Why "The Good Wife" is So Good

It isn't because she bakes like your gramma and "keeps her dang mouth shut", that's for sure. The Good Wife is a great show for two basic reasons: Julianna Margulies and talented writers.

First, let me give my usual disclaimers. I am still a little conflicted about having 2 CBS prime time dramas in my top 10 for this season. Like many of you (I'm sure), I grew up believing CBS was the network that really, really old people watched. Cool, hip, young people (like me and my other 8 year old friends) watched NBC. Cheers and St. Elsewhere, Magnum P.I. and Knight Rider. Seriously, it was NBC's Golden Age ... long before must-see TV. And I still have a bad taste in my mouth about All in the Family. I don't care how many people tell you what a great show it was; it was a sitcom about an anti-semitic, misogynistic jackass. A sitcom!! I may have been only 5, but even I recognized there was something wrong about that. Bad call, CBS.

But ... respect where respect is due. CBS has managed to turn the ship around. Now, they are second only to Fox in capturing young audiences. Largely, that's due to their CSI franchise (which I loathe, by the way ... die, Jerry Bruckheimer!!), but their success owes much to their savvy choices for mid-week prime time dramas. I've already mentioned The Mentalist - now in its second season - in a previous post, and I'm sure I'll get to it again. For now let's just say it is one of my favorites. The other show that needs your respect is The Good Wife, the newest homerun from CBS's evening lineup, and when I saw the first promos (no doubt during The Mentalist) I was skeptical to say the least.

The first promos did not do the show justice. In my opinion, they hinted at a show that was based, rather obviously, on the tragic life of Dena McGreevy whose cheating husband - NJ Governor Jim McGreevy - announced to the world that he had been sleeping with one of his young male cabinet members. The announcement was made at a macabre press conference, with wife Dena standing at his side looking like a wounded child. The promos for The Good Wife were an eye-rolling knockoff of that scene. Thus, I was initially completely uninterested in this show. If there's anything that will turn me off a drama, it's a complete lack of originality. The Good Wife, it seemed to me, promised nothing more than lame, movie-of-the-week writing that would likely fizzle out after 8 or 9 episodes. Friends ... I was wrong.

I missed the first 4 episodes because I didn't even bother to put it in my Tivo list, but I caught half an episode during a rare night of channel surfing and I was instantly hooked. And here's why:

Juliana Margulies. I was never really a fan of Ms. Margulies when she was on ER. I found her character subordinate and dull, and I wasn't sorry to see her leave late in the show's run. I now realize that it was the character I didn't like, because I am thoroughly impressed by her performance on The Good Wife. The show does have some of the knockoff political wife story, a la Dena McGreevy, but that's really a very small part of the show. Truly, this is a show about a woman who finds that, after an adult life dedicated to supporting her husband and his career, she wants more out of life. The underpinning is a legal drama (which I usually can't stand, being a real-life lawyer and all), and Julianna Margulies is spot-on as a new associate competing for professional points at a faltering law firm. Since I never really paid much attention to her career, I can't tell you if she has always been a great actor who has gone unrecognized, or if she has just gotten that much better over time. Regardless, if she doesn't win an Emmy, there is no justice in this world. Hyperbole? Nope. Also, I don't remember her being drop-dead gorgeous on ER. And that was 15 year ago. Well played, Ms. Margulies.

Not inconsequentially, the writing for this show is also top-notch. It certainly isn't the most creative writing in the business, but that's okay. It's a legal drama, so you can't get too creative without changing the premise of the show. Our legal system has rules and constraints, and though TV producers love to pretend it's exciting stuff, it mostly isn't. Getting too creative, therefore, would require inventing a new legal system. And that's not as easy as it sounds ... ask the EU (wassup, Brussels?!). The writers do, however, manage to show new angles. The most recent episode of the show, "Doubt", is hands-down the most cleverly written one-hour legal drama I've ever seen. And I used to watch LA Law, folks; I've seen it all. The show happens in two different perspectives. One is the jury, deliberating a murder case after all evidence has been entered. The second is the perspective of the defense (Julianna Margulies' side) during the evidence portion of the trial, fighting a losing battle for an innocent client. During the show, the two perspectives don't seem to match, and you keep wondering how the hell it will all be reconciled. You wonder all the way to the end, and the end is simultaneously inevitable and a heart-wrenching surprise. It was awesome.

The episode was written by the series creators, Michelle and Robert King, and I have to tell you ... I'm tempted to send them an e-mail just to tell them how impressed I was. And I don't impress easily. Especially not by legal dramas, which I mostly find trite and unrealistic.

The bottom line? Start watching The Good Wife. There are some persistent long-term story arcs, but they're secondary to the show's main plots and you should be able to pick them up within a few episodes. There's no doubt the show will be back for a second season, and you definitely want to be primed and ready when it comes. Netflix, anyone?

P.S. -

Erica Durance, I love you.