The Good Wife is an American legal drama, which premiered on CBS on September 22, 2009. The series was created by Robert and Michelle King, and stars Julianna Margulies, as Alicia Florrick a woman trying to balance her work and family life in the wake of her husband's recent political scandal. The Kings are executive producers, along with brothers Ridley and Tony Scott, Charles McDougall and David W. Zucker.
Plot
The storyline focuses on Margulies as Alicia Florrick, the wife of Peter Florrick (Noth). Her husband has been jailed following a very public sex and corruption scandal. She returns to her old job as a litigator to rebuild her reputation and provide for her two children. The series was partly inspired by the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal.
Main cast
- Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, the title character of the series. The wife of a disgraced State Attorney, Alicia is forced to return to work as a junior litigator when he is imprisoned. Having spent so many years as "the good wife," Alicia finds herself at the bottom of the work ladder, trying to juggle both home and professional life with the ongoing scandal surrounding her husband.
- Josh Charles as Will Gardner, an old friend of Alicia Florrick's from law school, who is a partner at a prestigious law firm.
- Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, the firm's in-house private investigator. Kalinda previously worked for Peter Florrick, who had dismissed her. She has a cynical, misanthropic outlook on human behavior.
- Matt Czuchry as Cary Agos, another junior attorney, taken on at the same time as Alicia. In the first episode it is established that there is only one permanent position for the pair at the firm, putting Cary into competition with Alicia. Cary has a romantic interest in Kalinda, which, to date, she has emphatically refused to requite.
- Graham Phillips as Zachary "Zach" Florrick, the son of Alicia and Peter Florrick.
- Mackenzie Vega as Grace Florrick, the daughter of Alicia and Peter Florrick.
- Mary Beth Peil as Jacqueline "Jackie" Florrick, the mother of Peter, mother-in-law of Alicia, and grandmother of Grace and Zach, who remains, to date, reluctant to believe in her son's corrupt behavior and is hopeful Alicia and her son will reunite and once again become a family.
- Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, a senior partner at the law firm which hires Alicia Florrick.
- Alan Cumming as Eli Gold, Peter's campaign manager.
Recurring cast
- Chris Noth as Peter Florrick, Alicia Florrick's husband and former State Attorney of Cook County, Illinois. Currently imprisoned for political corruption.
- Titus Welliver as Glenn Childs, the current Cook County State Attorney and one of Peter Florrick's longest-standing political and personal enemies; Childs was responsible for leaking the Peter Florrick sex tape to the media.
- Joe Morton as Daniel Golden, one of the members of Peter Florrick's legal team.
- Emily Bergl as "Bree," an employee of the law firm for which Alicia Florrick works.
- Chris Butler as Matan Brody, a member of the opposition.
- David Paymer as Judge Richard Cuesta, a judge that Alicia Florrick has gone to twice.
- Sonequa Martin as Courtney, an employee of the law firm for which Alicia Florrick works; she appears to be a secretary.
- Kim Shaw as Amber Madison, the high-priced call girl whose involvement with Peter Florrick resulted in his imprisonment.
Episodes
Ratings
U.S. Nielsen ratings
| Order | Episode | Rating | Share | Rating/share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Rank (Timeslot) |
Rank (Night) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | 9.2 | 16 | 3.1/8 | 13.71 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | "Stripped" | 9.1 | 16 | 3.2/9 | 13.69 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | "Home" | 8.9 | 15 | 2.9/8 | 13.69 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | "Fixed" | 8.7 | 15 | 2.8/8 | 12.98 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | "Crash" | 8.8 | 15 | 2.8/8 | 13.26 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | "Conjugal" | 8.6 | 15 | 2.7/8 | 12.74 | 1 | TBA |
| 7 | "Unorthodox" | TBA | TBA | 2.8/8 | 13.35 | 1 | TBA |
| 8 | "Unprepared" | 8.4 | 15 | 2.6/7 | 12.73 | 1 | TBA |
| 9 | "Threesome" | 8.1 | 14 | 2.8/8 | 12.53 | 1 | TBA |
| 10 | "Lifeguard" | ' | ' | 2.8/8 | 14.08 | 1 | TBA |
Canadian ratings
| Order | Episode | Viewers (100'00s) |
Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | 14.14 | #21 |
| 2 | "Stripped" | 13.64 | #30 |
| 3 | "Home" | 14.22 | #23 |
| 4 | "Fixed" | 13.24 | #28 |
| 5 | "Crash" | 14.62 | #20 |
| 6 | "Conjugal" | 12.91 | #25 |
| 7 | "Unorthodox" | 15.39 | #24 |
| 8 | "Unprepared" | 13.33 | #26 |
| 9 | "Threesome" | TBA | TBA |
Awards
Nominations
Golden Globes
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama for Julianna Margulies (2009)
Satellite Awards
- Best Actress in a Series, Drama for Julianna Margulies (2009)
- Best Television Series, Drama (2009)
Screen Actors Guild Awards
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Julianna Margulies (2009)
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2009)
References
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ http://www.bbm.ca/en/nat09212009.pdf