Henderson as Barry Poe (seasons 2–5)
- Alan Alda as Solomon Waltzer (seasons 2–3)
- Wendell B. Franklin as Captain Ian Lawrence (seasons 2–3)
- Taylor Louderman as Tara Strokes (seasons 2–3)
- Margo Martindale as Ruth Eastman (seasons 2 & 5)
- Tim Matheson as Tully Nelson (season 2)
- Rob McClure as Trig Mullaney (seasons 2 & 5)
- Mike Pniewski as Frank Landau (seasons 2–4 & 6)
- Keesha Sharp as Naomi Nivola (seasons 2–3)
- Lauren Patten as Polly Dean (season 3)
- Tamberla Perry as Charlotte Hazlewood (seasons 3–5)
- Kate Shindle as Rachelle Max (season 3)
- Hugh Dancy as Caleb Garlin (seasons 4–5)
- Chasten Harmon as Bianca Skye (seasons 4–5)
- Wayne Brady as Del Cooper (seasons 5–6)
- Wanda Sykes as Allegra Durado (season 5)
- Tony Plana as Oscar Rivi (seasons 5–6)
- Alok Tewari and Anthony Cochrane (seasons 5–6)
- Phylicia Rashad as Renetta Clark (season 6)
- Daniel Breaker as Randy Elkin (season 6)
- Shahar Isaac as Zev Beker (season 6)
Seasons[]
- Main article: The Good Fight Seasons
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired (U.S. dates) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | Network | |||
| 1 | 10 | February 19, 2017 | April 16, 2017 | CBS All Access | |
| 2 | 13 | March 4, 2018 | May 27, 2018 | ||
| 3 | 10 | March 14, 2019 | May 16, 2019 | ||
| 4 | 7 | April 9, 2020 | May 28, 2020 | ||
| 5 | 10 | June 24, 2021 | August 26, 2021 | Paramount+ | |
| 6 | 10 | September 8, 2022 | November 10, 2022 | ||
Production[]
Development[]
In February 2016, Michelle and Robert King, when asked about a spin-off, stated that there was a possibility for a spin-off series. In May 2016, CBS was in final negotiations to set up a spin-off featuring Christine Baranski reprising her role as Diane Lockhart, but which would air on CBS All Access instead of the network. The spin-off was officially ordered to series on May 18, with Cush Jumbo returning as well. In September 2016, it was confirmed that the 10-episode spin-off would premiere in February 2017, with the story picking up a year after the final episode of the original series and seeing Diane pushed out of her firm after a financial scam involving her protégé wipes out her savings, resulting in her move to Lucca Quinn's firm. The series was initially planned to air in May 2017, but was moved to February 2017 after production delays forced CBS to postpone the premiere of the new series, Star Trek: Discovery. After months of speculation, CBS revealed the title for the spin-off series, which was revealed to be The Good Fight, on October 31, 2016. It was announced that The Good Fight would premiere on February 19, 2017. CBS released the first trailer for the spinoff on December 18, 2016, featuring footage from the premiere and later episodes.
On March 15, 2017, CBS All Access renewed the show for a second season with an increased episode count of 13, which premiered on March 4, 2018. On May 2, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season. In January 2019, it was announced that season 3 is set to premiere on the streaming platform on March 14, 2019.
On April 23, 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth season which premiered on April 9, 2020. Only 7 of the scheduled 10 episodes were fully completed before production came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 14, 2020, CBS All Access renewed the series for a fifth season. In May 2021, it was announced that the fifth season was scheduled to premiere on June 24, 2021, on Paramount+. On July 20, 2021, Paramount+ renewed the series for a sixth season which is scheduled to premiere on September 8, 2022.
Beginning with the season 2 finale, and more prominently in season 3, episodes have increasingly featured animated music video segments written by Jonathan Coulton and produced by Head Gear Animation, that discuss subjects relevant to an episode. Coulton had been involved in the Kings' previous series BrainDead, which featured musical recaps performed by the singer. The segments have drawn comparisons to the series Schoolhouse Rock!, albeit discussing topics such as the impeachment process, non-disclosure agreements, and Russian trolls. Coulton remarked he shared the Kings' "sensibility of really liking to mess with the form itself and poke through the fourth wall a little bit" and has received a relative amount of creative freedom in regard to the content of these interludes. However, CBS requested the removal of a segment from a season 3 episode that discussed censorship in China. The network agreed to allow the inclusion of a placard informing viewers of the removed content.
Casting[]
In May 2016, CBS was in final negotiations with Christine Baranski to reprise her role as Diane Lockhart and Cush Jumbo to reprise her role as well. After the series was picked up, it was announced that Jumbo would reprise her role as Lucca Quinn. Deadline announced on September 17, 2016, that Sarah Steele had been added to the cast, returning as Marissa Gold and appearing as Diane Lockhart's secretary-turned-investigator. On October 12, 2016, it was announced that former Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie had been cast to play a lead in the show, the role of Diane's goddaughter Maia who joins Diane's firm just after passing the bar.
