Can The Good Wife Move Past "CGI-Gate" and Reinvent Itself (Yet Again)?

CBS needs to refocus and hunker down on a concept for season seven to return true to form

By Chris Harnick Jun 02, 2015 4:30 PMTags
The Good Wife CastJustin Stephens/CBS

The Good Wife is in need of a reinvention. The show is at a crossroads.

Season six of the acclaimed legal drama ended with Archie Panjabi's Kalinda Sharma and Julianna Margulies' Alicia Florrick "sharing" one final scene together after not appearing in the same scene in more than 50 episodes. "Sharing" is in quotes because reports have surfaced—and Panjabi has not denied them—that the scene was a CGI creation. The season also ended with Peter Florrick (Chris Noth) annoucing he wants to run for president and Finn Polmar (Matthew Goode) backed out of plans to partner up with Alicia for a new law firm venture. Meanwhile, Michael J. Fox's character, Louis Canning, returned to take on Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), Cary Agos (Matt Czuchry) and David Lee (Zach Grenier). Canning eventually asked Alicia to join him in a new firm. But all eyes in the season finale were on the final Kalinda-Alicia scene and rightfully so.

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This was supposed to be a shining moment in the finale—and it was, sort of. The actors turned in wonderful performances as the two former best friends waxed poetic about everything they've been through and how they missed each other. It was sweet, tender and probably the best conclusion the writers could give the friendship. If only it wasn't overshadowed by the fact it was "CGIed."

Whatever did or didn't happen there, behind the scenes, is unfortunate, especially when you go back and watch older episodes. The relationship between Kalinda and Alicia was one of the many aspects that made The Good Wife special. They were never in competition with each other, never lusting after the same person/thing. They seemed to genuinely care about each other, which is a feat in and of itself for TV writers to accomplish. These two fictional women were nothing alike—they shouldn't be friends! But they were. And for three and a half seasons (including much of season three where they were still not talking to each other because Alicia found out Kalinda slept with Peter prior to them becoming pals) viewers got to enjoy that wonderful, magical friendship.

Now, season seven is upon us. Kalinda is gone. The Good Wife needs to keep on going. Yes, the death of Kalicia was a major blow to the show (a prolonged death that started back in season four), but it wasn't the only aspect that attracted so many to the show. It's time to go back to the basics and remind viewers why we loved the series in the first place: Alicia Florrick.

Season six of the series took Alicia out of court and put her in the political arena. At times, episodes were stuffed to the brim with election drama while other characters were involved in legal stories. A little too stuffed. Then there was the whole Finn-Alicia-Johnny (Steven Pasquale) love triangle that never fully formed. Pasquale is gone, as is Goode. To quote Owen (Dallas Roberts), "It's Alicia time!" The character does not need to be shoehorned between two men. She's more than that.

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The writers already started down the back to the basics road by kicking Alicia out of Lockhart, Agos and Lee and sending her back to court, not worrying about what email leaks, public speaking flaps or smear campaigns. Peter doesn't need to run for president, but when he is running, there's often conflict between the two characters and Eli Gold (Alan Cumming), which makes for good TV. But Peter's campaign does not and should not be a focal point of the season. This is Alicia Florrick's story and despite the allure of political drama, it should stay Alicia Florrick's story.

Can The Good Wife move past this CGI nonsense and make people forget by making them remember what made the series so special at its start? Yes. Will it? That remains to be seen.

The Good Wife returns this fall on Sundays, 9 p.m. on CBS.