Things You Might Not Know About The Good Wife

Published on December 15, 2015. Updated April 27, 2020

The Good Wife was an incredibly successful and intelligent show that gave viewers an inside look at what happens behind the closed doors of law and politics — and was it ever scandalous! The show enjoyed a long run on screen as it went on for seven seasons. Alicia Florrick was the Olivia Pope of Chicago. She was a modern day crusader who was constantly up to bat on defending what is right and wrong and we simply loved her for it. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about The Good Wife:

10. Law Abiding Husband

Julianna Margulies may have played the role of a fierce lawyer on-screen, but when it comes to the real world, it’s her husband Keith Lieberthal who’s the lawyer. And he’s a good one too! He graduated from Harvard Law. The couple has been married since 2007.

Erik Pendzich/REX

9. Julianna Almost Wasn’t Cast

The role of Alicia Florrick was originally offered to Helen Hunt and Ashley Judd, but both turned it down. It was then offered to Julianna Margulies and, of course, she accepted it.

Press Association

8. The Writers are Lawyers

There are seven writers who worked on The Good Wife (in addition to the Kings), three of which were attorneys. There was also one legal consultant working on their team, keeping the show’s storylines as accurate as possible.

photo: Jeff Neumann / ©CBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection

7. The Show’s Creators

The creators of The Good Wife are Robert and Michelle King who have been married for almost 30 years. In addition to the show, the couple owns a TV production company in partnership with CBS called “King Size Productions.” They revealed in an interview that they only got three and a half weeks off per year — the rest of their time was dedicated to working on The Good Wife.

Broadimage/REX

6. Eli Gold is a Real Person

The character of Eli Gold is loosely based on a real person: Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. Alan Cummings, who played Gold, was a main character on the show starting in season 2. Apparently, there was going to be a background story where Gold was a former concert pianist and aspiring ballet dancer prior to making a big career in politics.

©CBS / Courtesy: Everett

5. The Show is a Portrayal of Real Events

The show was based on the King’s observations of real-life scandals. It was pitched to the CBS network because the producing couple had noticed a lot of political scandals involving a powerful woman who stays with her husband. The King’s wanted to explore why this often happens. The entire campaign in season 7 was meant to mirror what is actually happening in politics at that time. Alicia was the scorned wife of a cheating politician who uses her platform and career as a lawyer to follow in her husband’s footsteps and pursue a career in politics.

photo: David Giesbrecht / ©CBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection

4. The Essence of Kalinda

Archie Panjabi played Kalinda Sharma (you may also recognize her from Bend it Like Beckham), the bada– private investigator who worked for Alicia, Carey, Diane and Will. She was a huge fan favorite. In an interview with BBC, she told the reporter that she could only play the character of Kalinda in high-heel boots. It seems the high black leather boots and jacket were the essence of her character. She said, “I tried wearing shoes, but it doesn’t work. Her walk changes.” When she left the show she took her signature boots and leather jacket with her.

Photo by David Niviere/ABACAPRESS.COM

3. The Death of Will Gardener

Josh Charles played Will Gardener, a successful lawyer on the show and Alicia’s love interest. His death was a result of Charles not wanting to renew his contract after the fourth season. Margulies was the one that convinced him to stay on for another half season so that the writers of the show could give his character a proper exit. He ended up staying on for 15 episodes in season 5 until he was killed off during a courtroom shooting. The whole scenario was kept very tight lipped and came as a huge shock to fans.

2. Feuds on Set

Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi were rumored to have an ongoing feud behind the camera. The rumors were fed when fans realized the two weren’t filmed in a scene together for more than 50 episodes since season 4, episode 11. Her character eventually ended up leaving the show which was a surprise to many as well. Apparently, their feud got so bad that the final scene between the two characters had to be shot without each woman being in the same room. Producers had to splice two different takes together.

1. Accidents on Set

In July 2012, actress and Broadway star, Kristin Chenoweth, made a guest appearance on The Good Wife for two episodes. While filming on set, a piece of lighting equipment fell on her knocking her unconscious. She was immediately rushed to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a skull fracture alongside severe pain in her hip and ribs. It was reported that Chenoweth was hit so badly on the head she couldn’t even form sentences shortly after the accident occurred. It took her several months to fully recover from her injuries. Chenoweth was supposed to play the reoccurring role of a political reporter, but after the accident, she didn’t return to the show.

JOHN PAUL FILO/CBS