Thoughts on The Good Wife After Binge-Watching 4 Seasons

I thoroughly enjoy this show. It’s not primarily a drama about a good wife, it’s primarily a lawyer show. To me, Good Wife fits more into the Law and Order category than a more family-based drama like Parenthood. Which I love!

Watch it for the guest stars! Every actor who has ever been on television has guest starred on this show

as a lawyer, judge, or criminal. It’s fun to watch! Just to name a few: The P and VP from Scandal, Russell Edginton, Arlene, and the vampire Jason and Lizzy Caplan killed from True Blood, Michael J. Fox, Shue’s wife from Glee, and my favorite, Maura Tierney from ER—the best ER reunion ever. Just to name a few.

The cast of characters is a good one -- in no particular order:

Chris Noth as the Bad husband: he is perfect for this role—it’s basically the same as Big.

Alan Cumming as Eli Gold: I would like this character better if Alan Cumming played it more as himself: gay and British. It feels like Eli was written as a standard, Olivia Pope-style fixer but the actor has molded him into something different, and slightly better.

The Florrick kids: Played by real kids! Written as real kids! They have just the right amount of screen time.

Jacky: Mary Beth Peil will always be Grams from Dawson to me. Jacky's most important function seems to be catalyzing Alicia to take action in her life.

Kalinda: Aside from the plotline where husband comes back for her, I generally like Kalinda and was genuinely heartbroken when her and Alicia’s friendship ended. She does need some more depth, though – keeping her so mysterious all the time gets gimmicky. Also, her wardrobe veers into "pirate hooker" territory sometimes; with so many other well-dressed women on the show, her awful wardrobe stands out more. 

Cary- I love Cary. His character made such a nice transition from bratty associate to ASA nemesis to coworker. I love how he tries to make out with everyone, and how that strategy generally ends up working for him.

Will- I love Will even more. I love his dark circles and how he’s 90% win-at-all-costs and 10% sweet, good guy. I loved the episode with his sisters. And obviously, I love the Will and Alicia tension, and I think the show feels like something’s missing when they don’t acknowledge it.

Juliana Margulies as Alicia- My biggest conflict with Alicia is that the show doesn’t fully address her decicion making process about going back to Peter. I like how she consistently acts in her own best interest, but I wish the audience got more insight into her process. Juliana Margulies is a great actress, though, and nails this role. 

Christine Baranski as Diane- Diane is the best. She's impeccable and the pillar of sanity amid the craziness of the firm. Diane has a similar presence as (though nothing else in common with) Samantha from SATC. 

Overall, this series is great, and recommended for lovers of lawyer shows and love triangles. As a fan of both, I am wildly curious about how season 5 will start!