The day after, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Delroy Lindo had been cast as "Robert" Boseman, an attorney who starts poaching Diane's associates and clients. The first name of Lindo's character was changed to "Adrian". Deadline reported on October 27, 2016, that the show had added Paul Guilfoyle and Bernadette Peters for recurring roles as Maia's parents. Guilfoyle would play Maia's father Henry, a wildly successful financial advisor who is phenomenally wealthy and universally loved. Peters' character Lenore was described as a woman who came from a tough working-class background and is a natively brilliant financial whiz. It was announced on October 31, 2016, that Justified alum Erica Tazel had joined the cast as a series regular.
On November 7, 2016, it was announced that Gary Cole would be reprising his role as Diane's husband Kurt McVeigh. It was confirmed on November 11, 2016, that Zach Grenier, Jerry Adler, and Carrie Preston would be returning as guest stars, reprising their roles of David Lee, Howard Lyman, and Elsbeth Tascioni respectively. On November 18, 2016, it was announced that Justin Bartha had been added as a series regular as Colin, a rising star in the US Attorney's office and love interest to Lucca. On August 1, 2017, it was announced that Audra McDonald had been added to the main cast for season 2 as Liz Reddick, reprising her role from The Good Wife season 4, and that Michael Boatman and Nyambi Nyambi had been promoted to main cast. On November 7, 2018, it was reported that Michael Sheen had joined the main cast for season 3. On February 20, 2020, Lindo announced he would be leaving the series as a regular following season 4. Jumbo was also due to depart at the end of season 4. However, due to the COVID-shortened season, the show was not able to develop the storyline that led to Lucca Quinn's or Adrian Boseman's departure.[citation needed] On January 27, 2021, Charmaine Bingwa was cast as a new series regular for the fifth season. On March 5, 2021, Mandy Patinkin joined the cast as new series regular for the fifth season. On April 5, 2021, it was reported that Jumbo and Lindo were set to return as guest stars to wrap up their storylines in the fifth season. In March 2022, it was announced that Andre Braugher had joined the cast as a new series regular while Alan Cumming would reprise his role as Eli Gold from The Good Wife as a guest star for the sixth season.
International broadcast[]
On February 8, 2017, the series was picked up in Canada by Corus Entertainment to air on their cable channel, W Network; the American broadcast premiere of the series would be simulcast by Corus' broadcast system Global.
On March 2, 2017, Channel 4 confirmed it had acquired the UK broadcast rights for the series for its More4 channel following the success of progenitor series The Good Wife on that same channel. The series debuted on More4 on March 30, 2017.
HBO began airing all 10 episodes of the first season on June 1, 2017, in various European territories, while India's Zee Entertainment Enterprises obtained exclusive pay-TV rights to The Good Fight for its English-language general entertainment channel Zee Café, which also carried The Good Wife in India
Reception[]
The Good Fight has received widespread critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes reports that the first season has a rating of 98% based on reviews from 57 approved critics and an average rating of 8.18/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "An auspicious beginning for CBS All Access, The Good Fight solidly follows its predecessor while allowing for new storytelling styles, a wider narrative scope, and a chance for its lead to explore new territory with a relatable human struggle." On Metacritic, the first season received a score of 80 based on reviews from 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The Los Angeles Times suggested that Good Fight creators Robert and Michelle King "still had the Good Wife magic" and though Good Wife "had already [run] its course" after seasons 6 and 7 had received mediocre reviews, "they just needed a clean slate" to allow them to continue to mine more stories from that fictional universe. In addition, unlike Good Wife which was centered around "romantic tension" and got bogged down in Alicia Florrick's (Julianna Margulies) love life, Good Fight was considered "refreshing for steering the story the other way" as relationships are "not the plot points that drive the story". Good Fight is regarded as a rare successful example of a TV series spin-off, as other contemporary TV series are either reboots or remakes.
Writing for Vox.com, Emily VanDerWerff praised the show's deft use of political themes, commenting that while The Good Wife was a commentary on "liberal hypocrisy" and the nature of moral compromise, The Good Fight stands out as a much more earnest "defense of liberal values", giving the show a compelling "reason to exist".
The second season has a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 9.43/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Angry but still fun, The Good Fight confidently elaborates on current political events with its deftly fictionalized plots." On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 70 based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The third season has a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Good Fight's third season pulls no punches, doubling down on the social commentary while maintaining the show's sensational delights to create one of the best dramas on TV." On Metacritic, the third season received a score of 83 based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
The fourth season holds an approval rating of 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. The site's critical consensus states, "The Good Fight remains in top form with an over-the-top and completely captivating fourth season that plays to the show's strengths." On Metacritic, the fourth season received a score of 84 based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
The fifth season has an approval rating of 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.05/10. The site's critical consensus states, "The Good Fight's fifth season continues to confront challenging current events with its singularly absurd style." On Metacritic, the fifth season received a score of 85 based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
External links[]
- The Good Fight on Wikipedia
- The Good Fight on The Internet Movie Database